“Musically – what do you think 2008 will bring?”

CNET have written a fantastic article on their predicted changes in 2008 for the music industry.

What do you think about:

• Apple giving in on price flexibility;
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues being resolved;
• Ad supported downloads; and
• Increased social networking and online marketing by artists?

With bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails continually pathing new directions; and social networking by fans having more influence, there’s interesting times ahead!

Read: CNET: Music industry changes

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Collaborate with Trent Reznor

Add visual reference to Nine Inch Nail’s “Ghosts” instrumental album..

Always ahead of the industry in how they interact with their fans as well, NIN would like to host a virtual film festival.

Trent says:

To expand the idea of the “Ghosts” project, we’re inviting anyone and everyone to create visuals to accompany the album’s music.

This isn’t a contest and you don’t win elaborate prizes – it’s meant to be an experiment in collaboration and a chance for us to interact beyond the typical one-way artist-to-fan relationship.

See NIN website or their YouTube channel for details.

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A New Beginning?

In early October when Radiohead made their latest offering “In Rainbows” available for download for “whatever price you want to pay”, the music industry did quite a spin.

The hype preceded the release, everyone was abuzz with the news, thousands began downloading the very minute it was released.

Amongst a throng of supporters and perhaps even some opportunists, there was also the usual naysayers and doubting Thomas’. The big companies were hoping it would be a complete flop – that Radiohead would make no money, or better still (in their minds, not ours), owe far far more for the product than they would make.

And how much did everyone pay?

Well, some admit little, some admit none (as they were going to buy the box set anyway)… We’ll never know the full facts about how much was made or how many times it was downloaded (and why should we?). Of course, there’s plenty of sites guesstimating, but we know internet stats aren’t all that good.

Do you think it worked?

On 5 December, Radiohead posted a blog entry on their site. Quote: “A big thank you to everyone who came and downloaded the music. It’s been the most positive thing we’ve done and we hope you shared the experience with others.”

Sounds encouraging, doesn’t it?

Some of the latest results:

• 06/01/08 Physical album tops UK charts
• 10/01/08 Top selling US album of the week

Personally, I think either way it was a positive step – a fantastic way to take a stand and they should be applauded!

Buy Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” Now

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• Trent Reznor Online experimentation producing for Saul Williams
• Don’t Miss lessons Radiohead, Reznor