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Thom Yorke's Atoms For Peace announce soundhalo broadcast for London Roundhouse dates

Radiohead frontman last week hit out at Spotify, accusing them of prioritising shareholders over artists

James Legge
Thursday 18 July 2013 10:29 BST
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Thom Yorke, performing with Atoms For Peace
Thom Yorke, performing with Atoms For Peace (Reuters)

Fresh from pulling their songs from Spotify and criticising the service for harming smaller artists, Atoms For Peace will let fans watch and download their next UK shows almost-live on a new live music platform.

The band, which includes Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, have announced that the first two of their three sell-out dates at London's Roundhouse next week will be broadcast using soundhalo.

ABOVE: EXCLUSIVE video preview of the broadcast

Soundhalo, which Alt-J used to broadcast their concert from the Brixton Academy in May, will beam each song in the set to paying customers as they finish.

Fans can then download each track to a desktop or portable device, for 99p per track or £9.99 for the whole show.

The platform's creators, Lize Boston and Baz Palmer - who was himself lead guitarist in Aussie rock band Hunters & Collectors - say they aim "to deliver the feeling of actually being there."

Boston said: "The quality of the soundhalo video and audio is of the highest calibre; achieved by recording straight from the stage and delivering it back to the fans as the band want you to hear it, as it happens."

Earlier this week Atoms for Peace laid bare their concern for the effect the internet was having on their industry, in a Twitter attack on Spotify.

Frontman Yorke withdrew all of his post-Radiohead work from the service, and accused the Swedish company of operating in the interests of shareholders over musicians.

He was backing Nigel Godrich, long-time Radiohead producer and Atoms For Peace member, who tweeted: “We’re off of Spotify. It’s bad for new music. The reason is that new artists get paid f**k all with this model. It’s an equation that just doesn’t work.”

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Yorke added: “Make no mistake, new artists you discover on Spotify will not get paid. Meanwhile shareholders will shortly be rolling in it. Simples.” The singer said he was “standing up for our fellow musicians.”

At the time, Spotify said they were"100 per committed to making Spotify the most artist-friendly music service possible," and said they had already $500 million to rightsholders.

Of their latest online collaboration, Godrich said: “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. To be able to relive that is a really great thing.”

There is no suggestion that the Spotify broadside is linked to the band's latest announcement.

The Atoms For Peace concert will be broadcast on July 25 and 26.

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