page_title: Radiohead
section_title: 2012–2014: Hiatus and move to XL
hierarchical_section_title: Radiohead / History / 2012–2014: Hiatus and move to XL
caption_attribution_description: English: Radiohead performing in New Jersey (2012)
context_page_description: Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke, brothers Jonny Greenwood and Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien and Philip Selway. They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Drawing influence from varied genres, Radiohead's experimental approach to rock has been credited for advancing the sound of alternative rock.
  After signing to EMI in 1991, Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992. It became a worldwide hit after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey. Their popularity and critical standing rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album, The Bends. Radiohead's third album, OK Computer, brought them international fame; noted for its complex production and themes of modern alienation, it is often acclaimed as a landmark record of the Generation X era. Kid A marked a dramatic change in style, incorporating influences from electronic music, jazz, 20th-century classical music and krautrock. Though Kid A divided listeners, it was hailed as the best album of the decade by several publications.
context_section_description: In September 2012, EMI, Radiohead's record label until 2003, was bought by Universal Music. The European Commission approved the deal on the condition that Universal Music divest EMI's Parlophone label, which controlled the Radiohead records. In February 2013, Parlophone, along with Radiohead's back catalogue, was bought by Warner Music Group (WMG). As a condition of the purchase, WMG made an agreement with the Merlin Network and trade group Impala to divest 30% of the Parlophone catalogues to independent labels, with artist approval. In October 2015, Radiohead sued Parlophone for deductions made from downloads of their back catalogue. As a result of the Impala agreement, in April 2016 WMG transferred Radiohead's back catalogue to XL Recordings, which had released the retail editions of In Rainbows and The King of Limbs and most of Yorke's solo work. The Best Of and the reissues, released by EMI in 2008 without Radiohead's approval, were removed from streaming services. In May 2016, XL reissued Radiohead's back catalogue on vinyl.
  After the King of Limbs tour, the band entered hiatus again and the members worked on side projects. In February 2013, Yorke and Godrich's band Atoms for Peace released a studio album, Amok. The pair made headlines that year for their criticism of the free music streaming service Spotify; Yorke accused Spotify of only benefiting major labels with large back catalogues, and encouraged artists to build their own "direct connections" with audiences instead.
  In February 2014, Radiohead released the Polyfauna app for smartphones, a collaboration with the British digital arts studio Universal Everything using music and imagery from The King of Limbs. In May, Yorke contributed a soundtrack, Subterranea, to The Panic Office, an installation of Radiohead artwork in Sydney, Australia. Yorke and Selway released their respective second solo albums, Tomorrow's Modern Boxes and Weatherhouse, in September and October 2014, while Jonny Greenwood scored his third Anderson film, Inherent Vice; it features a new version of an unreleased Radiohead song, "Spooks", performed by Greenwood and members of Supergrass. Junun, a collaboration between Greenwood, Godrich, Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur and Indian musicians, was released in November 2015, accompanied by a documentary directed by Anderson.
caption: Radiohead performing on the 2012 King of Limbs tour
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