Today marks the day Saul Williams album is released.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails convinced Saul to release the album for free. The album is available for free or for a $5 donation (of which I paid). It also comes in 3 flavors: 192kbps MP3, 320kbps MP3, or FLAC. From the various interviews and blog postings I’ve read, Trent is pretty much certain the old way of doing business is dead. Record labels have alienated the online affect of audiences getting music… which turned them against the record industry. In some cases it alienated the artists as well. Trent effectively dropped himself from his label and said he would rather have his fans steal his music than pay the enormous prices he was surprised to see on this last album, Year Zero.
Between this and the Radiohead recent release, the music distribution scheme of old has disappeared. It’s true. What’s very interesting is no one can be certain on what the outcome will be. What will the new means be? Will ever aspect of music be DIY? The playing field has changed, the power is shifting, emotions are also in play.
Trent mentioned one of the goals of future song releases would be to entice audiences to come to shows and purchase merchandise. I couldn’t agree with this more. It was one of the biggest reasons for me going to shows I’ve been to all year, and continue to go to. I steal music. I will be upfront and honest about that. I steal the money from the record label. I give my money to the artist. When I visited Dozer in Europe, I purchased a few of the albums they were selling and a sweatshirt. They receive all the profit from this, as they purchased it at wholesale from the label or made the merchandise themselves. I am giving back to them, what the label doesn’t. It’s why if I do like a band, I buy the album at the show… not online. I pay for my tickets to the shows, I don’t scalp. I screw the record industry, not the artist.
The artists are ready to screw the labels, too. Best of luck to you Big 4. Your days are officially numbered.