The CD is dead according to Tim Burgess, lead singer of Charlatans UK, who have followed, and trumped, Radiohead's giveaway deal with an entirely free download of their new material.
Interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live, Los Angeles-based Burgess said income from CD sales was no longer worth pursuing and his band had decided to sacrifice it, "to gain in other ways." Adding that for every disc sold nine are copied and shared, Burgess, who has led the band from their Madchester baggy-funk origins to a country rock sound, reckons the band will reap the rewards of their generosity in the concert ticket sales revenues, which are rapidly becoming the main income for big acts.
Alan McGee lies behind the decision according to The London Paper.
McGee, who brought the world The Jesus and Mary Chain and Oasis through his legendary Creation Records imprint is now a real digital enthusiast, as anyone who receives his almost daily MySpace bulletins and blogs will know. He told the paper, “I thought, ‘Well, nobody buys CDs anyway’. If you talk to a 19 year old kid, they don’t buy CDs. In Eastern Europe, nobody buys a CD – everything is digitally downloaded from the internet for nothing."
The single "You Cross My Path" will leave for free from UK alternative radio station XFM's website. A second single will follow with an album release in March 2008. When asked on Radio 5 Live about the future for new bands if labels effectively vanished, Burgess sang the praises of MySpace and the hard gigging his outfit had used to make it big.
Radiohead is charging an admin fee for their free releases and their announcement has been world-wide news. The Charlatans UK are very big cheeses in their native country with a long and successful chart history and a loyal fan base.
Article comments
1 - Fritz
According to Billboard, Radiohead is seriously looking at a physical CD release through a major label for In Rainbows-the album that was due to be released from their website on October 10th with fans setting their own price. One of the reasons cited was that there was a feeling that certain fans would not get the music unless a specific price was set.(?)
It's a rather odd rational, don't you think?