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Re: Now on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy
" the fans wanna see the band they love speak or do interviews and stuff..."
Absolutely! No videos or any band activity whatsover was an appalling marketing decision and their website is pathetic at best. With these things it place it still wouldnt have broke records, but it would have definently have fared much, much better.
Its almost a year later and only now are we getting rumours of concerts and have had a small glimpse of what could be a video.
Its barmy 
Re: Now on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy
There's no one reason Chinese Democracy failed... it's more like one hundred. The biggest factor I believe is like Zutaut said, there was no huge single. And, if there was one single that could have been big enough with a video and hype, it'd be This I Love over anything else on the album. It certainly wouldn't have been Chinese Democracy and Better would have been a good follow up, or predecessor. People don't buy albums anymore, we've gotten to the point over the last 10 years+ where people buy albums buy them based on the song they like. That and everyone and their mother thinks they are urban, which is killing rock.
You know what, looking back Axl may have been pissed at the label or whatever it was and maybe that halted tour plans. But, there was no reason whatsoever the band couldn't perform one song on an awards show like they did before to promote it. That's the hugest and most important stage of all and immediately grants total interest. Grinding it out on tour doesn't sell albums like it used to. Merchandise, sure. And, at least Axl's current look (or at least the 2006 one) makes him look the part of a rocker instead of weird guy in a jersey with a helium voice and cornrows.
Re: Now on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy
Here's some of the 100 reasons:
Had Axl done a talk show / SNL, it would have said "we're done with it, it's out there, here's a song, hope you enjoy it, give us a chance."
I'm surprised Axl has never done SNL. He said he liked the process of filming/making movies, and he has a great sense of humor. It would be a good fit and I think it could be fun, even though fame isn't a felt need of us, I think he'd actually enjoy it. If this seems wierd, just listen to Eddie Trunk show.
SNL is magical. It somehow made Alec Baldwin a celebrity again.
Re: Now on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy
The exclusive hurt more than it helped, regardless of it being Best Buy, Wal Mart, or Chuck E. Cheese. I was against the exclusive crap from the start. That shit is killing the industry. When you're a rock band making a comeback with a rotating line up, last thing on this earth you need is your product being available in only one store. Would it have sold more at Wal Mart? Of course. General statistics prove that. Still wouldn't have prevented the album from being a beer coaster.
The album needed a Cochise to show the rock world they were back with a vengeance. The album has NOTHING of that magnitude. I don't care whether someone here loves or hates Cornell, that song just laid waste to everything in its path and if CD had anything even remotely like that, people would still be talking about this record, and even casuals would be begging for a tour.
Axl/the band's relationship with its own hardcore base also played a role in the album's "failure". When your own hardcore base is unwilling to prop your single(s) up on the Itunes chart to create a buzz, you have serious problems and need to regroup and move on to plan B.
EVERYONE played a role in the album's quick demise. Axl, the band, Uni, Best Buy, and last but not least, THE FANS.
The fact that the material is as dated as bellbottoms didn't do it any favors either. This album belongs in the timeframe that it was recorded in. Still blows my mind he wouldn't pull the trigger on this record eight years ago.
I have not found another person my age with any inclination to try it. I forced a couple into listening to a variety of tracks like ChiDem, Better, If the World, Sorry... but only one liked any of them.
^this is also a big reason for general disinterest in the record. If you cant pull the 18-21 audience in, you lose. Period. I don't care if its a shit album with one good song, you need that demographic digging that one song.
That didn't happen with Chinese Democracy.
Axl could have performed Better on top of the Empire State Building. If Joe Blow taking English 101 and drinking beer on weekends doesn't care, might as well just not even show up, which is what he did.
Re: Now on sale for $7.99 at Best Buy
James Lofton wrote:Still blows my mind he wouldn't pull the trigger on this record eight years ago.
He handed an album into the label around 99/00 but it was rejected apparently.
That's a good point I had forgotten about that. If that is the case whoever rejected it should be shot! With hindsight that was a COSTLY rejection. If you believe that many of the leaks were from recordings done way back then I cannot understand why they didn't release it then. Obviously when they rejected it they didn't expect he would take another 7 or 8 years to finally get it out. But from what we've heard the material was strong enough for a release at that time and probably was most suited to that time as well.
