Billboard Exclusive: Axl Rose Speaks

[sandman]

also, i see people bitching about the record label's lack of promotion for the album. but i'm not sure why. Axl hasn't promoted this thing at all (which would cost nothing except his time), so why should the record label be expected to pay $$ to do so? in fact, reading Axl's response it doesn't seem like he's all that upset about thier lack of promotion. it seems like he's upset about how Interscope handled other things regarding the album. 

Because that's what they're supposed to do....

If they had interest in the album, they'd promote it.



Here's the answer to your question:

The opinions expressed or "jumped" on publicly regarding promotion seem to be [about] my or our involvement with mainstream media -- talk shows, rock magazines and dot-coms -- which have generally held negative public stances toward myself or the band for years, [and they] unfortunately have not been resolved. Efforts are being made to understand the relationships and evaluate how best to proceed.

Our focus was in getting the record deal done while finishing the album, which hit many an unexpected bump or sinkhole in the road right up until the actual release. We never intended a huge public rollout, especially without resolving certain issues, and no one ever suggested us doing so, though Interscope's communications with Best Buy in these areas may not have been as clear as anyone would have preferred.

Our approach, for better or worse, has always been to work the record over the course of the following tour cycles, with attempts to forge new or better and hopefully redefined relationships with the different forms of media that may be interested along the way. In regard to our promotion, it was based around certain agreements with Universal, Interscope, our management and legal [teams] that unfortunately never happened. I won't get into specifics but am beginning to address some of those issues in my own way as opposed to "working together," and we'll see how that plays out.


Once again, he mentions things not going as they had originally planned/agreed on.

Still you keep asking "Why?"...



/jarmo

i understand that the label didn't live up to their end of the deal with regards to promotion. but from the record label's perspective, don't you think they were expecting Axl to be promoting this thing BEFORE it was released? Axl has a long-term plan, but maybe that caught the label off guard.

did you ever consider that the label may feel that they could do all the promotion in the world, but without Axl front and center, their promotion would not be effective?

but regardless of what actually happened, as a fan i can't hold the label soley responsible when the artist hasn't done anything more.

[ShotgunBlues1978]

i read Axl's response about the record label and i'm a little lost. it seems like he wanted creative help? am i reading that right?

also, i see people bitching about the record label's lack of promotion for the album. but i'm not sure why. Axl hasn't promoted this thing at all (which would cost nothing except his time), so why should the record label be expected to pay $$ to do so? in fact, reading Axl's response it doesn't seem like he's all that upset about thier lack of promotion. it seems like he's upset about how Interscope handled other things regarding the album. 

Although veteran acts like GnR usually have more favorable deals, the fact is that the record label has a lot more to gain from high record sales than the artist does.  I'm not sure why people expect Axl to go out and bust his ass promoting an album when he the amount of money he sees from the deal isn't going to be much different whether the album sells 1,000,000 or 2,000,000.  The artist makes the vast majority of their revenue from touring, merchandise, licensing, and so on, much more so than they do from record sales particularly short term record sales from one album.  I remember reading an article where Azoff was talking about the questionable benefits of selling the music of veteran acts on iTunes, when one of the Eagles commented that all the royalties he's earned from iTunes amount to about 45 minutes on stage in Kansas City

What we have here is an unusual case.  #1, the vast majority of money that the record label spent on this album was spent a decade ago.  #2, it was spent by people who are have not been there for about a decade.  The original advance was supposedly $10,000,000, and the executive who greenlit the album was let go not too long after, the reason being I believe that Geffen was absorbed by Interscope or at least put under their control and completely restructured

So you have an album that cost a lot of money, but most of that money was spent so long ago and spent by people who are long gone.  The people currently involved don't have nearly much invested in the album as they would if they were the ones who had given the huge advance the go ahead.  You say why should the label spend money to promote the album, but why should Axl bust his ass to promote the album and make money for a label that clearly does not care very much about the album?  Any promotional efforts Axl made as far as what people are asking for are more beneficial financially for the label than for him.  Of course increased sales may help the band in terms of touring revenue but by how much?  Many established bands have run into these issues before and proceeded to go the independent route, which seems to be the way the industry is headed at least for estalished acts who don't need big record sales anymore to sell tickets to their shows

[sandman]

i read Axl's response about the record label and i'm a little lost. it seems like he wanted creative help? am i reading that right?

also, i see people bitching about the record label's lack of promotion for the album. but i'm not sure why. Axl hasn't promoted this thing at all (which would cost nothing except his time), so why should the record label be expected to pay $$ to do so? in fact, reading Axl's response it doesn't seem like he's all that upset about thier lack of promotion. it seems like he's upset about how Interscope handled other things regarding the album. 

Although veteran acts like GnR usually have more favorable deals, the fact is that the record label has a lot more to gain from high record sales than the artist does.  

Of course increased sales may help the band in terms of touring revenue but by how much?  

i think your whole take is an over-simplification of the situation.

didn't the record label basically "sell" 1.3M records via Best Buy? and there's been less than 600,000 records sold. so the next 700,000 wouldn't make the label any money. so why exactly should they invest $$ in promotion? there would be a return of $0.00 on every dollar invested at this point.

so who knows, maybe the label has more of a long-term approach similar to Axl's.

also, to answer your question, i think increased record sales would significantly help tour revenues. how don't see how you could argue it any other way.

[jarmo]

did you ever consider that the label may feel that they could do all the promotion in the world, but without Axl front and center, their promotion would not be effective?

Did you think that maybe they should've thought about that before changing plans?

The same applies to Axl!

He should be out there promoting the album without any support from the label?

but regardless of what actually happened, as a fan i can't hold the label soley responsible when the artist hasn't done anything more.

No, of course you can't hold the same label that released a Greatest Hits album against the artist's wishes responsible.

They must be the ambassadors of goodwill!

 

so who knows, maybe the label has more of a long-term approach similar to Axl's.

Too bad they haven't managed to tell the artist (Axl) about all their secret marketing plans.....





/jarmo

[sandman]

did you ever consider that the label may feel that they could do all the promotion in the world, but without Axl front and center, their promotion would not be effective?

Did you think that maybe they should've thought about that before changing plans?

The same applies to Axl!

He should be out there promoting the album without any support from the label?

but regardless of what actually happened, as a fan i can't hold the label soley responsible when the artist hasn't done anything more.

No, of course you can't hold the same label that released a Greatest Hits album against the artist's wishes responsible.

They must be the ambassadors of goodwill!

 

so who knows, maybe the label has more of a long-term approach similar to Axl's.

Too bad they haven't managed to tell the artist (Axl) about all their secret marketing plans.....





/jarmo

the GH album is a separate issue. record labels are scum. no one is disagreeing with that fact.

didn't the label try to get in touch with Axl around the time of the release, but couldn't find him anywhere?

and i'm not saying Axl should be out promoting it. i'm just saying there's no need to get worked up over the label's lack of promotion. and yeah, i guess its a chicken or the egg situation as far as promotion goes.

i probably don't fully understand the process, but if best buy bought 1.3 million records, why would the label spend money on promotion? to me it's pretty obvious that they would not spend a dime on promotion in the U.S., but spend outside the U.S. to promote since they don't have the up-front sales from a retailer (which fits with Axl saying the Interscope International has been fine).
   

[Alan]

I can't understand why the label would not want a music video ?

Because making one would mean spending money?



/jarmo

You gotta spend money to make money.

The "fine" people at Universal must not have taken an economics class.

you don't consider a reported $13million money?

i agree that it's stupid they didn't promote it. but to say you gotta spend money to make money after how much they put into this is insane.

[Layne Staley's Sunglasses]

I can't understand why the label would not want a music video ?

Because making one would mean spending money?



/jarmo

You gotta spend money to make money.

The "fine" people at Universal must not have taken an economics class.

you don't consider a reported $13million money?

i agree that it's stupid they didn't promote it. but to say you gotta spend money to make money after how much they put into this is insane.

They got their album, got money from GH AND Best Buy.

SO why not throw a few bones Axl's way and make sure you promote it better?

[Classic Case]

I can't understand why the label would not want a music video ?

Because making one would mean spending money?



/jarmo

You gotta spend money to make money.

The "fine" people at Universal must not have taken an economics class.

Agree w you!....but maybe they already invest enough money on it.

[jarmo]

i'm just saying there's no need to get worked up over the label's lack of promotion.

In case you haven't noticed, when something doesn't go as people expect, all focus is on Axl.

When fans don't see any promotion, it's all blamed on him. He's often held responsible for things that are either out of his control or he had nothing to do with.


It's a real shame that the record business is what it is. Marketing shit like The Pussycat Dolls is more important than real artists...



/jarmo

[PolarBearWitchHead]

whoa slow down, u can't really call timbaland, scott storch and dr dre shit.  plus nicole scherzinger is almost perfect

[GNR4L]

i'm just saying there's no need to get worked up over the label's lack of promotion.

In case you haven't noticed, when something doesn't go as people expect, all focus is on Axl.

When fans don't see any promotion, it's all blamed on him. He's often held responsible for things that are either out of his control or he had nothing to do with.


It's a real shame that the record business is what it is. Marketing shit like The Pussycat Dolls is more important than real artists...



/jarmo

Jarmo's right ! and you wonder why the record industry is going down the toilet.  What about future material, they used the reported 13 mill on 40 others songs its not like this is a one and done album.  I really hope Axl takes this promotion thing into his own hands, and it sounds like he is.

[Layflats]

I hope he forgoes all the traditional marketing outlets and just tours with a consistent group of players.

There is a whole counter-culture of music that does just fine without being lauded on TV and magazines.  Once Gn'R fell off I started getting into bands like Phish for a stretch.  I liked their inventiveness and the focus of a live show.  They made a ton of money without label support, because as it's been said, artists make their main living from touring and merch and licensing.

I keep seeing this $13 mil thrown around, and finally someone had the right notion to remind us that $10 of that was given as an advance after UYI.  When that advance was given, regardless of how it was used, how much money do you think Gn'R had made the labels at that time?  Without putting an exact number my guess would be a shit-ton more than $10 million.  The remaining 3 million is chump change compared to the scope and inventiveness of CD.

I say let the labels piss on each other trying to recoup their precious $13 mil.

I hope Axl settles on three kick ass guitarists, get Brain back on board (though Frank is slammin'), calls-up Dizzy and Pitman, let Stinson throw on some "General's attire", invite Izzy out for some dates, maybe use some back up singers again (myself and my female vocalist will audition), and tour the world for a year.

Of course at the end of the day he'll do what he wants to do, deservedly so.  Was listening to CD again all weekend, still have friends that jump in my truck and are blown away they have not heard it yet, suckers!

[GypsySoul]

Billboard:  What were your expectations in terms of what Best Buy would do to promote the album?

Axl:  Best Buy has been great.

Personally, I thought Best Buy was great too ... but only because every time an alternate 'cover' was cancelled, they sent me FREE money to spend at Best Buy.  (I made over $100 clear before CD was even released.) 

But I'm curious as to why Axl thinks they're great?     

[Alan]

I can't understand why the label would not want a music video ?

Because making one would mean spending money?



/jarmo

You gotta spend money to make money.

The "fine" people at Universal must not have taken an economics class.

you don't consider a reported $13million money?

i agree that it's stupid they didn't promote it. but to say you gotta spend money to make money after how much they put into this is insane.

They got their album, got money from GH AND Best Buy.

SO why not throw a few bones Axl's way and make sure you promote it better?

you answered yourself, they got their money, it's all they care about.

anything else now to them is a bonus, they don't care about the music itself.

[PJ]

I'm almost sure that geffen recieved a piece of gnr tour money

[Juanjay]

Jimmy Iovine promotes stuff that he sees as fresh and new. Nothing wrong with that. I don't really think CD is all that great. I think that there are 6 amazing songs on CD. They should release those songs as singles. SOD, ITW, TWAT, CnTR, Maddy or TIL. They release those as singles the sales would pick up.

As for the other labels under Universal, none of them will promote the album. There's no money. The only label with money under the universal umbrella is Island/DefJam.

You don't think an album with 6 amazing songs is all that great?

No I do not because I don't think the other songs are even that good. The six I named I can listen to over and over, the other 8 I can't stand, I did like the music in Sorry but the lyrics not so much. So roughly 43% of the album is amazing and the other 57% isn't.

The only way GNR is going to get the money for promotion will be if Universal moves them to Island or they get dropped and sign to an indie label, or put stuff out like NIN does, so its mostly profit.

[Skunk]

The point is most albums don't have 6 singles. If you're talking about 6 singles being released, then you're talking about an above average album.
You're entitled to your opinion about the individual songs, but you have to realize that many people disagree with you. It seems that you're not a big fan of this bands sound on the more rock or louder tracks. That's fine but it's a very subjective opinion. I don't think most people who listen to this album decide they love half of it and hate the other half. You can't stand Better, but most fans and critics alike list it as a standout.

I agree about the difficulty in getting any money out of Universal, but an indie label is definitely not the answer. As a rule the smaller labels will work harder but have less resources, and the big labels have the resources but will only spend them on guaranteed returns. The way NIN does things may be pointing to the future, but i don't think it's here yet. I think you lose out on commercial potential that way. It's mostly profit, but the material never goes as far as it could.

[younggunner]

In case you haven't noticed, when something doesn't go as people expect, all focus is on Axl.

When fans don't see any promotion, it's all blamed on him. He's often held responsible for things that are either out of his control or he had nothing to do with.

While Axl is not to be fully blamed for how this album has been released and promoted he certainly shares the responsibility. Being that he is the captain of this ship and its his band, name, album, career, etc I expected him to take control of how all of that was going to be presented to the public once he handed over the album. Of course the record company plays a role, especially financially, but I thought and expected the creative side would all be on Axl. And in reality, it should be because this is his entity. That is really the only thing I have been surprised/confused/disappointed with Axl about after all of these years.

If your going move on from the old band then ultimately your the one who is accountable and responsible for how it turns out. No one else. Whether fair or unfair, the general public feels that Axl broke up the old band and is the reason there wont be a reunion. As a result, Axl should not expect anyone to give him the benefit on anything new gnr related. Whether the record company screwed the band or not, people dont want to hear excuses. Axl turned in any public lee-way he may have had after  he continued on without the old band.

Once Axl figures that out...and EXECUTES it, this whole process will be a lot smoother.

It's a real shame that the record business is what it is. Marketing shit like The Pussycat Dolls is more important than real artists...

agreed

[D]

Here is my thing

Sure it isn't "ALL" Axl's fault, but u guys are acting as if he has NO fault, and I don't understand that.

Not trying to argue or this or that. Just want to know why he never has any blame whatsoever.

[jarmo]

Sure it isn't "ALL" Axl's fault, but u guys are acting as if he has NO fault, and I don't understand that.

There's a lot of things I don't understand. Like how you can claim 75% of the guitars suck on the album.

But, anyway... The whole "no fault" thing is silly.

Everybody makes decisions based on something.

So Axl chose not to promote the album as you had hoped. Of course, without knowing any reason(s), you (as in a group of people) can just do your usual "Axl didn't do anything to promote the album, it's his fault" routine.

Once you learn the reason(s) behind his decision, maybe you think for a second and realize that things aren't always that easy.





/jarmo