Just last week Atoms for Peace members Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich pulled the entirety of their work, as well as Yorke’s solo work, from Spotify and other streaming services. This week, the group says concertgoers will be able to download almost-live videos from Atoms for Peace shows via U.K. start-up streamer, Soundhalo.
As stated by Godrich, the duo pulled their music from Spotify and other streaming services because under the current model of music sharing, “new artists get paid fuck all… It’s an equation that just doesn’t work”. Yorke supplemented Godrich’s statement saying, “Make no mistake new artists you discover on #Spotify will not get paid. Meanwhile shareholders will shortly being rolling in it. Simples.” Spotify has rebutted Yorke and Godrich’s criticisms, and Radiohead’s manager has also defended Spotify and other streaming providers in an interview with BBC Newshour.
Instead of taking part in said sharing model, however, Yorke and Godrich will be pairing with U.K. start-up streamer, Soundhalo. As Spin suggests, recordings from Atoms for Peace’s July 25th and July 26th London concerts will be available for purchase via the service shortly after each song ends. Recordings can be downloaded on computers and mobile devices for 99p ($1.51) per track, or £9.99 ($15.19) for a full show.
In support of Soundhalo’s work, Godrich has stated, “I found myself wondering why, whenever you go to a gig, the next day there are a million shaky, horrible-sounding YouTube videos already online. But you go and look because you want to see something of your experience. Soundhalo provides something really functional — an experience that you want to remember in front of you as soon as the concert has happened.” Neither Godrich nor Yorke has addressed whether or not their alignment with Soundhalo correlates to the broader dispute over streaming.