HOT
Yorke Goes to Bandcamp
Thom Yorke of Radiohead continues to experiment with releasing music without having to share a large percentage of the profits with others, who he calls “self elected gate-keepers.” After previously selling his solo Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes through BitTorrent, Yorke put the album on Bandcamp, a site dominated by unsigned talent. He also released a new single, “Youwouldn’tlikemewhenI’mangry,” as a “pay what your want” download through Bandcamp. With the BitTorrent release, Yorke wrote that he was trying to enable “those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves.” A noble attempt but, as many have noted, it’s a bit harder to pull off when the person releasing the art doesn’t have superstar name recognition. Maybe it’s time for Yorke and Co. to start a new distribution service that genuinely helps “the little guy”?
WARM
Marley Everywhere
The estate of late musical icon Bob Marley has lent the late musical icon’s name to a wide range of products. There are Marley headphones, speakers, bags, watches, energy (and low-energy) drinks and, reportedly coming soon, a line of marijuana products and accessories. Going into 2015 (when Marley would have turned 70), the musician’s family is turning its cash-cowing attention to something it rarely has — Marley’s unreleased music. Marley’s family is reportedly allowing Universal to dig through the vaults and find new music, videos and photographs to make money off of. A rare live CD/DVD is set for release in February, with other reissues and unreleased material coming out throughout the year. Just no hologram Bob, please, no matter how much Snoop Dogg asks.
COLD
No “Pay Day” From Sony
After the big Sony hack and the complicated Christmas release of the movie The Interview following terrorist threats against theaters showing the comedy about assassinating North Korea’s dear leader, the corporate heads of the company are probably breathing a sigh of relief. With all that happened, you’d think the company would be extra careful when it comes to small details — like paying people whose work the company uses. But according to American singer/rapper Yoon Mi Rae, who has a big following in Korea, after negotiating to use her song “Pay Day” in The Interview, talks broke down … and Sony used the track in the film anyway, without compensation. The artist’s label says it plans to take legal action against Sony for the unauthorized song use. Does anyone want a “do-over” button for 2014 more than Sony?
