Radiohead's star Ed O'Brien gets confused by the music industry's exclamation which states that pirates is killing the industry, because he is certain they still benefit from merchandise and tickets.
- January 25, 2010
AceShowbiz - Radiohead star Ed O'Brien is adamant the internet is not "killing" the music industry - because fans who illegally download albums still spend cash on merchandise and concert tickets. The guitarist, a member of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), has waded into a debate over the British government's proposal to launch a crackdown on internet service providers who refuse to ban illegal file-sharing.
He insists the record industry will not collapse as a result of online trading - but bosses need to offer cheaper music in order to survive. O'Brien says, "I have a problem when people in the industry say it's killing the industry, it's the thing that's ripping us apart. I don't actually believe it is... (Pirates) might not buy an album, but they're spending their money buying concert tickets, a t-shirt, whatever."
"It's an analogue business model in a digital era. The business model has to change. You've got to license out more music - have more Spotifys, more websites selling more music. You've got to make it slightly cheaper to get music in order to compete with the peer-to-peers. I find it staggering that the industry seems to be really dragging its heels on this - this is stuff that you could do in one week. Move quicker!"