...from Karen Bliss at JAM!:
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M.
thanks for the post......very interesting!!
A couple of points I found interesting (for those linkophobes out there):
Quote:"Everything is unfolding perfectly," says Sam Feldman, whose booking agency, S.L. Feldman & Associates also handles the band's tour dates in Canada now. "So far so good. I think this record has outperformed the last couple in terms of both airplay and sales."
Quote:"I think (In Between Evolution) is more back to the records that seemed to sell better (of theirs)," he says. "It's back to a very energetic feel and it really connects directly with their live show. The whole modus operandi when they recorded it was to give it a very live-straight off-the-floor (sound), which is obviously very similar to what they do onstage and I just think that works. This band is the biggest live attraction ever in the history of Canada."
Quote:"The touring schedule is kind of unique for Canada," says Feldman. "We chose to do some festivals over the summer so that we can reach a lot of people, particularly secondary markets, without affecting in any negative way the tour that we've got scheduled for November where we're going to cross the country. The idea really is to let the record gold, and then tour in November so that we have the bumper into the Christmas retail season."
NB - also according to the article, IBE has surpassed 50K in sales (i.e. the "gold" mark)...
M.
Very interesting article. However, it still doesn't explain the lack of an official U.S. tour announcement, nor does it mention anything about the crappy state of the Hip Club, or why the band's webmaster is asleep at the wheel. When I read the title of the article, I figured I was gonna have all my questions answered. I guess that was too much to ask for.
But still, a good article nonetheless.
I see the Hip have finally announced the tour dates. I'm so freakin' excited that I feel I should take back a couple of the things I mentioned in my previous post.
Seattle and Spokane here I come!!!!
So here we have it in a nutshell: Feldman saying "Everything is unfolding perfectly" referring to AIRPLAY and SALES. Clearly the management has its eye trained solely on attracting new fans or bringing old fans back in ever-increasing numbers. Releasing tour dates sporadically and unevenly is NOT an effective method for reaching your existing fans who are eagerly awaiting information. Your average Joe who says "So the Hip are coming, let's get loaded and go...I know the words to Fifty Mission Cap!" is thrilled with the tour stop and doesn't care when the rest of the tour is announced.
I don't think the new management has any regard for the true blue fans, thinking that we will be perfectly happy to sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting to feed on the odd breadcrumb they happen to drop. And technically, there's nothing else we can do...they're infuriating us at nobody's expense because we'll still pay to see the show and buy the album and all that. But it really goes to show their mentality.
Someone should mention to the new management that it was the "diehard" fans that placed the hip into the #1 spot, be it only a week! If the hip wanted to get into a spot where they are going to be drawing new fans in, maybe they should have signed with Avril's management team who ever they are. :roll:
grooveless touque Wrote:So here we have it in a nutshell: Feldman saying "Everything is unfolding perfectly" referring to AIRPLAY and SALES. Clearly the management has its eye trained solely on attracting new fans or bringing old fans back in ever-increasing numbers. Releasing tour dates sporadically and unevenly is NOT an effective method for reaching your existing fans who are eagerly awaiting information. Your average Joe who says "So the Hip are coming, let's get loaded and go...I know the words to Fifty Mission Cap!" is thrilled with the tour stop and doesn't care when the rest of the tour is announced.
I don't think the new management has any regard for the true blue fans, thinking that we will be perfectly happy to sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting to feed on the odd breadcrumb they happen to drop. And technically, there's nothing else we can do...they're infuriating us at nobody's expense because we'll still pay to see the show and buy the album and all that. But it really goes to show their mentality.
I couldn't agree more. :thumb:
Not being especially 'into' the Hip Club and that whole Internet-fan-based thing (except for this site, of course :thumb: ) the supposed 'neglect' of hard-core fans doesn't really trouble me. The CD is absolute dynamite---their best since D4N, I'm convinced---the tour will be forthcoming, the rest is just gravy. (And as you say, the new management is RIGHT, isn't it? The hard core fans are money in the bank. It's everyone else that counts from a commercial perspective).
And I found this article really interesting. The Hip's album sales have basically been cut in half since PP. And the whole management shift is quite explicitly intended to redress that. Fair enough. But frankly, this CD should be reeling all those 'old' Hip fans back into the fold, and if the new management doesn't do that, the Hip might have to rethink their decision. Albums this good don't come along all the time, even if yer the Hip.
I kind of agree with you there KWT about the hard core fans being money in the bank..to a certain extent. As we've seen with Metallica, hard core fans are tolerant to a certain extent. The new management's mindset towards expanding the appeal and commercial viability of the band is masterful but it runs the risk of pissing off the hard core fans the way Metallica ticked off their hard core fans, though the circumstances are admittedly different.