Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I pre-ordered a copy of CD when it was available on HMV's web site a couple of years ago. I just got the following email...

Dear HMV Customer You asked us to send you CHINESE DEMOCRACY by GUNS N' ROSES.  Unfortunately we have been informed by their record company that this title no longer has a scheduled release date for this year. Your order will be kept open for when the album is eventually released. You have not been charged as we only take payment once we send it to you. We really hope you're not too disappointed.  Kind Regards, Jamie HookOnline Buying Teamwww.hmv.com <http://www.hmv.com>

to me all this says is.... digital download.....

yep... its coming soon.

Why would the label tell hmv to cancel it?
maybe im jumping to conclusions (im on my 9th bourbon btw)
but i honestly believe that the beast will be released sooner than later.

This title never had a scheduled release date for this year to begin with.

Do you think that hopefully the online stores have been told that a compact disc will not be available? it would be awesome if gnr are talking to microsoft at the moment and organising a new format... like mp5? i dont know,  im shit with computers.

online release of CD some new format? download the software with the album?

Or it means what it says - Album has no date for this year

Or it means what it says - Album has no date for this year
[/quote]

Id bet my right nut that its out this year.

i believe... this time i really do.

perhaps now, that hmv has no release date, something might actually be happening..... 

Probably means nothing, strange that you didn't get that e-mail couple of years ago.

Same shit, different day.

This means nothing. They never had a date to begin with. They're just taking preorders to make sure they get their money the first day the send the cd, whenever that is...

I doubt a record company would "inform" HMV like that...

Only GnR knows, and they may not have decided yet as the negotiations are still going on I suppose. Do NOT believe some lame-ass employee at HMV who can't get their facts right!

This suggests to me that we're not gonna be seeing an album, since even if there was no physical CD and was just a download instead, they would still have the album on the HMV download section,

so when there`s a release date of september 13th 2007 on hmv, that suggests to you CD is released on that day as well?

Cmon people.

This is crap. No offense to the poster who posted this, I'm talking about the music stores.

The only real info you'll get on the release will come from the band... Anything else is just a rumour.

Id bet my right nut that its out this year.

i believe... this time i really do.
[/quote]

why all the hate for your right nut?

he probably betted his left nut last year.  :hihi:

When it comes to release dates you can't trust any record store. My local HMV has had a "coming soon" card in the GNR section for years, but when you ask they don't have a clue. It's a con to make you pre-order it instore.

HMV in particular are useless - when Angel Down was released i asked if they knew when it was coming in stock they- they despite having 2 of his other cd's on the rack - had no record of Sebastian Bach on the computer.  

More importantly it says what it says - There is no release date, until Axl himself says it's coming out (or maybe Jarmo ;D ) then i wont believe anything the media, "management" or even Fortus says.

IT'S JUST A LEGAL NOTICE.  The "this year" they're referring to is LAST YEAR (2007).  When you order something, the company you order it from is obligated to notify you periodically (like every 3, 6 or 12 months) of the status of your order.

Edited to add:  The reason for the notice is to give the customer the opportunity to cancel the order.  After so much time passes, sometimes people forget they even ordered something, so these notices are sorta a reminder.

That makes sense. Can we put this to rest now and start speculating on something else...   :peace:

So...I love how people believe HMV, after not doing so for how long now?

To be honest I'd be pretty pissed off if CD was released via digital download only.  Yes, I would be glad to hear but /i would really want something tangible that I could hold in my hands and play in a CD player, anything else would just feel like more leaks!

Id bet my right nut that its out this year.
i believe... this time i really do.
[/quote]

Bet Axl would stop the album if this bet would be seen through to a conclusion  :rofl:

^OT, but I just love your computer game quote.  :hihi: :hihi: :hihi:

Probably not. If they decide to use the digital solution, they probably will have a private website and bandwidth for it.

that's just a standard email that they send out when you have an order with them for a considerable amount of time. I had the same email sent to myself when the cancelled my Dennis Wilson book after 18 months or so of it being on order - I wouldnt read too much into this

I hope not. I want to be able to go to the shop and buy this on CD... I have been waiting and looking forward to going to a shop and buying this for a while. There's something so much more nicer about physically buying it, rather than either receiving a CD through the post or worse yet downloading stuff. I only download at the very last minute if I can't find the CD's in the shops (like the Bumblefoot solo stuff and Seb's album as these are never in UK stores).

Dear Jesus/Satan/Emperor Palpatine,

Please let Chinese Democracy be released soon. We all want to hear it really bad.

Signed,

HTGTH Forum

P.S. Our souls are in the mail.

I disagree with the poster who said this means a digital download...but I can't base my opinion on anything at all...just wishful thinking.  I really want Chinese Democracy in my hand.  I don't care if it's a record, a cassette tape, a cd, or an 8-Track!  I'm sure digital downloads will work, but don't let that be the only format, please!

Why don't they just make it a ransom?  Once a million folks send in $10 each, everybody who pre-ordered the album gets the album.  It sounds pretty damn easy...but I know it's not.  :(

Or, release a long list of future dates for live shows and tie the actual cd into the ticket price. 

That's likely.

I bet HMV doesn't know anything at this point.

There's a sticky topic dedicated to HMV and others like them who keep guessing release dates in order to get pre-orders.


/jarmo

fuck hmv, they dont know shit. period.

It will be this year, i still bet my left nut...... my right is larger than my left so i figure, its all good

I WONT LOSE!!!

PREPARE YOURSELFS MOTHERFUCKERS! THE ALBUM IS COMING!!!!

Well I'm not buying it digitally. I want a darn disk.

HMV may say that there is 'no release date for this year', which could be true. But whoever told them all the different dates they've had on there for hte past year or so was wrong too?


I think it really is coming this year..

Maybe the disc isn't gonna be called Chinese Democracy.  I know this has been discussed before...but if it were renamed, then they would have to say that CD has no release date this year  ;D

Hmv only does this to get hella mass pre-orders going , its all about the bottom line for them .so when they hear news that is not supportive of their bottom line they have to let the fans know ...

HMV sucks...the album is DONE people!  Of course it will be out soon!!??

Yes yes yes!!

Digital dowloads are fucking shithouse IMO. Shithouse!

This e-mail means nothing either - they have no release date just like we don't.

Well, hasn't HMV always been honest when asked where they get their info? From every "release date" I remember them posting they've always responded to fan e-mail that they got the <insert release date here> from rumors on message boards. Don't know why they'd start lying now.

they mean 2006 by 'this year'. obviously the title can't have a scheduled released date for 2006 anymore.

It's just a standard way of informing you that they are cancelling your preorder.
It's highly unlikely a specifc request came from the record company as early as January that said it won't be out for the entire year.

and the band is so forthcoming with information :-X

I think its more of a case of HMV has offered the pre-order for CD for a few years now - and they must have some internal procedure in place that if any item is still unavailable to the consumer after a certain amount of time from it being at the pre-order status on their website (say 18 months for example) - perhaps its their policy to cancel all pre-orders until they get further word that its ready.  Just my thoughts. I wont put any sway or faith in HMV knowing before we do.

I just got a new email from HMV cancelling the order...

We?re writing to you about your order (number 11575171). We?re really sorry that we weren't in touch sooner, but we have been working hard trying to get hold of this product for you:

Order no: 11575171

Qty Format Artist Title Price
1 CD GUNS & ROSES CHINESE DEMOCRACY ?8.99

Unfortunately, the suppliers were unable to provide the item, and though we?d prefer not to have to cancel this from your order, we don?t want to keep you waiting for it.

Your payment card has not been charged for this item, as we only charge for goods when they're shipped.

Once again, please accept our apologies.

Regards,

Online Customer Service Team


Now, HMV is one of the largest retailers out there, surely if CD was just around the corner the record company would keep them sweet and tell them to hang on a while longer. Unless it has had a name change  :o

What makes you think they'd know about it even if it was "just around the corner"?!  :o

By that logic the reason they're cancelling it now could also be that they're gonna have to change the price tag...

Exactly,

hmv know the same about cd as we do,
Dont never presume to assume , only assume nothing,
thats my advice,

Dont jump to any conclusions or use your logic about chinese democracy its a complete waste of time,
the past history shows us this,

just sit back and wait for it to pour when the heavens open up,
and dont try to be the weather forecaster between now and then

It's no biggie.  You're reading too much into it.
IT'S STILL LISTED ON THE HMV SITE AS GUNS N' ROSES CHINESE DEMOCRACY.


Like I said before, these are just legal notices.  HMV is just covering their ass.

I am saying HMV know nothing about CD, but if it was coming some time soon the record company, who do like to liase with retailers, would surely have rather kept all the pre-orders HMV had. So to me its sounds like it is still a long way off.

Id bet my right nut that its out this year.

i believe... this time i really do.
[/quote]

i hope you're right. otherwise you'll be Disco Stu "The One Nut Wonder"

eunuch.  They say ancient  china had many of them at Court.  :yes:

This is more likely to be linked to Polydor UK

HMV are fishing for sales/presales. They can obviously only do it for so long.

As we all know, we will all find out about the release date for CD at the same time, and that includes HMV

 :hihi:

Assuming the record company actually had told HMV that.

How would they know of anything happening in the second half of the year?

I can see them having an idea of the next few months. That's understandable, but to make a claim about the whole year seems unlikely.




/jarmo

most record companies know release dates a year away.....that's how it works here in america....and knowing a release date a year away is needed. it takes several months to set up the actual release of an album. i have several friends that work for major labels and i just confirmed that with one of them.

In this case, they don't even have the album in their hands and you think they already have "no release date in 2008" plans for it?

I know it takes months to get an album out. But it's only February and GN'R's album is done.



I know artists often have deadlines when the album needs to be finished in order to get it out by a certain date. Sometimes the end result suffers. So yeah, it's possible they have release dates a year ahead.

Once again, I don't think that applies in GN'R's case which is what I was talking about.




/jarmo

i was speaking generally as far as release dates are concerned. i have no idea about the status of the release of the gnr cd. as you stated, geffen does not even have it yet, so how could they even be thinking about a release date.

I wouldn't say a year "is needed"... and certainly not in the case of GNR... an album that is anticipated as much as ChiDem is and by band of GNR's caliber certainly could have their release put on fast track.

As for MegaGuns, I think he's member the band... no one would bet nuts unless they were absolutely sure they wouldn't lose ! ;) ;)

You are speaking out of your backside.

All bands/labels work differently, and there is no America-specific practice.

As I've commented on in the past, I strongly doubt this album is going to be released in a conventional manner - in a way that is expected based on other bands/labels/arrangements.

The album is finished. The last we heard is that they are "in negotations".

Who honestly knows whats going to happen?

Sorry, that's poppycock.

I have a friend who, for about 10 years, worked in marketing on the retail side of the industry. Release dates were lifesblood for her. That's just not true.

Labels will slot in, in a preliminary manner, some of the blockbuster releases throughout the year.  For example, if they know Madonna, or Christina, or whatever is working on an album, they'll set up a preliminary date on their calender.   And then spend the next 3, 4, 6 months changing it, based on it's status in production.

Likewise, they'll pressure the "minor" acts into sticking to THE LABELS time schedule to get material out.

They do NOT, however, know...or even schedule, the mid level to major releases until the material is in hand.  You can debate how "big" the release of CD is, but given the albums history, I don't think you can debate what the labels most likely tactic would be in relation to it.

In other words, it varies widely by label, band, situation, etc.

I'm not sure who your friends are at major labels, but either they're not telling you the WHOLE story, or they're lying to you, outright.