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MUSIC: Radiohead's new pricing plan ain't all that
Just a quick note: As the world gushes, analyzes and contemplates the
new Radiohead record, it would be nice to give credit to the first
(sort of) major label artist to pull off the "pay what you want" model
on a major scale.
Jonah Matranga isn't a name that's going to ring many bells outside of
a few (older) emo circles. However, the singer, based in California but quite a frequent guest in NYC, has fronted a number of
cult-level bands with major label deals, including Far (1992-9) and
Gratitude (2004-5). His side project, onelinedrawing, started releasing
records on a "pay what you can afford" basis starting way back in 1996.
To this day, Matranga continues to offer this deal, even when he's
releasing records in a more standard way (most recently, the gentle,
acoustic "And" on Equal Vision).
Without Matranga, a lot of modern emo wouldn't be the same. His solo,
acoustic-punk records certainly influenced Dashboard Confessional, and
his harder-edged band material definitely struck a chord with the
Deftones (who he's recorded with), Linkin Park (toured with) and even a
few hip-hop groups (Matranga did back-up vocals on Fort Minor's Top 10
hit "Where'd You Go" as well as a track on the first Lupe Fiasco
record).
So, please, enjoy the new Radiohead. And realize, while the sliding scale idea might be great, it's just not that new....
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