Is this release strategy possible???

[Axl4Prez2004]

  Would it be possible for GNR and the record company to take pre-orders?  It seems if you got enough pre-orders locked up, not only could you guarantee a certain # of units sold, you'd build up a buzz for the eventual release of this beautiful monstrosity.  The news behind such an unorthodox release strategy could generate free publicity which equals more units sold.  Just an idea.  Does anyone here think this could work???  Especially on the heels of Greatest Hits success around the world, I think it would be awesome.  What do you think?

-Axl4Prez2004

[Jonx]

Geffen and Interscope know they have a winner with Chinese Democracy. Greatest Hits and the three DVDs are all proof of that. These products will have made the company thousands of $$$, there was minimal creative input, the CD covers and the DVD menus were the only new products to be created. They will have cost next to nothing to put together as they are either a compilation or transfers from masters to DVD. If these products can sell such huge numbers with little or no promotion then CD with promotion is going to sell HUAGE numbers and make alot of people alot of money.

Chinese Democracy is a winner, there is no need for pre orders to be taken, they only way i can see it happening is if it gets moved back at the last minute. Geffen would have to do something similar to what Valve have done with Half Life 2, give people vouchers so they can purchase the product for free when it comes out.

Jonx

[HoldenCaulfield]

I can already pre-order it at my local Sam Goody 

[POPmetal]

No. It's not an unorthodox strategy at all. a Lot of bands do it nowadays. Tesla and Megadeth had a special package with a T-shirt, which was pretty cool. I don't think pre-ordering would make any difference.

Chinese Democracy is hardly a winner. The difference between CD and GH is that GH had songs that were already hits and it was a cheap way for casual fans to get them in a single package. In order for Chinese Democracy to become a hit, it would need a ton of promotion and a ton of cash thrown at it.

[Dr. Blutarsky]

Pre ordering won`t be very effective. Also waiting this long and knowing you have already paid for it would drive me nuts!

[POPmetal]

Also waiting this long and knowing you have already paid for it would drive me nuts!

Now, that might actually be a good idea. If you pay $18 for it now, by the time it finally comes out in 2132, albums are probably gonna coast over 100 bucks with inflation and all. So at least you're getting a good deal?

[gnr157]

I think a pre order campaign would be more headaches than it was worth. 

CD has had enough high and lows throughout it's creation that it's almost a guaranteed success by now. 

If you deny people something for long enough....when it finally becomes available they'll buy it off of pure impulse....at least that's what I think of the American market. 

In the case of CD...it's will more than likely be a quality product...and I think that will give it long term success.

[POPmetal]

CD has had enough high and lows throughout it's creation that it's almost a guaranteed success by now.?

I don't see the logic how it's almost a guaranteed success by now because it's had enough highs and lows. On the contrary, I think that makes its success a lot more of a gamble because of that.

If you deny people something for long enough....when it finally becomes available they'll buy it off of pure impulse....at least that's what I think of the American market.?

That might be true for the real fans. That's us people who frequent these boards. But our number is no greater than 100,000. The general masses don't know much about Guns N' Roses, let alone about Chinese Democracy, and it's them who drive sales into the millions and make albums really successful.

[D]

I think it would be hard to figure out how many people are longing for GNR, i didnt know this board existed till sept 2002and i still was a huge GNR fan and was still awaiting Chinese Democracy


I saw the VMA's and searched for GNR to find some info and this was the best place, hell i didnt start readin the board till Dec 2002and didnt start posting till june 2003.

I think there are more people than we think waiting on this cd.

[POPmetal]

I think there are more people than we think waiting on this cd.

Still, the number is not big enough. Any way you slice it and dice it, the number of hardcore fans like us (whether on message boards or not) is nowhere near a million. If they drop CD without a major promotional campaign, it will not sell more than 300,000 copies (which is not bad considering what this band has been through). Now, if they do pump money into it, THEN there is a chance that it will reach many of the people who were casual fans back in the day but grew out of it. They should also promote it to the younger audience. If they do that and the album is really as good as Tommy claims it is, it will sell like hell. Problem is: I don't think the music industry really wants to see a major arena rock band being hugely successful once again. So Geffen is gonna give it a half-assed promotion.

[D]

I honestly dont know why we are debating this anyway, i mean there is no way in hell Geffen,Axl and the band arent gonna promote the shit out of this.

im sure axl and the record company havent spent all this time and money just to let Chinese Democracy come in under the radar.

I do believe there will be a kick ass innovative release strategy just like Prince had.  for those who dont know, Prince included the price of his cd into ticket sales therefore every ticket sold also counts as a cd sold, which has allowed prince to go double platinum, when in fact he may have barely went platinum with Musicology.

Axl wont do that cause billboard discontinuted that practice, but Im hoping for a an exclusive behind the scenes DVD or something, that would be worth the price of the cd alone!

Im sure when the time is right, the promotion will be mind blowing.

[oneway23]

D, I'm having trouble myself trying to comprehend all this nonsense about major promotion not being a necessity....You all can rest assured that we will see some innovative techniques that will be ahead of the curve and emulated in the future...Axl simply refuses to do business any other way.  Not to mention, Geffen hasn't invested this much cash in the recording, only to skimp out on the promo budget....They will have something in place to guarantee a return on their investment, trust me....

[D]

I honestly think the only thing holding up CD's release is the lawsuits.

I think we will hear something shortly after the lawsuit with the old band and the stuff with clear channel *if there is* is cleared up.

They could be choosing a first single as we speak.

I think Tommy and Dizzy touring and doin stuff now is to get it outta their system cause they wont have a chance once CD starts.

Wait till the lawsuits are over, we will see some kick ass release strategies!

[POPmetal]

When was the last time an arena rock band put out an album full of good music and received major promotion from one of the big 5 record companies?

bon Jovi's Crush doesn't count because, with the exception of It's My Life and One Wild Night, it was a modern rock album.
Metallica's last three studio releases were not really arena rock material either.

Do any of you people really think that the powers that be in music industry today want to see a hard rock/metal act be on top of the world ever again?

[D]

Crush had some arena rockers: its my life,next 100 years,just older,captain crash and the beauty queen from mars,i got the girl,one wild night

over half were arena rockers and were played live at some point on the crush tour

crush also sold 2 million in the US and 10 million worldwide so i think its very possible. Crush's follow up Bounce wouldve sold better had they released the most arena rockin song ever in the title track "bounce" that song wouldve been fuckin huge! they should fire whoever talked them outta releasing that!

I think stuff is comin back around, music sucks bad! something needs to happen and happen very very fast, as prince stated on his musicology tour, music is becoming a giant computer and the whole business just stinks right now.  as jon bon jovi says on "this left feels right dvd" he says "i dont think there will be anymore kids selling 100 million records till this rotten business figures out who they are.

[POPmetal]

Crush had some arena rockers: its my life,next 100 years,just older,captain crash and the beauty queen from mars,i got the girl,one wild night

over half were arena rockers and were played live at some point on the crush tour

Only 2 songs were rockers and those were IML and OWN. The others are all great songs but nothing that would make you wanna raise your hands and rock. Maybe Just Older for some people, but that's about it. And it's not like the music industry was rooting for Crush to sell millions of copies. Bon Jovi managed to do that in spite of all the ridicule they got from radio DJs and that TRL guy.

crush also sold 2 million in the US and 10 million worldwide so i think its very possible. Crush's follow up Bounce wouldve sold better had they released the most arena rockin song ever in the title track "bounce" that song wouldve been fuckin huge! they should fire whoever talked them outta releasing that!

EXACTLY! and WHY wasn't "Bounce" released?!?! Do you think Jon Bon Jovi said: "hey man, we're getting too big, we better not release the best song on the album as a single cuz we're gonna blow up big time!" OR was it that some schmuck in the record company who decided not to release it because they are afraid of arena rock making a comeback?

I don't know about you, but I'm leaning towards the second option. I'm huge Def Leppard fan and I've seen it happen time and again that the best songs on their albums are not released as singles because their record company does not want to release them. And if you don't believe me, I can dig up interviews that confirm this. It's not the band that has a final say in what gets released. It's the record company.

I hope Geffen is not gonna screw up GN'R's promotion, but considering that nowadays the music industry status quo hates them even more than Bon Jovi or Def Leppard, I'm not very optimistic.

I think stuff is comin back around, music sucks bad! something needs to happen and happen very very fast, as prince stated on his musicology tour, music is becoming a giant computer and the whole business just stinks right now.? as jon bon jovi says on "this left feels right dvd" he says "i dont think there will be anymore kids selling 100 million records till this rotten business figures out who they are.

I've been hearing this for over 6 years, and nothing's changed!

Yes, there have been more good albums coming out lately, but they have all been out of the mainstream (at least in the US).

[PeterCoffin]

Still, the number is not big enough. Any way you slice it and dice it, the number of hardcore fans like us (whether on message boards or not) is nowhere near a million. If they drop CD without a major promotional campaign, it will not sell more than 300,000 copies (which is not bad considering what this band has been through). Now, if they do pump money into it, THEN there is a chance that it will reach many of the people who were casual fans back in the day but grew out of it. They should also promote it to the younger audience. If they do that and the album is really as good as Tommy claims it is, it will sell like hell. Problem is: I don't think the music industry really wants to see a major arena rock band being hugely successful once again. So Geffen is gonna give it a half-assed promotion.

Two words with a letter in between them: Conan o' Brien.

[shaun]

"...for the eventual release of this beautiful monstrosity"

From what Tommy S. said the other day, CD will contain the usual amount of tracks (10 to 12 at a guess) with 7 of the tracks being really something 

I was under the impression people were expecting a double album or something. Who knows?