Management explain Amplive remix ban

by on January 4, 2008 with 38 Comments in Radiohead News

Radiohead manager Bryce Edge explains why they’ve prohibited Amplive from releasing his remix version of ‘In Rainbows’.

Yesterday, we reported that Radiohead’s publishers Warner/Chappell sent a ‘cease and desist’ letter to Amplive’s label saying that by releasing ‘Rainydayz’, the producer had created “musical arrangements and remixes” without official agreement.

Today, Bryce Edge from Courtyard Management told Gigwise the first problem was that Amplive used an image of Thom Yorke on his website advertising the album, therefore inferring the frontman’s involvement.

Secondly, Edge iterated the point that management had a major grievance about fans being told to forward on their ‘In Rainbows’ purchase email to receive the free remix album.

Asked by Gigwise about what the band thought about the whole issue, Edge said: “To be honest, I’m not sure the band have even heard it (…) When we heard that you had to send a confirmation email from W.A.S.T.E to get the album, we thought ‘That’s a bit naughty!’

“Amplive had never even come to the band telling them about his idea, which would have been nice. I know he had good intentions, but I just think he’s misled people.”He continued that management at Courtyard are having a meeting with Radiohead on Tuesday (January 8th) and will be discussing the issue further. More at Gigwise.


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  • evilhomer

    What a bunch of noise about nothing!

    I could see this as being an issue if Amplive was trying to turn a profit, but he’s not. End of story.

    Bunch of noise I tells ya.

  • Your Mom

    Radiohead and Co. are smart and savvy, I think they’re doing the right thing. The whole W.A.S.T.E. issue seems pretty shady. If the remixez don’t get approval so what…the album just came out. That’s not good enough? (but we want more, moRE, MORE!!)

    The hungry little piggy’s are never satisfied.

  • Kervin

    well when i first heard of this album i was interested in it, but then i heard that you need to forward the purchase mail in order to receive the album and that gave me a sour taste in my mouth so i decided not to because i thought as well that thats a bit “naughty”. because obviously radiohead is trying to keep the project to themselves and i think the have the right to.

  • Muldfeld

    This is totally understandable from Radiohead’s (or their management’s) persepective. And it’s very nice of them to not sue Amplive, though that would surely be going overboard. This reminds me of a case in 1992 in which Negativland (a commercially-insignificant duo that remixed songs) were sued by Island. They weren’t forwarned, just sued. When Negativland pleaded that they couldn’t afford it, Island demanded they pay their legal fees of tens of thousands of dollars.

    Negativland ambushed The Edge on a radio station and the Edge very kindly talked to them, understood their plight about how Island had leaped to action, even called back when the phone connection broke, and agreed to perhaps fund their next project.

    In this case, Radiohead’s management are behaving a lot more sensibly than Island Records. Well done.

  • gus77

    wasn’t the point of forwarding the receipt just to prove that you supported radiohead? not to be naughty. it was the opposite. so he wouldn’t be naughty and just give out tracks he didn’t have permission to remix to anyone and everyone. it was my impression that the whole thing was designed to reward the support of people who supported one of the deejays favorite bands? kind of like if you got pissed at a diehard fan who handed out hand-made fliers for your shows, just because he used your album art as part of the flier. doesn’t make sense.

  • macbethscrazywife

    i agree with gus–don’t know about other people, but i didn’t think radiohead was involved at all, i assumed the forwarding thing was his way of supporting the act of supporting radiohead, and just making sure whoever downloaded the remixes had heard the real album first. how is that naughty? seems like a misunderstanding.
    also, didn’t the ok x cover album use an image of thom for their artwork?
    yes amplive probably should have talked to radiohead and management first…but yeesh, this seems as non-commercial and fanboyesque a project as it could possibly be

  • wirrow

    completely, utterly stupid.
    do the ‘radiohead management’ have nothing better to do than this.
    feels like one of those insanely interfering referees that wont let a football match progress.
    just shut up and let them post the bloody remixes so i can hear them!

    UGH£$T *annoyed*

    ITS BLOODY MUSIC man he took the time to make the remixes i cantt believe we’re getting bogged down with all this ‘official’ rubbish

    £$TEQWE
    this is really annoying

  • Sam

    Sounds like this Amplive fellow is disguising some sweet publicity as a noble deed. Well done Courtyard

  • briggs

    that smiley face is throwing me off

  • stinky beetle

    What’s wrong with sending your WASTE email to Amplive? That’s the only thing I don’t really see a problem with.

  • iluvYa

    Good luck with both side,They all good person.

  • chris_abr

    I agree completely with the management. Was there a reason why he couldn’t just release the tracks without Thom’s image and the waste e-mail? They would have inevitably been circulated anyway so what difference would it have made asking for the proof of purchase?

    And that Nude remix is a shambles.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe because this Amplive remixes blows goat. Oh, it does. Please don’t bother.

    Free or not. It isn’t worth your time.

  • Paul

    When I read anything Bryce Edge has said for the past few months I think, ‘That’s a bit naughty!’ I guess having managers we love to hate is the price Radiohead has to pay to finally reach this stage of success- elbowing everyone else out of the way to make sure their well-earned copyright now stands like a dictator’s statue of himself putting all his subjects in the shadows. How they manage to market themselves can never obscure how they do business- in general, they’ve avoided the image of cutthroats, but maybe it’s only because unlike U2, REM, Pink Floyd, they’ve never wanted (or never admitted wanting) to be truly BIG. Maybe it has all happened behind the scenes, in Capitol marketing meetings- the press junkets, the threats, the ruthless backdrop to all those top ten lists that seemed to us like magic? Perhaps not- or maybe Edge has always been ruthless, and he was still no Jay-Z in the major label game, so no one noticed. And now- without the big label- with this set of songs- we feel they finally want popularity- and that’s healthy. Their ambition is respectable. It’s not selling out to want to be heard by as many as possible. However, the defense stated here is utterly ridiculous. I can see pics of Phil Selway on the Phillovers site (and in fact that site is linked from Radiohead.com, along with dozens of other unofficial nonprofit sites like this one). And all it tells Amplive to forward these emails, is that these are legit customers- that he’s not giving something for free to people who THE BAND might not want to get it for free. He’s trying- in some awkward way- to look out for THEIR interests. Of the two ruthless corporate rock Edges, I much prefer the one who can play brilliant guitar. Chris Hufford gets a pass for producing Slowdive.

  • Libelle

    Surely january isnt THAT cool?

  • stinky beetle

    Damn … this is really a lot of unneccessary BS. Amplive should’ve just put it on the internet quietly. What’s fucked up is that he thought he was doing a good thing!

  • nka

    well, my order confirmation e-mail contained my name and address. maybe some of you used fake info, but i trust W.A.S.T.E. with that information because i’ve ordered stuff from them for years. i certainly DON’T trust amplive with that information. they could have meant any of the three e-mails from the band with info about the album purchase, but the chance of someone forwarding personal information is still high and a risk that the band’s management is probably smart to try to quell as quickly as possible.

  • robbyrob

    Hello? Amplive?

    At least get the tacit approval of the band’s music yer remixing…BEFORE you advertise and disseminate…you silly boy… you must have known there was a chance they wouldn’t accept, erewise the shenangigans (forwarding W.A.S.T.E. email) wouldn’t be necessary (although your heart seems to be in thhe right place, says I)

  • http://myspace.com/jakewc151 Jake Birnbaum

    To those of you who oppose this project because you think it was “a bit naughty” to forward the W.A.S.T.E link, do a bit more research. It was because he (amplive) was congratulating Radiohead on not only their album, but how they released it! He is not asking for any money, or anything! He just wants to give those who supported Radioheads release of In Rainbows a “unoffical” remix which was done with the help of the best of the bay area, plus a few others. Why should he receive a C & D and the other bloggers and fans who make their own remixes and release it on the internet do not? He is not getting anything out of it.. Ignorance is bliss, no?

  • evilhomer

    A bunch of noise.

  • Sam

    He’s stealing publicity from Radiohead by using their work without permission and without paying. It doesn’t matter that he’s releasing it for free. If he had gone to the message boards and donated the songs anonymously then that would have been cool, but instead he’s branded his name all over them and sorted a release date, etc. which makes it sound like the project is orientated around him, not Radiohead. He’s not just a fan, he’s an artist so the implications have to be taken more seriously. The band worked hard to create those songs and the album is currently at its peak publicity so its unfair that Amplive should just cash-in (so to speak) on that. Also, the fact that the download is exclusively available to only a small population (Ie. In Rainbows downloaders) makes the release method seem like his way of marketing it…like an exclusive club, which people will inevitably want to be part of (as proven by some of the comments on here). When I first read about it, my initial impression was that he’s trying to make people want to hear his stuff by making it unavailable and it seems Courtyard might have thought the same. If Amplive’s actions have been completely misconstrued then he’s only got himself to blame.

    I also agree that I wouldn’t want to send my emails out for fear of the details being misused. Besides, it appears the band don’t want the exact details of ‘who paid what’ being announced.

  • Sam

    PS. I’m a fan of most of the featured artists

  • lfcpaco

    i would love to hear the remixes. it’s, as someone mentioned, a lot of noise about nothing. i seriously doubt that this will “steal” publicity from radiohead as someone else pointed out. it’s a few remixes from a well known dj with some well known guests. those who know about it will download it, those who don’t (and i’m assuming that’s a large majority of RH fans) will not bother.

    i hope they eventually let him release these tracks. i’d love to hear what del and chali2na have to offer. i’m salivating just thinking about it.

    trust me, no fan who downloads these remixes will opt NOT to buy In Rainbows, assuming they haven’t done so already.

  • Kervin

    yes it is a bunch of noise, but has everyone forgotten that a lot of ppl are interested by how much money radiohead has made and radiohead has been unwilling to make an announcement? by gaining access of the emails, theres a possibility to come up with a better estimate. thats what i meant by radiohead (or their management) wanted to keep the the infos to themselves). like one of the ppl above has said, he couldve just released it without the email. why ask for the email? i dont see it as a support.

  • Jokkeman

    This is gay.

  • Sam

    YOU’RE gay fuck off and be useful

  • Sam

    No people wont opt out of buying In Rainbows over Amplive’s mixes, but taking a ride on some else’s well-earned publicity is cheating

  • gododgerhead

    stop sweating the guy. amplive could have been a little more professional but I think his intentions were good. time to let it go … hope to someday hear the remix. Too Short! Covering radiohead? I gotz to hear that – peace

  • Joshua

    People who do remixes should go sodomise themselves instead of sodomising our ears.

    Whether it’s for profit or not is irrelevant. Fame leads to profit. If they are gonna leech off the fame of another group by creating a “remix” (by the way, a word that means “a cover by someone who’s too shit to make a cover”), they should get fucked.

  • Your Mom

    Amen brother Joshua.

    Keep spreading the sacred word of wisdom.

    Now this guy is making some sense.

  • Chris

    Well done radiohead management I say. The fact that you had to forward an email with your delivery address in it just screams ‘marketing scam’. Imagine how up in arms people would be if their details got sold on to an advertiser or spamming firm.

  • The Suburbanite

    Yep – agree with those saying the Radiohead management are right. Some people seem to have airy-fairy ideas of how the music BUSINESS works.

  • Eric

    I don’t think this would be such a big deal if the remixes were any good. But they’re not.

  • Johnny Rasmus

    infer imply

  • evilhomer

    @ The Suburbanite and anyone who thinks there’s “rules” on the internet…
    There are none. Period. I’m a huge Radiohead fan, as anyone else here is, but playing the “let’s be free on the internet” game means you have to be willing to really play the game. The internet is basically international waters, which means there are no rules, no regulations, no bullshit. There’s a lot of shady shit that happens on the internet (not to say that Amplive’s move was necessarily shady, because I don’t think it was), but crying about remixes seems like a bunch of noise to me. So an artist released FREE remixes of songs on the fucking INTERNET… omg call the authorities. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the quality of the remixes, this is a non-issue.

    A bunch of noise I tells ya.

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