Thom Yorke has compared the mainstream music industry to a “sinking ship” and advised up-and-coming musicians to try and make it on their own.

The Radiohead frontman is reported to have made the comments in an interview for a new school textbook about citizenship studies.

Yorke told The Rax Active Citizenship Toolkit that it was “only a matter of time — months rather than years — before the music business establishment completely folds”.

He added that this would be “no great loss to the world”, and that aspiring musicians should seek other avenues, reports the London Evening Standard.

Radiohead released six albums with major label EMI before leaving in 2007 to independently release ‘In Rainbows’.

(by Jason Gregory)