By Michael Torrice
Radiohead has never been considered a mainstream band. Sure they
make appearances on Saturday Night Live and have singles occasionally
on the radio, but they are by no means members of the popular music
mainstream. Their web site, designed by the band members, is a perfect
example of what makes them the antithesis of pop. The site, of course,
has information about their latest releases and tour dates like all
other band web sites. But what makes this site different from the
standard band web site is the additional content that Radiohead adds
to its site.
Politics have always been a major theme underlying all of Radiohead's
albums. One of their albums, OK Computer, had songs about the future
of democracy in the information age. Their newest album, Kid A, seems
to be making a statement about human cloning. This political nature
is also echoed in the site's contents. Besides links that each band
members put up under their personal pages to different political activist
sites, their pages are filled with artwork and poetry echoing their
political views. Fans, who agree with the band's leftist views, can
go through pages where businessmen are drawn as hideous monsters who
pillage society. The poetry written by the band reflects their distaste
for the current social landscape.
The site does not just focus on the band member's political views
either. Another feature of the site is the band's journal. Written
in stream-of-conscious, the band write about what is going on in their
lives at the current time. From details of their latest show to their
current work in the studio to just their day-to-day experiences, the
journal allows fans a brief glance at Radiohead's life. The band also
expresses themselves through some small Quicktime cartoon videos.
With music from their latest album in the background, these videos
show that Radiohead has interests outside of just music making. It
is these features that allow fans and new listeners to experience
Radiohead in a different way then when they listen to their latest
album or attend one of their concerts. Sure the content is not going
to attract mainstream music fans, but then again Radiohead's music
itself is not either.
Radiohead, although they probably despise marketing as an evil capitalist
tool, have shown through their web site how a band should use the
web to create an experience for their loyal fan base. The Internet
has become the ideal place to market music and bands. Web sites have
become another means to advertise music to consumers. Most bands use
their sites to advertise tour dates and upcoming releases. But few
band sites create a web experience that exists as supplement to the
musical experience put out on the band's CD. Not many sites let you
take a peek into band members' thoughts and experiences. Radiohead's
self-designed web site does both of these things and links advertising
with content that attracts fans and new listeners alike.