The VR Pomotion team f__ed up post June 8

[TWOIFBYSEA02]

Listen to my thoughts on this.

VR's promotion team was flawless...magazine covers, interviews, press, PR photo's, the club tour (saw them in Toronto), the album preview, the single.

BUT

Where did it go wrong. VR opens up June 8 sells 256 k and then??

Whammo they leave the U.S. and straight over to Europe and the U.S. hype just nose dives.

FFWD to week 2 and a %52 sales drop in America (lets face it if Usher is selling 4 millions) VR as a rock act needs a platinum record in the U.S. to be considered a commercial hit. (week 3 sales in U.S. will be crucial)

Does anyone agree with me here that it was a bad idea to leave the U.S. to focus on Europe when most of the "mainstream" accolades, and status is U.S. based?

I mean when we hear "sold ___" albums it's usually a U.S. #.

If sales drop so significantly for the 2nd straight week they might be hard pressed to hit 1,000,000.

Thoughts,comments,suggestions?

Should they have stayed in the U.S. after ContraBands release?

[Izzy]

Listen to my thoughts on this.

VR's promotion team was flawless...magazine covers, interviews, press, PR photo's, the club tour (saw them in Toronto), the album preview, the single.

BUT

Where did it go wrong. VR opens up June 8 sells 256 k and then??

Whammo they leave the U.S. and straight over to Europe and the U.S. hype just nose dives.

FFWD to week 2 and a %52 sales drop in America (lets face it if Usher is selling 4 millions) VR as a rock act needs a platinum record in the U.S. to be considered a commercial hit. (week 3 sales in U.S. will be crucial)

Does anyone agree with me here that it was a bad idea to leave the U.S. to focus on Europe when most of the "mainstream" accolades, and status is U.S. based?

I mean when we hear "sold ___" albums it's usually a U.S. #.

If sales drop so significantly for the 2nd straight week they might be hard pressed to hit 1,000,000.

Thoughts,comments,suggestions?

Should they have stayed in the U.S. after ContraBands release?

America is an important market but theres 500 + million people in Europe - its a larger market and sooner or later US bands will realise this.

[jarmo]

They haven't left, I think they're on a break.

Slash just became a father for the second time, so I guess he wants to spend some time at home.

The European tour starts in August.



/jarmo

[Mr Cowbell ?]

If anything they should of played some spring festivals and or spring tour / early summer tour of Europe and a stop or two in south america so that when the album was released worldwide it would of had larger opening week sales worldwide. Their hype was just here in the states

[jellyhead]

The drop off with the album has got nothing to do with the promotion team 'getting it wrong', it has to do with the fact that the album is a just above average modern Rock record and definately not the genre/career revitalising LP that we were led to believe that it would be.

The drop off occures when people pick up the album in the first week, take it home and give it a few listens, decide it's average and then put it on the shelf, without recommending to their friends who in turn don't go and buy it...

I mean would you have bought Contraband if it didn't feature Slash, Duff etc?  I wouldn't.....

[metallex78]

I mean would you have bought Contraband if it didn't feature Slash, Duff etc?  I wouldn't.....

I can honestly say that I would. I fucking love the album.

While it's definitely not as good as anything GN'R's back catalogue, it's definitely a great hook-laden, modern, heavy rock record. And the more I listen to it, the more I love it.

I hope VR tour Oz soon, cause I can't wait to see them live.

[Mr Cowbell ?]

I mean would you have bought Contraband if it didn't feature Slash, Duff etc?  I wouldn't.....

Yes because there is quite a few tracks on there that is good rock. I like to hear riffs and chords in my music

[Izzy]

The drop off with the album has got nothing to do with the promotion team 'getting it wrong', it has to do with the fact that the album is a just above average modern Rock record and definately not the genre/career revitalising LP that we were led to believe that it would be.

The drop off occures when people pick up the album in the first week, take it home and give it a few listens, decide it's average and then put it on the shelf, without recommending to their friends who in turn don't go and buy it...

I mean would you have bought Contraband if it didn't feature Slash, Duff etc?  I wouldn't.....

I think you've hit the nail on the head

I wouldn't even have known of the album if Slash wasn't in it