You are not logged in. Please register or login.
- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
The Best Buy deal ends in like what, 20 days?
Wishful thinking, but maybe there's implications of things getting slightly better. If the band were supposed to deliver one video by the the end of the deal or Axl is doing nothing to spite them.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
Had they thought the album was great and had any chance of succeeding commercially, they would have supported it and promoted it in an instant. The fact that they didn't is very telling of what they thought of it.
But it's also kinda a self fullfilling prophesy. They decide it's not going to do well, so don't push it properly in the media, and so it doesn't do well.
Even aside from the things GNR did strangely (no tour, interviews etc) the actual release from the labels was cocked up in Australia. There was zero promo in my stores, less than extremely unknown bands even get, and the rep from the store had no idea it was comming out, and didn't even believe me it was when we had the dates confirmed and the best buy stories running in the usa and everything.
I'm not saying it would have been beyonce, but GNR has a pretty strong casual fanbase in Australia i'd say. Dudes who remember November Rain and that kind of thing even if they arn't big fans.
Both shows in my city in 2007 sold out despite the new band and all the politics...We like our classics over here. Some of these people would have checked out a new album for the sake of it...but they didn't even know it existed.
I'm just saying I think someone in the industry side of things dropped the ball on this one. As, quality of the record aside, I'm certain any band with the historical branding GNR has had, could have capatalised on that history and the current interest in old school acts (metallica, ac/dc) to promote sales way more than was done.
Then you add to that equation that Axl and co also didn't play the normal game and you have the current situaton.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
How many albums do you think an Axl/Slash GnR album would have sold?
Tons.
And while I won't deny most people probably want him back in the band, it's also partly marketing that would have allowed its sucess.
IMO....general public people remember 3 things from GNR:
#1 the classic crossover songs (November Rain, Sweet Child, and a couple more less so),
#2 Axl in his illusion era outfits causing riots and so forth,
#3 Slash in a top hat, smoking and playing.
That's the menta image that you get when you think GNR. The problem is the current marketing gave us NOTHING to replace those things - Slash is gone, and his replacements from a media perpsective were silent and characterless, and Axl is still around but not giving interviews and so on.
If slash was around there would have been interviews and stuff for months. He knows how to use the media. And I don't mean that as any kind of insult. But think of his solo album, - it's not even recorded yet - and we know some of the guest singers - we know some of the styles - excitment is building - and we know we'll be kept in the loop about it.
So to be fair - yeah a slash gnr album would sell more cos most people want slash in the band and its the real gnr etc - but it would also sell more because it would have been promoted and marketed in a tradtitional way.
It'd have been interesting if the band had done stuff differently. Like if the band had come out strongly in the media promoting their playing. If a bid deal had been made about how both bumble and bucket are on the album and how those guys are insanely good on guitar in ways normal people arn't lol.
If axl had given a ton of interviews, or even if he'd gone off on some kind of rant in a public way, if tours had gone on, or if there'd been some kind of other drama. or whatever. There's ways that this could have turned into a huge circus...but for whatever reason they choose not to do it that way.
Its up to GNR how they do things and that's cool - but from an ourside perspective, it's hard to think that both the band and the label going dead quiet straight after the release did anything but harm sales.
When so much about this release has been handled in a non-standard and frankly bizzare way, it's really strage to be blaming the music. It's not the music. It's the business that was fucked up.
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
The Best Buy deal ends in like what, 20 days?
Wishful thinking, but maybe there's implications of things getting slightly better. If the band were supposed to deliver one video by the the end of the deal or Axl is doing nothing to spite them.
That's the speculation, but I don't think it's ever been confirmed or denied that the Best Buy deal was indeed for 6 months. That's why I said in another thread, if I walk into a Target on May 24th and see CD on the shelf and didn't hear anything about that beforehand. That would be a bad sign.
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
When those tracks leaked in June 2008, there was tons of people all over the internet on blogs talking about how amazing Slash's guitar playing was on the new GN'R album.
The same people on the 'net so clueless, could take 6 seconds to visit Wikipedia, and realize that Slash has been out of GN'R since 1996.
Until a reunion happens, we simply will never know if CD was looked at as a genuine GN'R album, and that the future is bleak for the brand name, or that this is what an Axl Rose solo album sells.
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
Why do you think BB didn't market it? Because they wanted to just give Axl money for nothing? I'm going to say no. I'll take answer b: they knew it wasn't going to sell once they heard the whole thing as well. They cut their losses.
How long was CD (the single) on the Top 100? Not the rock list, I'm talking the real Top 100. I bet never is the answer, if not, it was a very, very, very short time. How many albums do you think an Axl/Slash GnR album would have sold? That's the standard I'm holding it to. If you're going to be GnR, then you have to be GnR and accept the expectations that go with that. You can't just take the sales that go with the name and not take the expectations. You cannot have it both ways.
If by slow building you mean that 20 years from now people might say it wasn't as bad as everyone though it was at the time, then I might agree with you. If by slow building you mean the album will come back to the top 10 again, you're nuts.
Awwwww, look at Buzz being the authority on GNR... Your opinion doesn't matter, which is sad because you are an intelligent guy, but you're so jaded your logic regarding this band is completely warped, where everything is geared at this being a failure no matter what. You reach and reach and twist everything in a negative light. Which is your thing, so whatever. Its just no one can really ever have a real debate with you. Which sucks because you are a good poster outside this topic.
And as I read your response it finally hit me who you are...
Buzz, you are the Rush Limbaugh of the GNR world. 
Re: Please Play TWAT more when a tour happens
It could be a few things that might of defused Chinese Democracy. First off it is an anti-establishment (Government) kind of cd. Our precious government don't want rebellious artists waking up the general public to the truth. They also are controlling what the major record companies are promoting and pushing. It's all buy-out politics. They rather put out Hana Montana type of artists or soulful girl singers in push-up bras to make money. It's safe. It doesn't rock the boat. You really have to ask yourself this question. If Chinese Democracy came out say in 1994 or say in place of Use Your Illusion the cd would of hit number one because this kind of rock music was 'in' and the government still didn't have complete control over dismantling the 'good rock that puts people wise and an eye on the Government. You have to remember that G&R were a rock group like the Doors for their time. They scared the hell out of those politicians!!!! lolo
