Radiohead Gets the Whole Nine Inches

So Reznor thinks that Radiohead is getting too much credit because the industry and consumers (some call them fans) cannot exactly differentiate between a breakthrough business model and a slick marketing campaign. From the Ars Technica article,

"I think the way [Radiohead] parlayed it into a marketing gimmick has certainly been shrewd," Reznor said when speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Michael Atkin. "But if you look at what they did, though, it was very much a bait and switch to get you to pay for a MySpace-quality stream as a way to promote a very traditional record sale."

...and...

When Atkin asked whether the labels would learn from successes like "Ghosts," Reznor didn't sound enthusiastic. "The level of ineptitude I've seen at the major labels is stunning. The people in charge of a lot of the digital technologies and the aspects that are decimating their business that I've seen are people that seem to not even be on the Internet."

Either way, while I agree with Reznor's calling out Radioheads sneaky actions, at least its a sign that the Industry is finally willing to compromise a little bit.

The Future of Music & Copyright

Ars Technica is and continues to be my favorite tech timesink. The music industry is wising up and talking real solutions. From the article, "Debating copyright reform: time for compulsory licenses?"

"Imagine a world where you could legally acquire and listen to as much music as you want for a flat fee. How you got the music—iTunes, Rhapsody, Usenet—and where you listened to it wouldn't matter. Your monthly license would give you carte blanche to snarf up as much music as you like. "

I would like this very much. If the system could be designed to keep track of every play and the audience and have proper royalty distribution with a market driven price, then I would be in heaven. something like last.fm meets soundscan :P