147 replies to this topic

[erock]

Anroon, on 08 December 2010 - 02:24 AM, said:

The Independent in the UK are suggesting a February 7th release...

http://www.independe...11-2150489.html

Eep!

Would seriously doubt that....although I'd love it!  That date would leave very little time for promotion, as it has hardly begun.

[rocket21]

erock, on 08 December 2010 - 02:56 AM, said:

Would seriously doubt that....although I'd love it!  That date would leave very little time for promotion, as it has hardly begun.

Does that really matter anymore?  How much advanced press was there for Radiohead's In Rainbows?

If it's a good album by them, it's going to sell regardless of advanced promotion.

[Driver Nate]

Anroon, on 08 December 2010 - 02:24 AM, said:

The Independent in the UK are suggesting a February 7th release...

http://www.independe...11-2150489.html

Eep!

In another thread (or perhaps even in this one) Ethan says it's not due until the Spring of 2011 but doesn't mention an exact date (at least that I recall).

[erock]

rocket21, on 08 December 2010 - 09:26 AM, said:

Does that really matter anymore?  How much advanced press was there for Radiohead's In Rainbows?

If it's a good album by them, it's going to sell regardless of advanced promotion.

To me?  No, absolutely not  I agree.  
But, In Rainbows was a whole other deal.  It was Radiohead calling all the shots after leaving Capitol.  Trying something new out.  R.E.M. is not Radiohead.

R.E.M. is still on WB, and although we (or me anyway) cannot wait to hear this, a month or two more in the scheme of things is nothing in the long run, and they will want to promote it in advance.  Especially if it is a great record.  

Plus....R.E.M. HQ says spring....which has not sprung yet in Feb.

Really excited for this one, and sadly it will be the first I have not received an advance of in a good 17 years or so.  Damn.

[NewToREM]

It would be great, it would make sense with all the early announcements of tracklistings etc. I dont see it happening though.

[erock]

NewToREM, on 08 December 2010 - 12:36 PM, said:

It would be great, it would make sense with all the early announcements of tracklistings etc. I dont see it happening though.

That is the other reason this is different than the Radiohead example...
These early announcements, track listings, blurbs in the press, etc. ARE the beginning of the promo train.  Build up.  Eventually, we will hear a track/single, get a peak at the cover artwork, hear about formats (CD, LP. Special Editions, et al), and people here will have to fight the urge to read about spoilers on the forum, or decide if they will be tempted by leaks, etc.

Anyway, we are beyond the In Rainbows method already.

I am excited though.  This is all part of the fun of it.  Getting excited and gearing up for a new album by a band that I have loved  25+ years and over half my life.
Still feeling like a geek for the band after all these years.

[MAK]

Anroon, on 08 December 2010 - 02:24 AM, said:

The Independent in the UK are suggesting a February 7th release...

http://www.independe...11-2150489.html

Eep!

In many web sites they have the release date as Feb. 7 but if that was true the First single should be released about in a week, so we have to discard that date.

I think that Feb. 7 will be the single release (singles almost always are released about 4-6 weeks prior the album, so this bring the Actual Release date...... March 21 (the beggining of Spring)

also, both days are Mondays, the days than new albums are released in Europe, on tuesdays they are released on Rest of the World.

so my wild guess is Collapse into Now release:  MARCH 21,2011

[rocket21]

I think you're missing my point.

If it's a good album worthy of attention, advanced promotion doesn't matter.  So long as the album is available to be purchased when a customer decides they want to purchase it, they're set.

Doing half a year of prep work without an album for sale seems a bit...out of date.  Welcome to the mainstream music business I guess.  I don't buy the notion that the only way to sell albums is to trying to make a huge splash the first two weeks of availability.

Nonetheless, Radiohead dropped their album with no real advanced notice.  It was good and it continued to sell.

REM is selling a fraction of what they used to sell in the United States, so one could say the old fashioned timetables aren't necessarily benefiting them.  Why not shake things up a bit?

[MurmursAdministrator]

rocket21, on 09 December 2010 - 07:46 PM, said:

I think you're missing my point.

If it's a good album worthy of attention, advanced promotion doesn't matter.  So long as the album is available to be purchased when a customer decides they want to purchase it, they're set.

Doing half a year of prep work without an album for sale seems a bit...out of date.  Welcome to the mainstream music business I guess.  I don't buy the notion that the only way to sell albums is to trying to make a huge splash the first two weeks of availability.

Nonetheless, Radiohead dropped their album with no real advanced notice.  It was good and it continued to sell.

REM is selling a fraction of what they used to sell in the United States, so one could say the old fashioned timetables aren't necessarily benefiting them.  Why not shake things up a bit?

Let's inject some facts:

Radiohead announced and put In Rainbows up really fast in a novel "name your own price"

It sold OK. Then then wetto every major lael, including WBR to get signed to take it wide, international, etc.

Eventually they decided to create a p&d imprint (promo and distribution) on red light records, which is a management company really. They are supported and distributed by Sony Music.

The set up for that release was six months and conformed to the same template that collapse will get.

In today's market nothing is certain so you cover a broad base.

The reality is, NO ONE is selling as much.

[erock]

rocket21, on 09 December 2010 - 07:46 PM, said:

I think you're missing my point.

If it's a good album worthy of attention, advanced promotion doesn't matter.  So long as the album is available to be purchased when a customer decides they want to purchase it, they're set.

Doing half a year of prep work without an album for sale seems a bit...out of date.  Welcome to the mainstream music business I guess.  I don't buy the notion that the only way to sell albums is to trying to make a huge splash the first two weeks of availability.

Nonetheless, Radiohead dropped their album with no real advanced notice.  It was good and it continued to sell.

REM is selling a fraction of what they used to sell in the United States, so one could say the old fashioned timetables aren't necessarily benefiting them.  Why not shake things up a bit?

  
I don't think I'm missing your point, it's a pretty simple and valid one.

You said it yourself in that last line actually about R.E.M. selling a fraction of what they used to.  Radiohead were/are at their height...and remember, after the initial boom of what was IN RAINBOWS release, a more traditional ad campaign started.  Even up to 7 years ago many majors were doing things as stupid as overnighting tubes of posters and flats to record stores so they would hang them on their walls, many times to stores who did even bother to stock those artist.  

If the new R.E.M. is truly  on the level of say Automatic, then I think it will get noticed for that no matter the release strategy.  It may not equate to the millions of sales R.E.M. used to have, but things are different in a lot of ways these days.

Anyway, all I am saying is I think your point is valid, and I agree with you.  I wish labels were a little more adventurous, but it is pretty clear, for this record anyway, that it will be handled more traditionally.

I know I'll be buying it the second I can, because I am really excited. No one needs to promote R.E.M. to me, that's why I'm here with the rest of you.

[erock]

MurmursAdministrator, on 09 December 2010 - 10:30 PM, said:

Let's inject some facts:

Radiohead announced and put In Rainbows up really fast in a novel "name your own price"

It sold OK. Then then wetto every major lael, including WBR to get signed to take it wide, international, etc.

Eventually they decided to create a p&d imprint (promo and distribution) on red light records, which is a management company really. They are supported and distributed by Sony Music.

The set up for that release was six months and conformed to the same template that collapse will get.

In today's market nothing is certain so you cover a broad base.

The reality is, NO ONE is selling as much.

I guess Ethan responded while I was typing.  Anyway, the response about In Rainbows was more detailed than mine.  Better put.  It's just the way it is.  Had Radiohead stopped the day they told people to name their price and never shopped it to labels, it would not have sold a fraction of what it did, but that would have been crazy on their part.

Plus, lets not forget.  It was an experiment.  Radiohead has said they would probably never do that again.  Things are changing, posters got smaller and most labels stopped wasting their artists promo budgets on overnighted posters and advances.

[assscat]

MurmursAdministrator, on 09 December 2010 - 10:30 PM, said:

Let's inject some facts:
Radiohead announced and put In Rainbows up really fast in a novel "name your own price"
It sold OK. Then then wetto every major lael, including WBR to get signed to take it wide, international, etc.
Eventually they decided to create a p&d imprint (promo and distribution) on red light records, which is a management company really. They are supported and distributed by Sony Music.
The set up for that release was six months and conformed to the same template that collapse will get.
In today's market nothing is certain so you cover a broad base.
The reality is, NO ONE is selling as much.

I find this stuff, and the other inside (if you will) info on the music biz that Ethan posts, really interesting. (Just thought I'd share.)

[Driver Nate]

assscat, on 10 December 2010 - 05:37 AM, said:

I find this stuff, and the other inside (if you will) info on the music biz that Ethan posts, really interesting. (Just thought I'd share.)

As do I. Getting your album out there and heard by the right folks these days has to be quite the challenge considering just how much the industry has changed and is continuing to change.

[MAK]

assscat, on 10 December 2010 - 05:37 AM, said:

I find this stuff, and the other inside (if you will) info on the music biz that Ethan posts, really interesting. (Just thought I'd share.)

Talking about Ethan posts, look what he post on twitter:

ethank Ethan Kaplan
This record gets better on every listen. Not a bad song among the 12. Of course I am biased, but still. #fb
9 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply

ethank Ethan Kaplan
I had nothing to do with making it. At all. But the new REM record makes me proud when I get to play it for people. #collapseintonow
5 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply


this is an extra:

ethank Ethan Kaplan
It happened today. http://twitpic.com/3dajh5
5 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply


Ethan we know that you must swear confidentiality on any info about the record, but is there at least anything you can tell us?

we will appreciate it

[MurmursAdministrator]

MAK, on 10 December 2010 - 12:12 PM, said:

Talking about Ethan posts, look what he post on twitter:

ethank Ethan Kaplan
This record gets better on every listen. Not a bad song among the 12. Of course I am biased, but still. #fb
9 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply

ethank Ethan Kaplan
I had nothing to do with making it. At all. But the new REM record makes me proud when I get to play it for people. #collapseintonow
5 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply


this is an extra:

ethank Ethan Kaplan
It happened today. http://twitpic.com/3dajh5
5 Dec Favorite Retweet Reply


Ethan we know that you must swear confidentiality on any info about the record, but is there at least anything you can tell us?

we will appreciate it

Nope, other than "stay tuned"

[Pflanze]

R.e.m. put some new "Collapse Into Now"-photos by Anton Corbjn online at their facebook-profile!

Ups, just saw that Ethan has already posted that at the Christmas-Single-Thread! Sorry.

[CUYACOAT]

"Not a bad song among the 12".......Yes but that doesn't necessarily say much does it? To me 'Accelerate' didn't have a 'bad' song on it but I very rarely listen to any of it and rank it very low on the album rankings. Accelerate had a lot of good, enjoyable tracks and a few average ones. But for REM to take it anywhere near their previous levels they need some good, some very good and a couple of greats. I hold out absolutely no hope for this eventuality as I have lost faith in this band to recapture anything of their former glory. All comments so far about this album are just toooooooo good to be true and I'm not buying it. I wish for nothing more than to eat my words but for now shall remain a very bitter, cynical, glass-half-empty pessimist with (you guessed it) very few friends

[haggis]

CUYACOAT, on 11 December 2010 - 03:07 AM, said:

"Not a bad song among the 12".......Yes but that doesn't necessarily say much does it? To me 'Accelerate' didn't have a 'bad' song on it but I very rarely listen to any of it and rank it very low on the album rankings. Accelerate had a lot of good, enjoyable tracks and a few average ones. But for REM to take it anywhere near their previous levels they need some good, some very good and a couple of greats. I hold out absolutely no hope for this eventuality as I have lost faith in this band to recapture anything of their former glory. All comments so far about this album are just toooooooo good to be true and I'm not buying it. I wish for nothing more than to eat my words but for now shall remain a very bitter, cynical, glass-half-empty pessimist with (you guessed it) very few friends

Bet it's a right laugh round your house....

[thomas08]

CUYACOAT, on 11 December 2010 - 03:07 AM, said:

I hold out absolutely no hope for this eventuality as I have lost faith in this band to recapture anything of their former glory. All comments so far about this album are just toooooooo good to be true and I'm not buying it. I wish for nothing more than to eat my words but for now shall remain a very bitter, cynical, glass-half-empty pessimist with (you guessed it) very few friends

to me accelerate was a great album but i agree it didnt recapture any of their past glory. but in a way thats a good thing - they can release a great record and still not top the early records. when a band has as good a back catalogue as REM its gonna be near impossible for them to top it. the late 80s and early 90s were just too good that doesnt mean they're past it and that this records gonna suck, its going to be amazing compared to any other music out at this time, just not as amazing as automatic, document and out of time were. as fans we've been very lucky to follow a band as consistent as REM

[NewToREM]

I kind of agree. Although I still look forward to new music. They are a great band still which make very good music, but they dont make fantastic music like they use to.

Im looking forward to the new album, if they better accelerate to the level they bettered ATS, they may just make something brilliant!