Born on a pirate ship

Keane's record label is making a lot of noise (BBC) about being the first band to distribute a single by USB stick. Of course, more than a year ago Barenaked Ladies were distributing their albums this way. What's interesting here is that what allowed BNL to experiment with distribution formats in this way is that they don't have a record label - they're one of the first bands to cut out the middleman and take control of their own IP. 

I've commented before that the next Arctic Monkeys found by record execs on MySpace simply won't sign on the dotted line because they'll recognise that their interests are not aligned with those of the record label. Today we see the first signs that the record labels' proudest innovations are now just to copy those bands who have had the sense to - as Ray Bradbury put it - leap off the cliff and build their wings on the way down.