KOTB charting
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audi:
I'm more optimistic about the next album than I've been for all of Paul's albums since Flowers... combined! I really think it's going to be a blitz of a success. A great hunch I've got. I think we're going to see his most strategic promotional campaign ever, and it's going to work very well for him.
I don't know, Audi. I'm not sure I want to see a big splashy promotional blitz for the new album. I want it to be a smart subtle CLASSY campaign that focuses on the quality of the music. When Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen released new albums last year, they didn't run around giving countless interviews to music journalists and they didn't perform on cheesy TV shows like Ellen and The View to promote their new records. Dylan gave one interview (to Rolling Stone) and then toured. That's it. Let the music speak for itself like Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Robert Plant do. If Paul wants to be treated seriously as an artist still producing quality work, then he needs to do the same thing as they do: Make this about the music -- not about his persona or his fame or his Beatles past or, for that matter, his Wings past. Minimize the interviews and silly TV appearances that only serve to diminish his legend, and focus on the album and the art. Going small is a way to go large, IMO.
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Did he do that for KOTB? That was all over the place. How many releases of it were there at last count? Interviews & even webinars too.
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oobu24:
Did he do that for KOTB? That was all over the place. How many releases of it were there at last count? Interviews & even webinars too.
I think the KOTB promotion was a mixed bag. Some of it was quite effective. The NPR interview -- targeting the exact audience for a jazz record -- was brilliant and classy, and reawakened interest and sales in the album significantly. The PBS special was also really well done and got great reviews. And say what you want about the Natalie Portman/Johnny Depp video but it's now got 6 MILLION views on YouTube so it worked. But the speaker commercial using the song was tacky. The Grammy's performance of My Valentine was the wrong audience for the material. And the multiple KOTB releases were confusing -- the various releases were especially annoying to those who hated the album to begin with; each new reincarnation of KOTB just gave the KOTB haters another reason to complain since he wasn't doing what they wanted him to do. Then again, the album DID chart at No. 137 on the Billboard 200 chart for 2013 and No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz Chart for 2012. Clearly the multiple releases kept the CD selling. For the new album, I'd rather he not seem so desperate for attention. I'd rather see a careful, sophisticated campaign that focuses on the music -- do only 1 major interview with a music magazine like Dylan, Springsteen and the other aging legends. Don't do any cheesy daytime TV shows. Maybe go on Jimmy Fallon's show again -- or some other hipster's show with a reputation for showing good music. And then tour the album. Play the songs. Stop wearing the same blue and red suit jackets and Beatles boots and go out there in jeans and just be Paul playing his new album.
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Michelley:
oobu24:
Did he do that for KOTB? That was all over the place. How many releases of it were there at last count? Interviews & even webinars too.
I think the KOTB promotion was a mixed bag. Some of it was quite effective. The NPR interview -- targeting the exact audience for a jazz record -- was brilliant and classy, and reawakened interest and sales in the album significantly. The PBS special was also really well done and got great reviews. And say what you want about the Natalie Portman/Johnny Depp video but it's now got 6 MILLION views on YouTube so it worked. But the speaker commercial using the song was tacky. The Grammy's performance of My Valentine was the wrong audience for the material. And the multiple KOTB releases were confusing -- the various releases were especially annoying to those who hated the album to begin with; each new reincarnation of KOTB just gave the KOTB haters another reason to complain since he wasn't doing what they wanted him to do. Then again, the album DID chart at No. 137 on the Billboard 200 chart for 2013 and No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz Chart for 2012. Clearly the multiple releases kept the CD selling.
In Denmark there was no promotion of the album. None of the tv apperances (except the Grammy) were send over here, and I don't recall a single interview in any of the papers. KOTB entered the charts at #3 and left the top 40 4 weeks later. Have no idea how many copies were sold. The standard edition was the only one available in the major record-selling stores. The deluxe edition was available at selected stores for a week or two. The store were I bought mine had two copies on stock. I don't pay much attention to iTunes and other download sites so I can't tell you if the various digital versions of the KOTB were released here or not.
Michelley:
For the new album, I'd rather he not seem so desperate for attention. I'd rather see a careful, sophisticated campaign that focuses on the music -- do only 1 major interview with a music magazine like Dylan, Springsteen and the other aging legends. Don't do any cheesy daytime TV shows. Maybe go on Jimmy Fallon's show again -- or some other hipster's show with a reputation for showing good music. And then tour the album. Play the songs. Stop wearing the same blue and red suit jackets and Beatles boots and go out there in jeans and just be Paul playing his new album.
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Michelley:
FYI, I just was scrolling through the Billboard 200 list for 2012. It's a list of the top-selling albums for the year. First it was kinda depressing because the highest-ranking album by a rock legend in 2012 was Springsteen's Wrecking Ball at No. 50. That's it: After a year of good reviews for his album, and high-profile performances, all the Boss managed was 50th on the list of best-selling albums for the year. In short: People should seriously lower their expectations for the sales potential of Paul's next album. The public is just not buying albums by the old guys in high numbers. On the more positive front, KOTB was No. 132 (!!!!) on the Billboard 200 chart for 2012. That is flat out AMAZING for a quiet jazzy album that got mixed reviews from Paul's own fan base. KOTB even ranked higher on the sales chart than Bob Dylan's new album, The Tempest, which got mostly positive reviews but only managed to reach No. 137 for the year. So congrats Paul! Here's the list of Billboard's year-end charts: http://www.billboard.com/charts-year-end#/charts-year-end And here's the Billboard 200 for 2012 if you want to check out KOTB's ranking yourself: http://www.billboard.com/charts-year-end#/charts-year-end/the-billboard-200?year=2012&begin=1&order=position
Van Halen's album comes in at #71 ! Good to see. I'm a big Bruce fan but didnt like the production on his new album. Nowhere near his heights. The only "new" artist I bothered listening to was Mumford & Sons.
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Michelley:
For the new album, I'd rather he not seem so desperate for attention. I'd rather see a careful, sophisticated campaign that focuses on the music -- do only 1 major interview with a music magazine like Dylan, Springsteen and the other aging legends. Don't do any cheesy daytime TV shows. Maybe go on Jimmy Fallon's show again -- or some other hipster's show with a reputation for showing good music. And then tour the album. Play the songs. Stop wearing the same blue and red suit jackets and Beatles boots and go out there in jeans and just be Paul playing his new album.
Very well put!
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For the next album I would like to see a rock/pop double album with one disc being similar to Chaos and Creation and one being more rock similar to MAF but include experimentation like EA. Also hire someone like Nigel Godrich to give the album decent quality control, all killer no filler! Include a few of the best outtakes from his career such as a lavishly produced version of Return To Pepperland if it feels right and include guest personnel on a few tracks such as Eric Clapton on guitar, Ringo on drums etc.