Hmmmm....

On the one hand, I find the recent decisions by Radiohead to be mostly cool, as you all no doubt know. The “pay what you want” model for “In Rainbows” obviously didn’t hurt them in the slightest, and the “live” concert they did as a webcast and on Current was a stroke of genius. (It doesn’t hurt that the album is really fucking good, either.)

I have to say that this Nude remix thing on iTunes is kind of foul, though. We’ll set aside the inherent humor of a bunch of poor Garage-Band-driving saps trying to “remix” a song that is in 6/8 for the now (are there even any included AppleLoops in 6/8?), and focus on the fact that they’re charging for the stems. Personally, I don’t think this is cricket, but maybe I’m old-fashioned. Granted, it’s only five bucks, but even so, in a situation that is fundamentally aimed at the amateur/hobbyist, this smacks of taking advantage of fans’ largesse. I would expect it of Guns ‘n’ Roses or My Chemical Romance or some other stupid shit like that, but not Radiohead.

It is, in short, not cool. In that, it goes directly against what they’ve been trying to achieve in the last year and a half. Just my opinion. YMMV as always. Perhaps it is cool after all and I’m missing something.