I've heard it from many people and even reportedly from the hip themselves that they are unhappy with how this album and upcoming tour are being handled. So, let's hear it!
I think they're doing a horrible job! The management stinks! I would've at least had a second single/video out and I've never taken a course in "rock n roll management".
This is the poorest handling I've seen of a Hip release ever since I started paying attention to such things. Rare official website updates (it's gotten so bad that a Tragically Hip search on Google doesn't even return the official site until page 2! <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=tragically+hip">http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=na ... ically+hip</a><!-- m -->). Zero update on the Hip Club. No background on the songs as has been done with the last couple of releases. No new merchandise at Maple Music. A bizarre and disjointed touring schedule. I mean when did we first hear about IBE being released? February? Yet you'd think the thing had been rushed out last minute that way everything has been handled.
Time to listen to IBE to calm me down, dammit!
It's not so much what they're doing, it's what they're not doing.
Treating the band like a small club act will only perpetuate the struggle in the U.S.
Promote the fact that these guys are the Canadian Beetles, release the album where people are going to buy it for God's sake, and how about acting like a real record company (I know being cool and underground has it's charm :roll: ) and put some actual effort into promoting the album with solid tour dates and promotional zeel.
I really don't think these guys know what they've got.
Things they have done right: Small club tour to build buzz and give Canadian fans the chance to see the Hip in an intimate setting like US fans get; Canada Day show
Things they have done horribly wrong: No updates on their web site beyond the half-assed, noninformative PR releases; not scheduling an extensive summer tour and failing to inform fans any reasons why no summer tour was being planned; Failing to release IBE in Europe and Australia, where they have an extensive fan base. They have simply fallen asleep at the switch and it disappoints me because Zoe/Rounder has a good rep as a approachable, aggressive serious record label.
things they've done right:
PLAY A HUGE OUTDOOR SHOW HERE IN SUDBURY!
The Darkest Canuck Wrote:things they've done right:
PLAY A HUGE OUTDOOR SHOW HERE IN SUDBURY!
That'd be UMC and the Bluesfest corp. Can't give the Rounder clowns credit for that.
ok as far as the no summer tour think of this the band was in the studio for maybe 3-4 months west coast away from family do a little tour to get amped up for a fall massive tour. so if they take some time with thier kids wifes i don't care we get new hip every two years and in that time we get about a year or so of shows.
i 'll say it again while the hip are not touring go see a local band or listen to a cd you haven't in awhile , read a book , take the kids to the park
enjoy the summer old man winter is right next door so dust of the snowsuit
the hip will be here shortly so hold tight they won't disappoint
later
ron :thumb:
Not one person has voted for "they're doing all right" yet. I don't know, if I was in charge of promoting an album for a band (any band actually) I could probably think of tons of clever things to get more people into the music, which, in turn, would result in more sales.... Just another little detail that supports my theory that "suits should not be running stuff in the music industry; it should be run by a bunch of scruffy t-shirt-n-jeans guys." Who wants to take over Universal, MCA and BMG? I'll get my brass-knuckles...
Ooo... the poll's at 45 - 0 so far... looks like this one's gonna be a nail-biter folks.
Could it be that the company just sees them as money in the bank?---a band with (a) a respectably-sized and very loyal fan base that is guaranteed to buy any new release and (b) no demonstrable growth potential outside that fan-base? (Think like a corporate executive: this band has been around 15 years and never once come close to cracking the US market, but they probably do reliably make money. So, why bother promoting them?).
Maybe Rounder signed them as a reliable (if modest) source of profit and never had any intention of giving them good promotional support.
I didn't want to be the one to spoil the unanimity of the poll, so I didn't vote. But I simply do not understand what is rubbing so many of you the wrong way.
The Hip made a debut EP and cranked out 8 full-length studio releases and a full-length live album (which, while enjoyable for us fans, is nothing short of a money-grab) before introducing IBE. Promotion? How could the sinking of big money into promotion be lucrative at this point? What "new" fans are the Hip currently gaining? Like many other Hipheads, I am acutely aware of the fact that this band's recent material has little "window appeal" - it must sink in and ruminate before its luster emerges. I would thus have to believe that by now, only a miniscule percentage of the "new fan" contingent is being hooked by marketing and promtional tactics. Word-of-mouth has become, and will forever be, The Hip's bread and butter. Airplay does help, and from what I understand, The Hip gets plenty of that in Canadian markets. But at this stage of the game, media-blitzing major American markets would likely be a losing proposition that no record company is willing to risk.
The Hip and its representation have appeared to come to grasps with the fact that the band and its music are beyond the point of making inroads into the Stateside music scene. They can still profit by touring here, so they play dates for the few fans they do have south of the border, knowing that any sluggish local turnout will be spiked by loyal touring patrons. The Hip are evidently comfortable with their current product and fan base, and they most likely have a solid, conservative business plan to pad their personal bankrols and safeguard their families' fiscal futures.
I guess what is perplexing me is why this perturbs many existing fans, as if their own personal fortunes hang in the balance. What hunger is the current modus operandi failing to sate? You have the access to the music. You have the opportunity to see them perform. How will increased popularity and exposure benefit you? I contest that it would only impair your ability to enjoy the band and their music, as it would only decrease overall accessibility and contribute to the "burnout" of the band members themselves.
There isn't much more new material forthcoming from The Tragically Hip. Savor the intimacy of your relationship with this band while it lasts.
hock:
If you didn't proof-read that before you posted it, you are officially "the man!"
Although, I agree with the general points of your post, I have to say that the Hip are the best band that are out there and I'm not saying that if they were more popular to the general public it would benefit me in any way, but listening to this band and seeing the majority of shit that's on the airwaves these days and then seeing artists come and mimick that very same shit, I think I'd rather have the Hip in the spotlight and have new bands attempt to copy them.
As for the IBE handling? I still think they should've had a second video by now. Maybe the album is still relatively new (a month and a half?) and in a month or two's time, it will just explode. Maybe we have a leg-up-on-things being fans and suddenly this will just fly into stereos and radios everywhere. But for now, I'm still somewhat disappointed that the Hip aren't getting more airplay, be it radio, television or the charts.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:I didn't want to be the one to spoil the unanimity of the poll, so I didn't vote. But I simply do not understand what is rubbing so many of you the wrong way.
The Hip made a debut EP and cranked out 8 full-length studio releases and a full-length live album (which, while enjoyable for us fans, is nothing short of a money-grab) before introducing IBE. Promotion? How could the sinking of big money into promotion be lucrative at this point? What "new" fans are the Hip currently gaining? Like many other Hipheads, I am acutely aware of the fact that this band's recent material has little "window appeal" - it must sink in and ruminate before its luster emerges. I would thus have to believe that by now, only a miniscule percentage of the "new fan" contingent is being hooked by marketing and promtional tactics. Word-of-mouth has become, and will forever be, The Hip's bread and butter. Airplay does help, and from what I understand, The Hip gets plenty of that in Canadian markets. But at this stage of the game, media-blitzing major American markets would likely be a losing proposition that no record company is willing to risk.
The Hip and its representation have appeared to come to grasps with the fact that the band and its music are beyond the point of making inroads into the Stateside music scene. They can still profit by touring here, so they play dates for the few fans they do have south of the border, knowing that any sluggish local turnout will be spiked by loyal touring patrons. The Hip are evidently comfortable with their current product and fan base, and they most likely have a solid, conservative business plan to pad their personal bankrols and safeguard their families' fiscal futures.
I guess what is perplexing me is why this perturbs many existing fans, as if their own personal fortunes hang in the balance. What hunger is the current modus operandi failing to sate? You have the access to the music. You have the opportunity to see them perform. How will increased popularity and exposure benefit you? I contest that it would only impair your ability to enjoy the band and their music, as it would only decrease overall accessibility and contribute to the "burnout" of the band members themselves.
There isn't much more new material forthcoming from The Tragically Hip. Savor the intimacy of your relationship with this band while it lasts.
I agree with all of that 100%. I started to type up similar, not as eloquent response, but hit the back button instead of submiting it. Well Said.
The Horrible Esthete Wrote:I didn't want to be the one to spoil the unanimity of the poll, so I didn't vote. But I simply do not understand what is rubbing so many of you the wrong way.
The Hip made a debut EP and cranked out 8 full-length studio releases and a full-length live album (which, while enjoyable for us fans, is nothing short of a money-grab) before introducing IBE. Promotion? How could the sinking of big money into promotion be lucrative at this point? What "new" fans are the Hip currently gaining? Like many other Hipheads, I am acutely aware of the fact that this band's recent material has little "window appeal" - it must sink in and ruminate before its luster emerges. I would thus have to believe that by now, only a miniscule percentage of the "new fan" contingent is being hooked by marketing and promtional tactics. Word-of-mouth has become, and will forever be, The Hip's bread and butter. Airplay does help, and from what I understand, The Hip gets plenty of that in Canadian markets. But at this stage of the game, media-blitzing major American markets would likely be a losing proposition that no record company is willing to risk.
The Hip and its representation have appeared to come to grasps with the fact that the band and its music are beyond the point of making inroads into the Stateside music scene. They can still profit by touring here, so they play dates for the few fans they do have south of the border, knowing that any sluggish local turnout will be spiked by loyal touring patrons. The Hip are evidently comfortable with their current product and fan base, and they most likely have a solid, conservative business plan to pad their personal bankrols and safeguard their families' fiscal futures.
I guess what is perplexing me is why this perturbs many existing fans, as if their own personal fortunes hang in the balance. What hunger is the current modus operandi failing to sate? You have the access to the music. You have the opportunity to see them perform. How will increased popularity and exposure benefit you? I contest that it would only impair your ability to enjoy the band and their music, as it would only decrease overall accessibility and contribute to the "burnout" of the band members themselves.
There isn't much more new material forthcoming from The Tragically Hip. Savor the intimacy of your relationship with this band while it lasts.
While I agree with many here that the band's new management is doing a somewhat crappy job (especially with the website, the Hipclub, and choosing not to release the new album overseas), I gotta say, you make some really great points. I agree, the Hip are a veteran band who have already established themselves and record companies just don't throw big money at veteran acts. I've always thought the Hip deserved greater success outside of Canadian borders, but it didn't happen, and it probably never will happen. These days I liken the Hip to Blue Rodeo in the fact that they'll always have a strong dedicated fanbase who will buy their records and buy tickets to their shows, but they'll never achieve any kind of international stardom. I'm quite certain the Hip are perfectly satisfied being "working musicians" who have the freedom to tour when they want and put out records when they want.
This reminds me of something Neil Peart mentioned in his new book. He'sa big Hip fan and he thinks they were cheated out of American success by their own management. As an example, he mentions that back in '92, Rush asked the Hip to be their opening act on a massive 3-month long American tour, which Peart believes would have established a huge American audience for the band. Instead, the Hip's management turned Rush down, saying that there was a "buzz" about them in Europe and they wanted the Hip to go overseas instead. My own question is when was there EVER a buzz about the Hip in Europe? Probably never. Peart believes that was a huge missed opportunity on the Hip's part. The Hip did eventually open a few shows for the Stones and Page & Plant in '95 when they were signed to Atlantic Records, but those were short, scattered tours that didn't do much for the band in the long run. That and Atlantic did a piss-poor job of promoting Day for Night and never even mentioned that they were touring with these huge bands.