Libertad debuts well below Contraband

[von]

According to Hits Daily Double, VELVET REVOLVER's "Libertad" is poised to sell around 100,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release. This is less than half of the 256,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Contraband", which landed at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart back in June 2004.

VELVET REVOLVER celebrated the release of "Libertad" with a special intimate club show at the famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles Thursday night (July 5).

A limited edition of "Libertad" sold through Best Buy comes with a bonus DVD.

[CheapJon]

it's understandable.. when contraband came out people thought that VR would be a great band...

[von]

I think we can also chalk this up to the record industry basically being in free fall. I didn't realize how bad things really were until NIN, Manson, and now Velvet Revolver all debuted far, far below their standard and the general expectations. I'm worried for the Pumpkins now.

[Agno]

it's understandable.. when contraband came out people thought that VR would be a great band...

They are a great band! Why are people like you visiting the Velvet Revolver section if you don't even like their music?

[MarioGunner]

it's understandable.. when contraband came out people thought that VR would be a great band...

They are a great band! Why are people like you visiting the Velvet Revolver section if you don't even like their music?

Yeah, do you get any pleaseure in bashing VR?

It's not my favorite band in the world but there's nothing wrong with them, so leave them alone. I have to listen to the record yet, only heard a couple of songs, but I hope it's not a bad record.

Besides, in the music industry, nowadays the image is what matters, not the music per se, so people are looking for bands they can relate too visually not musically, which isreally sad.

[mrlee]

haha cheapjons getting owned by everyone XD

[WARose]

well  cheapjon made a point....

most people think contraband sucks.... i also think it sucks, but libertad is a cool record though. there probably just aren?t that many people giving them a second chance.....  it`s the same with their rock am ring performances `05 and `07...



edit: wait, it`s actually not the same, as both performances sucked. the `05 one was a little better perhaps. but many people didn`t even go to see them the second time after being dissapointed in 2005.

[GeraldFord]

Most people think Contraband sucks? Care for some proof to back up that claim?

[Fingers]

The single was a bad choice-I'm not sure there are any strong singles on this record right now-I think it's an ok record, but the video really isn't played much on vh1 either.

[von]

Jesus, am I the only person who really likes Contraband?

[freedom78]

Jesus, am I the only person who really likes Contraband?

I like it.  Not the best they can do, but better than all the silly pop divas, boy bands, and watered down rap (not to mention nu-metal).

[ShotgunBlues1978]

I think we can also chalk this up to the record industry basically being in free fall. I didn't realize how bad things really were until NIN, Manson, and now Velvet Revolver all debuted far, far below their standard and the general expectations. I'm worried for the Pumpkins now.

The record industry is in bad shape but realistically, it's not that much worse than it was when Contraband came out.  As for NIN, yeah "they" (Trent) sold worse than "they" used to at their peak but With Teeth didn't go platinum did it?  I thought it just went gold.  Year Zero is on pace to do about the same as that.  Don't forget that With Teeth had 3 straight singles hit #1 on modern rock radio, Survivalism was pretty big but Year Zero hasn't had the type of followup single success

Manson, well, nobody except die hards cares about Manson anymore.  Manson's albums haven't sold particularly well for a while now

I predicted that Libertad would sell a lot loss than their first album.  It was actually pretty easy to see coming.  Contraband was heavily hyped, there was a great "novelty factor" of combining 3 former members of one of the biggest American bands in the past 25 years, with the lead singer of another one of the biggest American bands in the past 25 years.  That alone fueled a great deal of curiousity.  You combine the hype with the curiousity/novelty factor and then add a pair of homerun, #1 hit singles, the first a hard rocker and the sceond a ballad that crossed over to pop radio, you have a recipe for a strong debut and an album with legs

Compare it to Libertad.  The curiousity has worn off.  Now the music has to stand on its own.  She Builds Quick Machines is not the type of single that makes people go "man that's an awesome song I gotta go buy that album".  It's just not.  It's high on the radio charts because RCA is pushing it.  I'm sure Last Fight will do well and will make some people go grab the album, but Last Fight is not the classic rock "power ballad" style song with mass appeal like FTP was.  You also have to take into account that Contraband, while I enjoyed it, disappointed a large number of both GnR and STP fans.  The people who bought Contraband were probably at least 80% made up of people who bought it strictly because they were fans of the bands these guys used to be in.  Those same people obviously aren't lining up to buy the new album

[Bill 213]

Now does this number include iTunes sales on it? 

[madagas]

no.....and Shotgun makes some very strong points. The novelty aspect has worn off...as it did for Audioslave as well. Also, the first two singles aren't near as good as FTP and Slither and big singles drive album sales....

[leoroses]

none of ths is offical lets wait or billboard to come out then we'll know real numbers.  Also why are itunes sales and internet sales so confidential.  They need to post these numbers as well.  The band does make money off these sales as well.  The system needs to be reconfigured to include intenet sales so we can get a real read on the sales.  You stated NIN only went gold that is not true with teeth went platinum and it also sold very well digitally so what are the real numbers.  The record industry is making money with less expense and stronger profit margins.

[Jim Bob]

Its a weak album and a mediocre effort.  Sales will reflect as such.

[Eazy E]

Its a weak album and a mediocre effort. Sales will reflect as such.

Indeed, sales are always a reflection of an album's quality!   

[Jim Bob]

it's understandable.. when contraband came out people thought that VR would be a great band...

They are a great band! Why are people like you visiting the Velvet Revolver section if you don't even like their music?

Yeah, do you get any pleaseure in bashing VR?

It's not my favorite band in the world but there's nothing wrong with them, so leave them alone. I have to listen to the record yet, only heard a couple of songs, but I hope it's not a bad record.

Besides, in the music industry, nowadays the image is what matters, not the music per se, so people are looking for bands they can relate too visually not musically, which isreally sad.

maybe you guys should try the velvet revolver forum if you want a bunch of VR fans.   You are on a GnR board and not every GnR fan is gonna like VR.   deal with it.

[Ali]

Its a weak album and a mediocre effort. Sales will reflect as such.

Indeed, sales are always a reflection of an album's quality!? ?

Yeah, unfortunately, there is no correlation.  I feel this album is stronger, yet it isn't doing nearly as well, apparently.  That's too bad.  I think it'll have some legs, though.

Ali

[GeraldFord]

maybe you guys should try the velvet revolver forum if you want a bunch of VR fans.   You are on a GnR board and not every GnR fan is gonna like VR.   deal with it.

Do I hear in echo in here?