Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want”

Rhetorical Analysis Sample
RHETORICAL ANALYSIS :: “RADIOHEAD SAYS: PAY WHAT YOU WANT”
Introduction and Article Summary
Josh Tyrangiel, a music critic for TIME magazine, discusses the advent of
Radiohead’s historical release of their album In Rainbows. Tyrangiel notes that is not the
music itself that is of historical significance, but the business model behind it. The band’s
album isself-distributed via their own website, and furthermore the band is letting their
fans “pay-what-[they]-want”. He postures that this distribution practice may be the wave
of the future for established artists, while labels still hold value with newer artists who
still benefit from “their muscle”. The purpose of this rhetorical analysis will be to
determine if Tyrangiel effectively invoked theaudience, and tailored his article to this
audience. The rhetorical situation will be defined through Genre, Purpose, Audience,
Social Context, and Tone/Voice. Then, after the discussion of the three rhetorical appeals
(ethos, logos, and pathos), a conclusion will be drawn as to whether Tyrangiel was in fact
effective rhetorically.
Rhetorical Situation
Genre: This article was published withinthe Entertainment section of the online
version of TIME magazine. This article could be classified as an entertainment news
article, since it was specifically placed under the Entertainment section. Also, its title
“Radiohead Says: Pay What You Want,” specifically suggests that it will be reporting on
something the band, Radiohead, has said or done.
Purpose: Due to this article’s placement inthe entertainment section and its title,
Tyrangiel’s primary purpose seems to be to inform his audience of Radiohead's
significantly different method of releasing their album, In Rainbows, and the current
reaction in the music industry. He informs the reader of the general conditions and
changes that are occurring in the music industry, and notes the relationship between more
successfulbands such as Radiohead and music labels by quoting band members, as well
as executives and producers from record companies. (Further exploration into these areas
will be discussed in the Rhetorical Appeals section.)
Tyrangiel’s article also seeks to entertain its readers by remarking on the nature of
Radiohead’s experiment. He plays a little with the readers’ preconceived, more
traditionalnotions of buying an album, whether buying a CD at a store or buying it online
through a distribution channel. He initially makes a remark on what he believes to be the
reason why this release is historical, emphasizing that it is not due to Radiohead’s
“sustained” success as a band, but rather because of “its record label and retail price,”
writing that there are none. He then goes on to explainwhat a person would encounter on
Radiohead’s website, when they wish to purchase the album:
Drop In Rainbows' 15 songs into the online checkout basket and a question mark
pops up where the price would normally be. Click it, and the prompt "It's Up To
You" appears. Click again and it refreshes with the words "It's Really Up To You"
— and really, it is.
While Tyrangiel maintains a simple,reporting-the-facts tone, the presentation of
the subject has an inherent entertainment value. This news story is presented as an
exciting trend in the music industry that the writer, Tyrangiel is experiencing himself for
the first time. He is very aware at how and why his audience may engage this subject
matter.
Tone/Style: In the first three paragraphs of this article, Tyrangiel utilizes a mid-formal tone, using contractions such as “There’s,” “It’s” to maintain a more
conversational style. Also, in the first paragraph, he writes the following, “Sure,
Radiohead is on a sustained run as the most interesting and innovative band in rock…”
This use of the adverb, “Sure,” reinforces the conversational style.
This style, in the first three paragraphs, is also reinforced by the...