Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age

Over the weekend British band Radiohead announced via a new website (after posting a number of cryptic clues on their regular site) that they will soon be releasing a new record entitled In Rainbows. While this sounds, on the surface, like generally run-of-the-mill news (arty band records new record, big deal), what makes the news of Radiohead’s latest release interesting are the details.

First of all, the record comes out on October 10th. Meaning, like, in a week and a half. That’s pretty interesting by itself considering no one really was sure they were recording anything, let alone were about to release a brand new record. So in an age where Britney’s every move is captured by the paparazzi, and songs from her “new” album are leaked every other day, that Radiohead could keep this secret is pretty cool. Plus, when record releases — like book releases — are as hotly anticipated as blockbuster films (witness 50 Cent and Kanye West’s recent showdown which people had been looking forward to for months), for Radiohead to just sneak onto the calendar is pretty subversive. Another minor thing about this which is fun: October 10th is a Wednesday; in the UK the record industry releases new CDs on Mondays. It the US, they come out on Tuesdays.

But what’s most amazing is that, as the music blog Idolator wrote, “the words ‘Capitol’ and ‘EMI’ appear nowhere on the Radiohead site.” Which means that the band, free from their major label contract, are choosing to release this record on their own, at a time and in a manner of their own choosing. Remember the days when bands were sent back to the studio because clueless A&R guys didn’t hear a “single”? Well, those days might just be nearing to a close, because why would a band like Radiohead need EMI or Capitol? Why not just do what Radiohead’s doing and release the record themselves?

And Radiohead is taking advantage of their newfound freedom by releasing In Rainbows in a variety formats, including as a digital download as well as a special “discbox” that contains “THE NEW ALBUM, IN RAINBOWS, ON CD AND ON 2 X 12 INCH HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL RECORDS. A SECOND, ENHANCED CD CONTAINS MORE NEW SONGS, ALONG WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTWORK. THE DISCBOX ALSO INCLUDES ARTWORK AND LYRIC BOOKLETS. ALL ARE ENCASED IN A HARDBACK BOOK AND SLIPCASE. THE ALBUM DOWNLOAD AUTOMATICALLY COMES WITH THIS PACK.” The discbox is a bit expensive at about $80, but Radiohead is selling the download for whatever fans wish to pay (meaning, I could pay the usual $10 for the download, or $1, or nothing).

So with one fell swoop Radiohead shatters half-a-dozen rock-star rituals, and further makes the existence of record labels a questionable thing in a digital age. About all of this, Pitchfork gleefully wrote, “Haha, the entire record industry is so f*cked!” While I wouldn’t go as far as that, I think the business is certainly (and finally) changing in a way that might be more beneficial to the fans and musicians instead of the labels.