Radiohead's "In Rainbows" album is the music industries perfect loss-leader

In October 2007 Radiohead did the unthinkable with the release of its seventh studio album In Rainbows. The band, which severed ties with EMI/Capitol Records after the release of their 2003 album Hail to the Thief, released their latest album for digital download with a “pay what you want” system.

Radiohead was well aware of the risk involved as some would simply elect to pay nothing for the band’s album (many did just that). This did not stop the band in what TIME magazine dubbed “the most important in recent history for the music business.

As many are well aware record sales have been declining for years due to technological advances that allow many consumers to download pirated versions of albums for free. It is unclear at this point what the ramifications of Radiohead’s drastic leap of faith will be.

However it is important to note that this could be the trend for bands that are already well established.

Record labels are important for new bands simply because labels have more push when it comes to airplay and promotion than a small unheard of band. For established bands record labels do not play as big a role as the bands are seemingly able to sell themselves. Radiohead, who sold over 120,000 physical copies of In Rainbows in the first week despite its digital release a week prior, may have opened the door for big bands to recoup some of their losses from pirated music.

Pearl Jam is rumored to be considering following in Radiohead’s footsteps for their upcoming as of yet untitled 9^th studio album. Pearl Jam, who at one time was the biggest band on the planet and has much more pull than Radiohead, could influence other bands to follow Radiohead’s model. While it is hard to determine how lucrative Radiohead’s “pay what you want” policy was for them, it is certain that there are many large bands who could profit off of this model. There is potential for this to become a trend in the music business.

Many claim that 2008 is a historical election. Obama the first man of color has a chance to win the presidential nomination. Now first let me say that I am glad to see that American has seemingly taken a step forward in judging a man by his credentials and what he represents rather than the color of his skin. However let me say that I don’t really understand what many people see in Obama. Let me further suggest that I don’t really know what a lot of people see in the policies of McCain either. Don’t get me wrong both candidates are likeable enough as people but neither candidate is very likeable in their policies.

I liken Barack Obama to a Caesar salad. It looks delicious and nutritious and it is a welcome change to the diet that many of us have. However there is no real nutrition in a salad. There is no real substance and it just takes up empty space in ones stomach. This is comparable to Obama because he travels from venue to venue suggesting that he represents change. However his policies don’t seem to necessarily change anything. He falls along party lines in nearly hot-button issue. This does not represent change. Furthermore Obama is a great orator but if one, as a responsible voter should, were to research Obama’s voting record one would find that many of his votes contradict the views he so eloquently expresses in his speeches. This is a classic case of style over substance that has so often plagued the left.

Republicans aren’t off the hook either. I liken McCain to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yes at times they may surprise you and have the perfect balance of peanut butter and jelly, as McCain might surprise at times by going against his own party, but in the end a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There is nothing elegant about such a thing. McCain still for the most part pushes party lines with his policies and rarely challenges the Republican norm. This is unfortunate because we will never have real “change” in American politics until we accept the fact that two points of view do not represent reality.

Nature in itself rarely consists of two extremes. There is always a delicate balance in its actions and its course. There are always gray areas and thus should we not take that into account? Unfortunately no candidate will take the necessary steps to embrace the idea of expand the political parties for fear of his constituents becoming disillusioned.

One can’t simply blame the politicians either. After all the man we ultimately nominate will represent us as a whole. If we want real change in America we as citizens must take it upon ourselves to educate one another. Until then we will sit on either side of the aisle taking pot shots at one another and spewing rhetoric like it is going out of style.