Google announced a collection of new iGoogle themes from well-known artists today. Among them are: Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley, Gucci, Burberry, Vera Wang, Bob Dylan, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, and more. An interesting mix to say the least. Google explains:
So much for riding at the vanguard of a new wave of music distribution, as Radiohead declares its In Rainbows online experiment a one-time deal.
Ever since I blogged for a music site, I’ve watched how the Internet has transformed the music industry. Here are some recent highlights - and they are sad songs:
PC World has a list of the 25 most innovative products of 2007. While most of them are actual gadgets—the iPhone, the Kindle, and various other pieces of hardware—many of them are web apps. Among the most interesting picks: 1. Google Gears—heralded as a step toward the browser as a desktop 9. Facebook API—duh. 17. Zoho Notebook—compiles all kinds of information and enables you to share it
As a followup to their much-discussed pay what you like download plan for 'In Rainbows', Radiohead will play an hour-long concert on New Year's Eve featuring the album and some other tunes.
We’ve covered the Radiohead experiment since it started. And as of Monday, the experiment is over. It did give them a lot of press, I’m not so sure it gave them a lot of cash. Normally artists aren’t the best at distribution and marketing, which is why there are middlemen. In every industry I’ve seen this usually serves both sides well.
ComScore said 62 percent of downloaders paid nothing for Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' release, but the band has denounced the report as "wholly inaccurate."
Talking about their successful Yahoo! Search Assist, Yahoo! now discusses 'The Other Half of the Search Equation'.
Whether or not you think music should be given away, sold at reasonable per-download prices, or sold at whatever price the record labels want to put on them, Radiohead's experiment in name-your-own-price marketing may be paying off.
Radiohead kicked open the door, Trent Reznor is in the foyer admiring the chandelier, and bands like Oasis, Jamiroquai, and The Charlatans are rolling up the street looking for the party.