I just feel so tired about Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails claiming that they have “revolutionized” the music industry by distributing their tunes via the internet. That they have done it first and in a way, felt so proud about it. But do they know that it’s not them who made it first?
As far as I know, it was Rivermaya’s “Free” album? Well, during the year 2000, the band released their 5th studio album which can be downloaded over the internet and even distributed CDs on their gigs.
So, since it was done on that year, I guess, it was them. Even earlier than iPod which was first released on October 23, 2001 that truly revolutionized music distribution through iTunes.
Are there any band or artists who have done earlier than them?
2 comments:
to start, trent reznor never claimed he was 'first' to distribute music free. but he was the first to do it correctly, in my opinion. i won't bore you with the details: check out the coverage generated by ghosts I-IV (and, to a lesser extent, niggy tardust) to see what i mean.
in relation to your post - it's a question of impact, not chronology. there are loads of artists who distribute music for free (like rivermaya). but like it or not, these bands don't have the cultural/musical cache and influence that nin and radiohead wield.
so rivermaya released a free album in 2000. big deal. in the grand scheme of things, they're just a tiny asian band. i can almost hear the evil record industry monsters yawn.
but take nin.... one of the most influential artists of all time (time magazine's opinion, not just mine), 2 grammys, 20 million albums sold, feuds with jimmy iovine and steve gottlieb, taunting the FCC by releasing master multi-tracks AND creating a quasi-legal fan remix community. all that and then - BAM. he risks everything he's built by releasing ghosts on his own. in 5 different formats.
having mentioned that, i think it’s prefectly reasonable that people are so worked-up over it.
i'm all for empowering the little bands to reach a wider audience. but it's too easy to chuck free music at people and call it 'revolutionary.' but to do it correctly, and have the major GLOBAL players stand up and take notice... now, that takes a special breed of artist.
cheers,
fishkiller
Yup, point taken. Thanks for visiting.
Its just that, I was just tired of Radiohead and NIN over the "revolution" with their new albums that sound "SO-SO" compared to their pasts.
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