Coldplay jumps on a bandwagon

My absolutely super favourite band of all time Coldplay is set to release their new single “Violet Hill” tonight on their website at 12:15 PM UK time. This is the first single off their new album called: “Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends”.

So this is great, I’ll be the first to be listening to this tonight but I must ask the question: When does something stop being fresh and cool and then goes to something quite played out? I’m referring to the digital distribution method pioneered by Radiohead with the release of their newest album “In Rainbows”. For those of you with their heads in the sand you’ll know that they asked users to pay what they wanted for the album and paying nothing was an option.

This method was then copied by Nine Inch Nails and there is even talk from Lars Ulrich, drummer of Metallica (who vociferously went after Napster a few years ago), that the band feels that this is the only route forward.

I think this is a fascinating time for music in the sense that there is relatively little money to be made and as such this is a time of do or die. The question that I ponder is which of these two options will win the battle:

1) Pop music becomes the only kind of music. Let’s face it, record labels need money winners for them and the sales of pop musicians from Britney Spears to Mariah Carey have a definite appeal. While I don’t think their music has any substance the music industry strikes me as vapid and ultimately only interested in a quick buck. What this means is that the industry will promote these low talent artists who will make the most money.

2) The music industry as we know it ends. Major record labels such as EMI and Sony Music fall apart and do not exist anymore. In this situation only the best musicians can make a living by selling their products online and making money from big concerts.  The digital distribution method can’t be wrong considering successes such as the Radiohead model as well as the indisputable popularity of iTunes in the states. Technically you could be a rock star in your bedroom (assuming you had a large enough bedroom).

I see the reality as a somewhere in between the two extremes. While I think it’s exciting that bands such as Coldplay are willing to release one single for free I don’t think it’s pushing many boundaries but I definitely think there is a future in both online and offline music sales. MP3 players are the future and being able to load them with music in a music store is a business direction no one seems to have considered.
Otherwise, enjoy the single and let’s hope the album is as incredible as all their other work.

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