[Chris Tanz]

Any Hip-related resolutions or Hip-related prognostications for 2019?

Anyone thinking we get something new released this year, either from Gord, Rob, or Paul, or from the Vault? Anyone with any inside knowledge that knows what we might expect this year.

Let's get some rumours going through here like wildfire to ignite the reborn 'Base.

ct

[direwolf74]

I predict we'll finally see a b-sides/rarities album released by the Hip, and possibly something new from Gord as well.

Perhaps the Sadies will release the EP of new material they recorded with him. I believe they mentioned that it was pretty much in the can.

[sean.bonner]

I predict there will be forthcoming Hipbase Bootlegs of the Month. :wink:

[FourPistols]

I’ve been wondering the same.

Can the Hip make a “new” album out of the MMP shadow sessions and any other tracks recorded after that legendary tour?

The collected B-sides may or may not be separate from this.

It’s too bad bands don’t make much on recordings now. It’s asking a lot of the Hip. Go and deal with the ghost of your dear friend in the studio. Don’t count on selling a bunch of records though and you can’t tour.

But the guys in the band are smart and hopefully they see it as a way of burnishing and respecting Gord’s legacy.

Because he lived music through every pore. Look at the intense work he did after his awful diagnosis. He really didn’t have to keep up his job. How many of us would?

But creating music was who he was down to his core. The way he proceeded in his last years is exactly what I expected from him and still a staggering inspiration to this day.

I just miss Gord and the band. Hopefully the Sadies get those new songs out there because The Conquering Sun record is a scorcher.

[gsmacleod]

I don't really expect it now but when I saw The National Celebration was mastered by Bob Ludwig, I thought it might get pressed to vinyl. While I probably wouldn't listen to it that often, I would love to have a 4LP (guessing) set with wonderful tour pictures and artwork as part of the package.

Beyond that, I'd love to see the vaults opened up (whether physical releases or just downloads as well as having a b-sides release.

Of course, anything that is new would be fantastic as well!

Shane

[andrew sharpe]

It’s too bad bands don’t make much on recordings now. It’s asking a lot of the Hip. Go and deal with the ghost of your dear friend in the studio. Don’t count on selling a bunch of records though and you can’t tour.

This is a good point. In terms of the artists, nowadays albums are now just marketing for the shows.

[potsie]

It’s too bad bands don’t make much on recordings now. It’s asking a lot of the Hip. Go and deal with the ghost of your dear friend in the studio. Don’t count on selling a bunch of records though and you can’t tour.

This is a good point. In terms of the artists, nowadays albums are now just marketing for the shows.

There are numerous factors that will play into whether the Hip ever release another album but I still think there is money to be made for a band of their stature in releasing an album, even without touring. An album release brings the band back into the public consciousness and the streaming and sales of all their albums rises with each new release. There would be increased radio play for all songs, licensing opportunities for the new songs (TV, movies, etc) and a potential uptick in merchandise sales for those being newly made aware of the Hip or those re-discovering the band after hearing a new song.

There is also the factor of how much "making music" is still in their blood. Some artists enjoy the process enough that financial compensation, or lack thereof, doesn't come into consideration. I can't speak for the band on whether this statement might apply, but if Paul, Johnny, Gord and Paul still need to feed the creative side of their brains, we will see new music.

[andrew sharpe]

I still think there is money to be made for a band of their stature in releasing an album, even without touring. An album release brings the band back into the public consciousness and the streaming and sales of all their albums rises with each new release. There would be increased radio play for all songs, licensing opportunities for the new songs (TV, movies, etc) and a potential uptick in merchandise sales for those being newly made aware of the Hip or those re-discovering the band after hearing a new song.

Unless you're Drake none of the things you listed add up to more than a bowl of cereal...which they then split five ways.

I could see them doing a b-sides release...but I could just as easily see them letting the band drift into the annuls of history. The final tour secured their retirement, and I'm not sure they're vain enough to endure a labour of love just to bolster the band's legacy.

[potsie]

I still think there is money to be made for a band of their stature in releasing an album, even without touring. An album release brings the band back into the public consciousness and the streaming and sales of all their albums rises with each new release. There would be increased radio play for all songs, licensing opportunities for the new songs (TV, movies, etc) and a potential uptick in merchandise sales for those being newly made aware of the Hip or those re-discovering the band after hearing a new song.

Unless you're Drake none of the things you listed add up to more than a bowl of cereal...which they then split five ways.

I could see them doing a b-sides release...but I could just as easily see them letting the band drift into the annuls of history. The final tour secured their retirement, and I'm not sure they're vain enough to endure a labour of love just to bolster the band's legacy.

No doubt that streaming revenue will not stuff the piggy bank. I hope the final tour did that for them, along with selling shares of Newstrike before the bottom fell out of that venture. There are a number of different formulas out there for streaming royalties but the simplest formula seems to be around $7,000 per 1 million streams. Looking at what Spotify gives me for the "Popular" category under the Hip (and this is not a list of their most streamed songs; for instance 38 YO has close to 5 million streams but is not on this list):

Bobcaygeon 7.51 million
NOIS 6.83
ABAC 6.53
Wheat Kings 8.79
LTR 3.38

That's 33.04 million streams x $7,000 per million = $231,280 from those 5 songs. Producers and record labels are going to take some of this, and then the remainder would be divided 5 ways. While these numbers won't buy them a new Mercedes, it may help pay for the gas.

A more worthwhile analysis might be to look at what a new album generates in streams. MMP streams range from a low of 352,000 for Hot Mic to 3.54 million for In a World Possessed. Total streams for MMP: 9,172,928. Using the same formula, this results in $64,210. Artists tend to make more from Apple Music so let's say the band makes $100,000 for a new album from that source. Then you could add in revenue from physical sales (which would be meager these days), and royalties from Youtube, Google Play, Amazon Music, etc. There would be potential licensing opportunities for the songs, which could be more lucrative than streaming revenue. It would be difficult to put a total number on all this but it could conceivably be between $300,000 to $500,000. (I recognize that this is an overly simplified analysis with holes in it... if someone on here has industry insider knowledge, please feel free to correct).

However, the greatest benefit of a new album, from a financial standpoint, would be that it temporarily raises the band's profile again. This results in increased streaming and sales of all albums. This, in my uneducated opinion, is where the band would derive the greatest monetary benefit of a new release. In the end, I hope the band chooses love of playing and recording over money, but would not fault them if they didn't.

[andrew sharpe]

potsie your streaming numbers are misleading at best. Spotify pay $0.00397 per stream (https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/01...-pay-2018/), meaning for the songs you listed, the Hip made $131K...so $26K each. And that's not per year...that's the total amount since the songs per posted. Even if you factor in multiple streaming platforms, it's almost nothing.

As I said, unless you're Drake or Taylor Swift, you aren't making anything from streaming. So the Hip being back in the public eye does almost nothing for them unless they have a touring gig.

My best guess is they will release some type of box set short run near Christmas time, with collectibles and a few new recordings. The Lowest of the Low just did this. The high price point will give them enough margin to overcome the low sales. They can make some money from it while throwing us diehards a bone.

[potsie]

potsie your streaming numbers are misleading at best. Spotify pay $0.00397 per stream (https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2018/01...-pay-2018/), meaning for the songs you listed, the Hip made $131K...so $26K each. And that's not per year...that's the total amount since the songs per posted. Even if you factor in multiple streaming platforms, it's almost nothing.

As I said, unless you're Drake or Taylor Swift, you aren't making anything from streaming. So the Hip being back in the public eye does almost nothing for them unless they have a touring gig.

My best guess is they will release some type of box set short run near Christmas time, with collectibles and a few new recordings. The Lowest of the Low just did this. The high price point will give them enough margin to overcome the low sales. They can make some money from it while throwing us diehards a bone.

The numbers seem to vary depending on the source. Here's where I got my figures: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/26/how-spotify-apple-music-can-pay-musicians-more-commentary.html">https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/26/how-spo ... ntary.html</a><!-- m --> Regardless, whatever numbers are used, the royalties are certainly low. The Hip sold 250,000 copies of DFN in the first week of release in '94. The royalties from that week of sales alone would dwarf everything they've ever made from streaming. Bands of any stature less than "global superstar" can't survive on product alone. The Tea Party has a new song out called "Black River" which has been streamed 123,000 times. Based on your formula above that would generate $488. That's laughable!

[patiodweller]

2019 is most certainly the year of a greatest hits or live HIP album feat unreleased tracks and Woodstock 2019 is happening so I'd like to see the Stripper's Union and/or Paul Langois perfom there.

[cochise]

I am going to go out on a limb and say;

Sadies album with Gord
Man Machine Poem unreleased tracks album (maybe with original title and cover? think enough time since Bowie passed?)
New Paul Langois album

I'm guessing that's about as much as we see.

[potsie]

I wonder if the next few releases (solo and band) have been mapped out by Hip management Disney/Marvel-style where they have an idea of what is coming out and when over the next few years. We are looking at upwards of 5-6 albums (at least two from the Hip and 3-4 from Gord) so there might need to be some coordination and planning. I would be surprised if we got both a Hip album and a Gord solo release in the same calendar year. I believe the albums will dribble out slowly over the next few years and that it is unlikely that we'll get more than one this year. Of course the Sadies collaboration might be different in that they may have full rights to that material without having to consult Gord's representatives. They might put that out regardless of what is going on in the Hip camp.