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Row between EMI and artists breaks cover
• Radiohead leave record label in protest at new regime
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By
The Minx, Entertainment editor
Wednesday,
2 January, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Radiohead has hit out at the chief of its former label after a news report claimed the rock band rejected a 3 million pound advance for its new album and demanded the rights to some of its older albums.
According to the report, published last Friday by The Times of London, Radiohead's demands to EMI Group chairman Guy Hands totalled more than 10 million pounds.In addition to the advance, the Times said the band also wanted a 3 million pound international marketing budget for the album, "In Rainbows," while the reversion of the rights to its previous two albums would have cost EMI 4 million pounds ($7.9 million) in future earnings.
The paper quoted an EMI spokesman as saying, "Radiohead were demanding an extraordinary amount of money and we did not believe that our other artists should have to subsidize their gains."It also quoted the band's manager, Bryce Edge, as saying, "We were not seeking a big advance payment, or a guaranteed marketing spend as discussions never got that far."
The band's "extremely upset" frontman, Thom Yorke, took to the band's Web site (www.radiohead.com) on Monday to deny that it wanted "a load of cash" from EMI."What we wanted was some control over our work and how it was used in the future by them. That seemed reasonable to us, as we cared about it a great deal," Yorke wrote.
He said Hands was not interested. "So, neither were we. We made the sign of the cross and walked away. Sadly."
Radiohead went on to release "In Rainbows," on the Web several months ago, and allowed fans to pay whatever they wanted to download it. Physical versions of the album were released in stores this week.
Directing his anger at Hands, Yorke added: "To be digging up such bull----, or more politely airing yer dirty laundry in public, seems a very strange way for the head of an international record label to be proceeding."
Since private equity mogul Hands took over running the record industry giant, he has issued regular press briefings expressing his shock and dismay at the excesses he has found. In November he announced plans to cut costs by halving the record company's $25 million annual payouts to trade groups like the Recording Industry Association of America and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry--a move that would force EMI to take more of an initiative as far as antipiracy efforts go, although one wonders if Hands doesn't see that as a beneficial part of his plan.
However hiring the BBC's widely disliked former D-G John Birt, to revamp the A and R division, does not augur well for the artists' relationship with their troubled company. Birt was notorious at the BBC for only communicating with staff in a form of mangled management speak, hardly a gambit likely to go down well with rock stars.
Hands meanwhile has scolded the artists for not working harder, threatened to review and possibly cancel many of the advances common until now and possible drop underperforming stars.
(Reporting by Dean Goodman)
Background
After years of fleecing the artists for recording costs and leaving them to pick up touring costs, the record companies, facing with falling sales of CDs have been eyeing the lucrative touring circuit and new contracts now contain clauses enabling the record company to share the profits.
In a ground breaking deal recently Madonna left Warner Brothers, her record label of 24 years, to sign up with promoter and venue owner Live Nation. The singer is thought to be getting a $17.5m cash advance with the US firm, the world's largest live music group, as well as another $50m in cash and shares and multimillion dollar windfalls for each of three albums she will commit to.
Hands' buyout firm Terra Firma Capital Partners agreed to buy EMI in May for 2.4 billion pounds ($4.8 billion). The financier has warned artists they could be dropped if they do not work hard enough for the company.
Rock band Radiohead's decision to release its new album "In Rainbows" by itself -- online, without a record label's help and at any price the user chose -- rocked the industry last fall. Some hailed it as the beginning of the end for record labels. Other dismissed it as merely a publicity stunt. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher told Reuters the group would follow such a strategy "over my dead body."
But everyone wants to know: Who's next? The following 10 acts represent where the smart money is on such speculation. Let the games begin.
PRINCE
He's already shown a willingness to distribute music outside traditional label structures by releasing new music on his Web site, via his NPG Music Club and by offering his latest album as a covermount with the Daily Mail newspaper in London. Prince is also staging a massive effort to "gain control of the Internet" by suing the Pirate Bay and forcing independent fan clubs to remove images and other content, suggesting perhaps that he wants all eyes on his site in the future.
TRENT REZNOR/NINE INCH NAILS
After a highly publicized departure from label Interscope and Universal Music Group, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor came right out and declared his intention to release the group's next album from its Web site for $5. He also collaborated with Saul Williams on the "Niggy Tardust" release, which was offered online in a Radiohead-like fashion. This one is money in the bank.
COURTNEY LOVE
The singer penned a rambling stream-of-consciousness post on her MySpace page admitting her fascination with the Radiohead model and said she would consider something similar in the future. Her latest album, provisionally titled "How Dirty Girls Get Clean," was supposed to be released last year but has yet to appear; Love is also not presently signed to a label.
DAFT PUNK
The techno group's new live set, "Alive 2007," appeared on iTunes a week before it did physical formats, so clearly the act is interested in digital releases. Although still signed to Virgin, Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter told Billboard last summer that he's open to experimenting when free to do so. "What we might be interested to do from an artistic point of view might not have the same agenda as a major label for using physical formats," he said. "Personally, we still buy music, but we hardly buy any physical music. We've definitely changed our habits."
. . . AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
The group left Interscope last fall with no small degree of animosity, and is rumoured to be considering a digital-only self-release in partnership with indie digital distributor IRIS. The Texas-based outfit is working on a new album, expected in August.
CHUCK D/PUBLIC ENEMY
Chuck D is already releasing his own material and that of Public Enemy under his primarily digitally distributed label SLAMjamz. Expanding his love for Internet releases with the pick-your-price angle of Radiohead's move is just the kind of anti-authority rebellion that he and his crew are known for.
SUFJAN STEVENS
The prolific indie rocker has almost complete control over his work through his label Asthmatic Kitty, and has a proven willingness to do things differently. He even gave away full rights to one of his songs as a prize in a Christmas songwriting contest opened up to all fans. At the rate he puts out material, Stevens may easily decide to just push his songs online as soon as they're done rather than wait for a more traditional model.
PEARL JAM
The Seattle group already sells live recordings directly to fans through a proprietary Web interface, and has a history of eliminating the middleman to make its work more affordable to fans. With a distribution and payment model already set up for the live material, it would be a simple matter for the group to add studio albums as well. Pearl Jam has the freedom to do it, as it is signed to Sony BMG's J label on a per-album basis, as opposed to a long-term deal.
UNDERWORLD
After ending its deal with V2 in 2005, the electronica duo launched an official online store called the Riverrun Project, which focuses on lengthy one-off tracks bundled with digital photos. The group cited the desire to make new music available immediately, rather than wait years for an album release. Underworld is now signed to ATO imprint Side One Recordings but remains free to sell music via Riverrun whenever it chooses, sources say.
DEPECHE MODE
Eleven studio albums in, these synth-pop stalwarts arguably no longer need a major label in their corner. The group, which recorded for Sire since 1981, can still fill arenas and land new tracks on DJ playlists without the support of radio.
Reuters/Billboard
The Naked Reader 2008
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