Here’s another event noting the end of mass media, as we know it. Radiohead recently made individual tracks from their song “Nude” available for download on iTunes. These tracks consist of various components of the song: vocals, bass, guitars, effects, and drums. Digital downloads of the five individual tracks which make up “Nude,” and the actual song itself, were made available as a digital package for $5.99. Fans were encouraged to download the tracks and create their own remix of “Nude” using software such as Garageband. The combined sale of these stems, as they are called on iTunes, helped “Nude” debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 Chart at the 37 position. This chart is comprised of data from the sale of music and radio play, however, according to Billboard, at the time of their first charting, “Nude” was only receiving airplay on three or so stations. So, the song’s basis on the charts is mainly due to the 60,000 paid downloads it received last week.
What’s ingenious about Radiohead’s offering is that it was a hugely successful way to merchandise a single song, digitally. In a world where music consumers are less likely to purchase an album, and instead opt to pay .99 cents for a song, Radiohead has effectively sold a single for $5.99. Again, this is really a tribute to connection that this band has with its diehard fans. Since most artists aren’t able to sell entire digital albums to their fans for $9.99, it is more than likely not possible for these artists to effectively sell this type of digital single package of sorts to fans.
Ultimately, creativity, options, and strong connections to fans are proving to be the components of success in the new music economy. Radiohead is doing a great job of ushering in this new era- one where Clear Channel, mass merchants, and major labels are not the gatekeepers for the success of a music release.
(Photo credit- RoadsidePictures Flickr creative commons )
