A single of complete silence may reach #1 on the UK charts. The track, called “2 minute silence“, is a charitable venture to benefit the Royal British Legion and honor the fallen soldiers of Britain. Though silence has certainly been released as music before, someone familiar to the unfamiliar is present for this effort: Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
No doubt, Yorke’s involvement in this project will be the foremost reason the track reaches the top of the charts. Such efforts only further the notion that Radiohead is a band that’s setting the stage for a paradigm shift in the music world. A couple of years ago, the band released In Rainbows in a dramatic fashion, allowing fans to name their own price to download the album as a collection of mp3’s. The internet is forcing (or will force) record companies to adapt their business model to the fact that all major music releases are easily attained and downloaded in high quality for free- sometimes even weeks before the music releases. Try as they might, no media conglomerate will ever be able to change music’s availability or control its scarcity ever again.
Yet, Radiohead is literally only setting the stage- the new model hasn’t made a true appearance yet. We’ve seen artists require social media promotion for free music, fundraising to continue recording, and everything in-between. On top of having to get creative with how to make money selling music, bands are also having to find ways to get people to shows as 12-24 year olds are attending 57% less concerts than they were in 2000. There’s an interesting post over on Eisley’s blog about bands having to figure out how to make enough money to actually be a band full-time, because you must make the money touring- with or without a record label.
So, what’s the answer? and what can any brand learn from the changing nature of the recording industry? That there is no answer. It’s no longer a matter of finding a record label and quitting your job- and it’s no longer a matter of having a big marketing budget, which was always the main reason for an artist signing with a record label. You’ll have to get your hands dirty finding out how to excite your base, encourage connection and interaction, and push the conversions you’re looking for.
Regardless, do be warned against swimming upstream when times are changing. Before long, music will be given away like business cards. Take a lesson from Radiohead and venture into something that may be more brand-smart than profit-guaranteed.