Switchfoot‘s 2005 album, Nothing Is Sound, was released 20 years ago Saturday. While initially poised to build on the breakout success of the “Meant to Live” rockers’ 2003 effort, The Beautiful Letdown, Nothing Is Sound instead came to represent the giant crossroads the music industry was facing at the time.
In 2005, digital storefronts like iTunes were in their early days and the streaming revolution was still a decade away. Meanwhile, record companies were still grappling from the Napster phenomenon of the late ’90s and early 2000s, which saw listeners share music files with each other online instead of buying CDs.
In an effort to keep people from continuing to do that, Switchfoot’s label included copy protection software on Nothing Is Sound CDs. The software also allegedly included spyware that monitored listening habits.
“This is just wild, wild stuff,” frontman Jon Foreman tells ABC Audio in reflecting on the 20th anniversary of Nothing Is Sound.
Switchfoot addressed the controversy in a message board post by bassist Tim Foreman, Jon’s brother, which instructed fans on how to get around the copy protections.
“We had, like, lawyers following us around because my brother was telling people how to get the songs off of the CD,” Jon says. “It was just strange, strange times.”
Eventually, the situation led to a product recall.
“They pulled all the records off the shelves,” Jon says. “It sounds strange, but that happened.”
As for the actual music on Nothing Is Sound, the album did spawn one of Switchfoot’s most-played live songs, “Stars.”
“When I think back to that time, I usually just remember the good stuff,” Jon says. “I try to, at least. There’s so many beautiful moments, and I truly do love the songs.”
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
