David Byrne outlines his thoughts on the future of the music business, and advice for both emerging artists and established stars, in Wired magazine. In it, he granularly goes over the evolution of the music industry and analyzes where it stands today.
“Where there was one, now there are six: Six possible music distribution models, ranging from one in which the artist is pretty much hands-off to one where the artist does nearly everything. Not surprisingly, the more involved the artist is, the more he or she can often make per unit sold. The totally DIY model is certainly not for everyone – but that’s the point. Now there’s choice.”
The article then goes on to detail each of the six, and give example for all. It’s an worthwhile read as he breaks down the different ways artists of any stature can choose to distribute their music.
In a separate piece, Byrne interviews Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, who shares his thoughts about the band’s much-hyped digital distribution model, and the industry in general. Highlights:
On eschewing major label deals:
“I don’t see a downside at all to big record companies not having access to new artists, because they have no idea what to do with them now anyway.”
On making money as an artist:
“In terms of digital income, we’ve made more money out of this record than out of all the other Radiohead albums put together, forever – in terms of anything on the Net.
Read the full article here.
