OK Go have re-entered the world of internet stardom that they’re used to with the release of the second version of their video for “This Too Shall Pass,” the lead single off their latest album Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky. If you haven’t seen the video yet, it’s an instant classic.
OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – Rube Goldberg Machine version – Official [YouTube]
Right around the time this video started making the rounds, this op-ed piece from Damian Kulash got posted in the NY Times…
“Today, as the record industry’s revenue model has collapsed with the digitization of its biggest commodities, companies are cutting back spending on all but their biggest stars, and not signing nearly as many new acts. If record companies can’t adapt to this new world, they will die out; and without advances, so will the futures of many talented bands.
In these tight times, it’s no surprise that EMI is trying to wring revenue out of everything we make, including our videos. But it needs to recognize the basic mechanics of the Internet. Curbing the viral spread of videos isn’t benefiting the company’s bottom line, or the music it’s there to support. The sooner record companies realize this, the better — though I fear it may already be too late.”
Then the band announced they were splitting with EMI to form their own label called Paracadute. They’re following up the split with a tour and stops at Sasquatch and Bonnaroo along the way. This should be a good year for the band, and hopefully they’ll find their way to the top of their own version of the new music industry model, ala make a viral video, make another one, make two more, then earn your artistic freedom. Not a bad approach by any means…
OK Go Spring 2010 North American Tour Dates
4/13 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room
4/14 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
4/16 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall
4/17 Chicago, IL Metro
4/18 St. Louis, MO The Old Rock House
4/20 Columbia, MO The Blue Note
4/21 Indianapolis, IN Earth House
4/22 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
4/23 Toronto, ON Mod Club
4/27 Northampton, MA Pearl Street
4/28 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place
4/29 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
4/30 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg – SOLD OUT
5/2 East Rutherford, NJ Meadowlands (Bamboozle)
5/3 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
5/5 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
5/7 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
5/9 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live
5/11 Raleigh, NC Lincoln Theatre
5/12 Charlotte, NC Visulite Theatre
5/13 Atlanta, GA The Loft
5/14 Tampa, FL Crowbar
5/15 Orlando, FL Firestone Live
5/16 Gulf Shores, AL Hangout Music Fest
5/18 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
5/19 Austin, TX The Parish
5/21 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre
5/22 San Diego, CA House of Blues
5/26 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
5/28 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
5/29 George, WA Sasquatch Festival
6/11 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
