Thom Yorke talks new solo music and warns the industry about starving new artists

Thom Yorke’s comments around the Ivor Novello Awards became one of the sharpest alternative-music news stories carrying into 23 May. After being honored at the ceremony, Yorke discussed working on a new solo project with Sam Petts-Davies and suggested the material is different for him. That alone would be enough to interest Radiohead and The Smile fans, but his broader comments about the music industry are what give the story real independent-music relevance.

Yorke used his speech to criticize streaming economics, opaque accounting and the industry’s treatment of future generations of musicians. The message was blunt: if the system devalues new artists until the musical well runs dry, the industry should not expect endless future catalogues to exploit.

For an indie music digest, this is not just celebrity news. It connects directly to the economics that shape independent artists every day. Yorke is speaking from a position of unusual privilege, but the argument is about artists without that protection: the people trying to build sustainable careers while platforms and labels capture the value. On 23 May, the story is both a Radiohead update and a wider warning about independent music’s future. Source: https://stereogum.com/2499956/thom-yorke-talks-new-solo-album-next-radiohead-tour-music-industry-arseholes/news