OK Go Spread The Word
Feb, 6 2010
Even if you know nothing else about OK Go, you’ve probably seen that video. The viral power of the simple but brilliant treadmill dance video which accompanied the song “Here It Goes Again” ensured that the band’s musical efforts finally received some notice almost ten years after it formed.
However, any plans the band members may have been harboring to repeat the ploy for the January 12 release Of the Blue Colour of the Sky have been foiled by their record label. EMI have decreed that the two videos created thus far in support of the new album will be impossible to embed, which effectively strips the videos of viral potential but ensures that EMI pockets 50% of the ad-generated revenue from views on YouTube – one of only two sites where the videos are hosted.
The band is not pleased and has taken matters into its own hands. In an open letter to fans on their website, OK Go provided code so that fans can embed the video wherever they choose. Though singer/guitarist Damian Kulash said he had sympathy with the position of the label struggling in the emerging digital music age, he also said that “our duty is to our music and our fans, theirs is to their shareholders.” Furthermore, he reasoned that “Our label is unlikely to start suing us for putting our videos up.” Though court action would be extreme, he can be guaranteed to face a few very awkward phone calls.
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