Radiohead have finished a group of songs for their forthcoming album, although they are undecided on how to release it.
In a length post written for the Index on Censorship, bassist Colin Greenwood talks about the industry, their pay-what-you-like experiment for 'In Rainbows' and what they're up to next."We have just finished another group of songs, and have begun to wonder about how to release them in a digital landscape that has changed again," Greenwood says. "It seems to have become harder to own music in the traditional way, on a physical object like a CD, and instead music appears the poor cousin of software, streamed or locked into a portable device like a phone or iPod."
He also pays tribute to the music industry of yesteryear, saying "I understand that we have become our own broadcasters and distributors, but I miss the editorialisation of music, the curatorial influences of people like John Peel or a good record label. I liked being on a record label that had us on it, along with Blur, the Beastie Boys and the Beatles."
Throughout the post, he often returns to what feels like a kind of subdued version of utter despair when faced with the prospect of releasing records. He concludes by saying:
"We have yet to decide how to release our next record, but I hope these partial impressions will help give some idea of the conversations we've been having. Traditional marketplaces and media are feeling stale – supermarkets account for around 70 per cent of CDs sold in the UK, the charts are dominated by TV talent-show acts – and we are trying to find ways to put out our music that feel as good as the music itself. The ability to have a say in its release, through the new technologies, is the most empowering thing of all."
There is no timeframe for release as of yet.
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