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Is Courtney Love going the way of no label predecessors, Radiohead? Radiohead released In Rainbows for the pay anything price and some are calling this an end to record labels. On the other side of that coin, however, is the fact that over 60 percent of people who downloaded In Rainbows, did so for free. Courtney Love is now a free agent and has said that she liked the Radiohead idea.
Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is also label-free. He recently got rid of his label, Interscope Records and has said that he would release his next album for $5.00 via his website. That’s money in the bank right there and he’ll get an influx of free advertising (from writers like myself).
Pearl Jam already has a model for selling live recordings to fans without having to deal with any middle man. They are also signed with Sony BMG’s J Label, in a record-to-record deal. No real contract, so they can go with the Radiohead model any time.
Prince has also let the regular record label way of doing things fall by the wayside. He mailed a copy of his new album with the Daily Mail, in the U.K.
These artists already have the model and the means to make the direct-to-consumer jump, like Radiohead has. Will they do it?