Next album - avoid streaming?

[Spirit]

So, looking at the numbers Adele is producing after her latest release... 2.3 million records sold in three days in the US!

The album is not available for streaming mind you. Does this prove there's still a market for selling records the old fashioned way, or is it only the really, really big artists who can possible survive?

Would it be a smart move of Axl to force people to buy the record by not putting it up for streaming? Or do you think it's too risky, not being quite sure how high the popularity of GNR is, it might backfire and end up with no streaming income plus low selling numbers for a physical release. Putting it up for streaming later on, after losing the momentum of an album being new, could result in less total income than if the album had been available from the get-go.


Thinking of it, was Chinese Democracy the first album to suffer from streaming? Spotify had just been introduced the month before CD came out, but the consumer mass was very small ? virtually nonexistent. But, Chinese Democracy was made available for free on myspace days before the release, did it hurt the sales significantly? Maybe.

Do you think Adele would have seen the same sales numbers if the album was available at the streaming services?

[D-GenerationX]

I think Axl's situation was unique last time around, and the streaming hurt.

He was coming back after 15 years with a totally new band and a totally new sound.

But by streaming, you could take a free listen to see if you dug it.  You didn't have to take a risk and pay for it to find out if all his changes worked for you.

[Virolec]

There was also the whole hoo-ha with Best Buy and some rather... suboptimal promotional efforts all round.

[jarmo]

I think it's a matter of figuring out who your audience is and where they get their fix (music). If a majority of your fans are using streaming services, it makes sense to put the music there. Instead of trying to force them to go find a store or order it online...

It's possible Adele's core audience is people who do their shopping at Walmart and picked up her album while buying stuff like toilet paper. I really don't know...





/jarmo

[Spirit]

It's possible Adele's core audience is people who do their shopping at Walmart and picked up her album while buying stuff like toilet paper. I really don't know...

This is what I meant with the remark that only the really, really big artist can allow themselves to avoid streaming.

Adele's fan base is probably so huge and so diverse that even if she loses a great deal of potential listeners, the remaining people who actually buys the album forms such a big group that she earns a great deal of money doing it this way.

The question is: Is GNR a big enough act to do it this way and make a good profit?

[jarmo]

I don't think it's necessarily a case about big or not. It's more about where and how. I think.

U2 is one of the biggest bands on the planet. Look what they did.
I'm sure they figured that most of their fans use Apple products and therefore would get their music for free plus everybody else would get it as well...





/jarmo

[JAEBALL]

Adele (who I like) is one of the 5 biggest musical acts in the world right now no?

Hard to compare.

[Spirit]

Adele (who I like) is one of the 5 biggest musical acts in the world right now no?

Hard to compare.

I'm not suggesting GNR will hit the same sales numbers, but it's rather the principle. When comparing streaming/no streaming ? would GNR gain from avoiding streaming?

[JAEBALL]

Adele (who I like) is one of the 5 biggest musical acts in the world right now no?

Hard to compare.

I'm not suggesting GNR will hit the same sales numbers, but it's rather the principle. When comparing streaming/no streaming ? would GNR gain from avoid streaming?

Fair enough.

I would think avoiding it would be better... but I don't know the business well enough to give an educated guess.

[The Wight Gunner]

It's possible Adele's core audience is people who do their shopping at Walmart and picked up her album while buying stuff like toilet paper. I really don't know...

This is what I meant with the remark that only the really, really big artist can allow themselves to avoid streaming.

Adele's fan base is probably so huge and so diverse that even if she loses a great deal of potential listeners, the remaining people who actually buys the album forms such a big group that she earns a great deal of money doing it this way.

The question is: Is GNR a big enough act to do it this way and make a good profit?

I don't doubt the potential of GnR's ability to sale stuff,  but it needs to have a joined up marketing plan.

In the UK Jeff Lynne's ELO whole tour sold out in 10 minutes, promoted by New Album, but more importantly, doing niche shows on the  TV networks, BBC have Done Adele, U2, Coldplay to just name 3 acts. The but here is TB really need to get Axl and the rest of the team to work their butts off on a seven day blitz, where everywhere you turn you just see GnR's....  

Having never been to the USA I'd imagine that's how it works there also

[AHUGEAxlFan]

Adele (who I like) is one of the 5 biggest musical acts in the world right now no?

Hard to compare.

Gnr was pretty big coming back in 2001

[JAEBALL]

Adele (who I like) is one of the 5 biggest musical acts in the world right now no?

Hard to compare.

Gnr was pretty big coming back in 2001

Well if I remember correctly the album came out 7 years after that...

and at no time since 1994 are they as big a draw as Adele is right now.

[D-GenerationX]

I don't doubt the potential of GnR's ability to sale stuff,  but it needs to have a joined up marketing plan.

In the UK Jeff Lynne's ELO whole tour sold out in 10 minutes, promoted by New Album, but more importantly, doing niche shows on the  TV networks, BBC have Done Adele, U2, Coldplay to just name 3 acts. The but here is TB really need to get Axl and the rest of the team to work their butts off on a seven day blitz, where everywhere you turn you just see GnR's....  

Having never been to the USA I'd imagine that's how it works there also

Well, that's the trick, isn't it?  The bit in bold.

Axl cut off communication with the label months before the album came out.  So going from that, to a guy willing to really bust his ass with glad handing and press seems like one herculean leap.

I don't know how feasible that all it, even theoretically.

[Princess Leia]

So, looking at the numbers Adele is producing after her latest release... 2.3 million records sold in three days in the US!

The album is not available for streaming mind you. Does this prove there's still a market for selling records the old fashioned way, or is it only the really, really big artists who can possible survive?

Would it be a smart move of Axl to force people to buy the record by not putting it up for streaming? Or do you think it's too risky, not being quite sure how high the popularity of GNR is, it might backfire and end up with no streaming income plus low selling numbers for a physical release. Putting it up for streaming later on, after losing the momentum of an album being new, could result in less total income than if the album had been available from the get-go.


Thinking of it, was Chinese Democracy the first album to suffer from streaming? Spotify had just been introduced the month before CD came out, but the consumer mass was very small ? virtually nonexistent. But, Chinese Democracy was made available for free on myspace days before the release, did it hurt the sales significantly? Maybe.

Do you think Adele would have seen the same sales numbers if the album was available at the streaming services?

In the case of Adele I don?t think streaming has anything to do with it. The way I see it Adele is a breath of fresh air in Pop music. She is far from being another Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga. I guess that why a lot of people  like her. She is showing that Pop music can be done in a different way. And that other way to do things is capable to produce huge sales numbers.

[Spirit]

Do you think the sales numbers would have been pretty much the same if the album was available on Spotify and Tidal?

I'm thinking the sales numbers would have been way down, but the corresponding streaming numbers would have been very high. The result might be less income for the artist even though more people are listening to the album.

[Mysteron]

So, looking at the numbers Adele is producing after her latest release... 2.3 million records sold in three days in the US!

The album is not available for streaming mind you. Does this prove there's still a market for selling records the old fashioned way, or is it only the really, really big artists who can possible survive?

Would it be a smart move of Axl to force people to buy the record by not putting it up for streaming? Or do you think it's too risky, not being quite sure how high the popularity of GNR is, it might backfire and end up with no streaming income plus low selling numbers for a physical release. Putting it up for streaming later on, after losing the momentum of an album being new, could result in less total income than if the album had been available from the get-go.


Thinking of it, was Chinese Democracy the first album to suffer from streaming? Spotify had just been introduced the month before CD came out, but the consumer mass was very small ? virtually nonexistent. But, Chinese Democracy was made available for free on myspace days before the release, did it hurt the sales significantly? Maybe.

Do you think Adele would have seen the same sales numbers if the album was available at the streaming services?

In my family, the people that like Adele are all late 30s through to their 70s. None of my younger relatives like Adele bar one.

I am guessing that alot of the listeners are not into streaming or downloading. Plus the sales are inflated because Christmas is around the corner.

[Spirit]

So the demographic is the main factor you think?

What about GNR then, what's the mean age of the fans?

[The Wight Gunner]

So the demographic is the main factor you think?

What about GNR then, what's the mean age of the fans?

More's the point what is the age of the Mean fans   

[jarmo]

What about GNR then, what's the mean age of the fans?

GN'R has a lot of younger fans.
It's a lot more mixed than what some think, I suspect.



/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

So the demographic is the main factor you think?

What about GNR then, what's the mean age of the fans?

More's the point what is the age of the Mean fans   

Oh, I'm 38.