Radiohead's management deny Starbucks label rumour

Courtyard Management, who manage Radiohead, have answered reports that the band are about to sign to Hear Music, the record label run by the Starbucks coffee chain. The rumour that they are about to sign with Starbucks is totally untrue.¹

The story went round online in the days before. NME traces it to a BBC 6 Music report that someone from Courtyard had been seen meeting Starbucks people in London. On Wednesday Drowned In Sound passed on a Buzznet report that Starbucks officials had met the band themselves at a London studio.

Hear Music, set up by Starbucks with Concord Music Group, launched this month. Its first signing, Paul McCartney, lately of EMI, was announced on 21 March.

Radiohead have had no record contract since their deal with EMI ended after Hail to the Thief in 2003. Courtyard say the band are in the studio working on the next record. They are not negotiating a new record deal with anyone, and will not even consider how to release their new music until the album is finished.¹