I’m sure you all know by now that Radiohead’s In Rainbows will finally be released by ATO records on January 1st in the US (New Years Day, meaning it will be AVAILABLE the 2nd). But something about the Billboard article irked me a bit:
Billboard:
ATO quickly emerged as the front-runner and most attractive U.S. home for Radiohead, who recorded for EMI until 2005. Among the draws was the presence of Phil Costello, Capitol’s former senior VP of promotion and marketing, who is now at ATO.
So the same people who mistreated the band at Capitol all these years are running ATO or is Phil Costello one of the good guys? Does anyone know? Some b-sides and live stuff below for your listening pleasure.
[mp3] Radiohead – Dollars & Cents
[mp3] Radiohead – The Amazing Sounds of Orgy
[mp3] Radiohead – In My Mind (Live acoustic)
Hard to Find a Friend - A Music Blog 
November 16, 2007 at 6:03 pm |
“former vp of promotion and marketing” means he was probably not all that high up the corporate food chain. more likely one of the dudes who actually worked directly with the band when he was at EMI. i would assume he’s a good guy if the band chose to work with him again. i’m bummed they are signing to any label… no matter how good the deal is. they could have easily done this totally in-house. it would take them 3 phone calls to stock records in every record store in the country. and a few mouse clicks to have the album on itunes and amazon. they are not going to sell more records by being with ATO. all they are doing is giving away a % of their income to a machine they know is broken. oh well. they certainly know a lot more about all of this than me.
November 17, 2007 at 6:03 am |
the thing with major labels is that there is pretty regular turn around in staff. What that means is, the folks who were at Capitol/EMI that believed in radiohead and made the band want to sign with them are probably, for the most part, gone. Another example of this would be Wilco. For years, the reason they were on Reprise, despite their lack of sales, was due to the fact that so many people there, in high up positions, loved their music; when those people left was almost the same exact time that YHF was turned in and rejected.
Also, I doubt the label treated the band badly as much as they weren’t as invested in them as much as the people who originally signed them. They consistently had albums debut in the top 10; any major label is going to be on board with the from a financial standpoint. However, the creative understanding probably wasn’t there in the later years.
November 18, 2007 at 8:25 am |
Costello has a pretty good rep for working with artists.
November 27, 2007 at 3:34 pm |
Phil is actually a huge music fan, first and formost. He was instrumental in helping REM achieve noterity early on in their career. From there he went to EMI and brought Radiohead along. Most recently, he was working the Secret Machines. All these endeavors were about the music and not the cashbox. He is one of the good ones.
November 28, 2007 at 1:55 pm |
As a former radio station Music Director, I can assure you that Phil Costello has been unwavering in his support of Radiohead. Prior to the release of OK Computer, he sent portable cassette players that were glued shut with OK Computer inside them, to key Music Directors around the country. That album remained his #1 priority throughout it’s entire run. He’s a great guy.
November 28, 2007 at 5:07 pm |
Awesome. I’m really glad to hear it.
December 6, 2007 at 9:39 pm |
Phil started in Columbia MO at the Blue Note promoting shows. He moved to Chicago to work radio promo for IRS in the late 80’s, moved over to Virgin US, then Reprise then Capitol, I may have missed one…he was always a music guy, he did go a little “Hollywood” once he got to LA, but I think he will serve them well…