From Bob Lefsetz: 1. Florida Georgia Line Anything Goes 197,000 copies Theyre a singles act until proven otherwise. As it should be. Where was it written that fans should fall all over you as soon as you debut? In the old days you sold singles until people believed in you, then they partook of the album, the concept of making them buy the whole LP for one good track might have made financial sense but it never resonated with the consumer and once he got a chance he punted, he went to P2P and then iTunes and then YouTube/Spotify. Youve got to earn your fans. Florida Georgia Line may be all over the airwaves but theyre still on their way up. Thats the way it used to be, no one was anointed a superstar on their initial work. 2. Jason Alden Old Boots, New Dirt 91,000 Pretty good for a second week number. The first week was 278,000, the third biggest debut of the year, behind Coldplay and Eric Church at 383,000 and 288,000 respectively. Aldeans been in the marketplace longer, hes got more hard core fans, thats why he sold more the first week than Florida Georgia Line. 3. Bob Seger Ride Out 59,000 Has anybody listened to this album, does anybody care? Where does it live? Either youre part of the public consciousness or youre irrelevant. In other words, why spam us with your publicity if we dont care. We all like Bob, but were looking for Night Moves, not a bunch of new tracks that play like Against The Wind only poorer. Tarnishes the image, dont you think? The old classic acts should form their own label and have it run by an arbiter like Scott Borchetta, whos a metal head, by the way. Someone who can tell them what works and what doesnt and then promote what does accordingly. Because unless these tracks make a dent in the world at large, theyre destined to sit on the shelves of hard core fans at home, ultimately ignored, and if you think that satisfies the maker, youre not one. Thats right, if youre an alta kacher act you should cut SINGLES! And please, no more covers and duets albums, youre just embarrassing yourselves. 4. You+Me 50,000 Includes Pink. Who sings folk along with relatively unknown Dallas Green. Credit Alecia for taking a risk, for expanding her boundaries. It appears that some fans are following her, but it turns out others are waiting for the hit, or are unaware its her. As for a radio format that would embrace the artistic endeavors of our household names, were still waiting for it. For all the pushback by radio, claiming its still relevant, it takes almost no risks, its part of the problem, not the solution. 5. Barbra Streisand Partners 40,000 Wanna sell albums? Exist outside the game, appeal to oldsters. But still, theres no tonnage. 6. Sam Smith In The Lonely Hour 37,000 Helped this week appearances on Fallon and Today this is the album of the year. The hype has been heavy, but that can work when an act is brand new and lives up to it. As for the arena tour victory lap... Adele wouldnt do that. Its so twenty first century. Get all your money right away before everybody forgets about you and you fade away. Isnt it best to underplay until demand is cemented? Are you really making fans when most people are sitting a thousand feet away, in a drive-by position? 7. The Game Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf 33,000 People still care about him, but not as much as Kendrick Lamar. Time passes even the rappers by, people dont care about 50 Cent and they care a bit less about the Game. A hit single will boost sales of this album, if it happens. 8. Hoodie Allen People Keep Talking 30,000 A tireless self-promoter whos figured out the game. Proving if youve got a modicum of talent, you can make it on business sense. Its on his own label. Still, 30k in a country of 300 million is a drop in the bucket. 9. U2 Songs Of Innocence 28,000 Its already over. A classic 2014 album. You ramp up the promotion, everybody talks about you for a week, and then your new album is completely forgotten. You subject your fans to one or two new tracks live, but its like the record didnt even come out. Sure, you could get the album for free with iTunes. But Radiohead sold a ton of In Rainbows even though it was at name your own price long before. But this story is nowhere. Because in an overload economy, we only have time for positive news, no one wants to focus on failure, not unless its gargantuan, not unless its got train-wreck value, whereas this is just a whimper. So U2 exposed everybody to their music and found out most people just shrugged. They broke the number one rule of the twenty first century, just give us a hit, we want a single. And for all you people purveying albums out there pay attention, if they dont care about U2, they certainly dont care about you. So Guy Oseary has done worse than Paul McGuinness. Because Oseary thought it was about deals, McGuinness knew it was always about passion. And Bono proved that hes lost touch. And weve learned that the album paradigm has expired. And that once the publicity engine dies down, youre dead in the water. CONCLUSIONS Want to make an impact? Dont worry about publicity, but a hit single. Streaming is everything, these sales numbers are anemic. Despite all the hoopla, Gaga and Bennett is already over. Theres a disconnect between consumers and the media machine. We want good new music. Were not exactly sure where to find it. But when we do, we partake, like with Sam Smith. But usually partaking consists of a stream. Dont blame the audience, dont blame the game, blame yourself. The rules have changed. Abide them.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 18:41:37 +0000
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