Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood has written an essay for Index on Censorship about the changing world of music, particularly the decline of distinctive labels like 90s-era EMI and music journalists like John Peel. He explained also why the band went direct for In Rainbows:

This desire to use the technology was driven by distrust and frustration with trying to broadcast our music via traditional media, such as radio and television. Music on television is scarce, and hard to do well. Radio has such regulated playlists that disc jockeys are lucky to have one free play per show. Why go exclusively through such straitened formats when you could broadcast directly to people who are interested in you, in that moment?

We have yet to decide how to release our next record, but I hope these partial impressions will help give some idea of the conversations we've been having. Traditional marketplaces and media are feeling stale – supermarkets account for around 70 per cent of CDs sold in the UK, the charts are dominated by TV talent-show acts – and we are trying to find ways to put out our music that feel as good as the music itself.

As far as the band's longtime label, EMI:

I understand that we have become our own broadcasters and distributors, but I miss the editorialisation of music, the curatorial influences of people like John Peel or a good record label. I liked being on a record label that had us on it, along with Blur, the Beastie Boys and the Beatles.

Check out the editorial here.