Does Warner Brothers even care?

Now that www.neworder.cc is up and running, I clicked to sign up for the "official" e-mail list. The e-mail I got in return says:

"Thank you for signing up for New Order's official e-mail list! You'll be the first to receive the latest news, tour dates, contests, web promotions and more!

For more information, go to: http://www.neworderweb.com/

Warner Bros. and Reprise Records do not send out unsolicited emails..."

Go to www.neworderweb.com and the domain's up for sale. Wouldn't you think that "after the planet-shagging success of their last album", WB would at least make an attempt to communicate with fans?

We all know where the real NO site is...

Of course Warner Bros. doesn't care. They're just a conglomerate corporation. They don't give a fuck what any of their artists do or even if they produce quality music. All they care about is sales and if they promote an album enough, even with a shitty website, then they'll sleep well at night on their piles of filthy money.

The thing is the record companies are going downhill in profit and it's their own fault. They're digging their own grave. A good chunk of their music sales derive from their back catalogue, but the way they operate now (promoting one-hit wonders for a quick buck, not giving talented, non-formulaic bands a chance to grow and develop a fan base) they will soon have NO BACK CATALOGUE that anyone will care about.

Warner Bros actually used to easily be the best record label in north america with the best and most popular artists...now they completely suck, a marginal has-been label. Their roster now is awful, the only quality acts they have are older artists that have been on the label for 10+ years.

They know New Order have a dedicated fan base and integrity that will sell units without them having to do anything to promote them: easy money.

Exactly. Warner knows that 1980s survivor bands are like the Macs of the music world. They're still up and functioning, but any future sales made by them are going to be made up near entirely of the dedicated fanbase, especially in the States, where 90s bands are alreadcy considered has-beens except for a select few. Spending extra dough on the marketing and advertising for a group with such a fiercely strong fanbase would just be a waste on a lot of bombast that in the end will simply be an embarssment for the company and the band (Duran Duran anyone? 117,600 U.S. sales?).

Shock horror -- Mrs. Odor reports that she saw a television spot for WFTSC last night on MTV (must've been Wildboyz).

Gnu Odor wrote: Shock horror -- Mrs. Odor reports that she saw a television spot for WFTSC last night on MTV (must've been Wildboyz).

Are there any further details about the content of the ad?

Maybe some of you are being a little hard on Warners here. Johnny Giles mentioned a few weeks ago that Warner UK had stated NO were one of their top priorities in music anywhere in the world this year. Evidence abounds in the EU and down here: there's been TV spots (how many bands actually have TV ads promoting an album?), they've been all over every magazine, internet, FTA and cable music programming, they've been at the forefront of new ringtone technologies, etc, etc. Riding on all the name-checking, exposure for the band is at an all-time high. If this album doesn't succeed, I don't think you can level all the blame at Warner.

Perhaps you'll see it differently in the US market, another beast entirely. NO is so far removed from the style of crap which dominates your radio and charts that expectations may be far lower.

:\pimp3:

I think the discussion above was focused on US promotion, DC. The website is a US website. I don't believe anybody is complaining about the level of promotion outside the US.

Understood Pats, but why the level of vitriol? The website is fairly slick overall; a link is incorrect but does that warrant all of this? Perhaps there's more to it but I'd have thought actually getting advertised on US TV was more newsworthy than a dud link.

I guess I'm also speculating that the US market would be such an incredibly hard nut to crack for NO today that I wonder whether it's even worth committing the same level of Warners' resources to do so.

:\pimp3:

I think you're probably right, DC, that it would be very difficult for NO to do well in the US market at this point. It would be almost starting from scratch. I do think Jetstream has some potential in the US if it gets any exposure.

I'd ask if you were enjoying a nice bowl of soup today Pats but I fear we may be sent to the gas chamber.

:\pimp3:

well said

I'm anxious and fascinated to see how much of a media effort is done here...my observation of the media stuff that has been reported on NOOL is that ALOT of money and effort has gone into it for UK/Europe. I have NEVER seen that kind of effort for NewORder here in the US. Appearing on TV next week is a good start (carson daly is on REALLY LATE though)...an appearance on Saturday Night Live would be a magnificent coup...I sure hope they are trying.

There's a good fan base that always support New Order here...and the Morel Krafty mix and several of the Jetstream mixes are sure bets for straight and gay clubland (US DJ's always support NewOrder)....but all of that is a given....what is needed is a money push by the record company to get those two singles into the media for the, er, youngsters to hear, so the REAL money starts rolling....I sure hope so. If the freaking KILLERS can do it, hey.....

I know that top-10 money isnt everything, but from my viewpoint, financial success helps to keep a band prducing, and I need a new NewORder fix every couple years or so...and I dont mean yet another BlueMonday remix

depthcharge wrote: I'd ask if you were enjoying a nice bowl of soup today Pats but I fear we may be sent to the gas chamber.

:\pimp3:

Since this is not an e-bay thread, I will risk answering that so far today, DC, it's just been coffee, OJ, and (dare I say it?) a banana.

john dougherty wrote:

If the freaking KILLERS can do it, hey.....

The Killers are young and cute. NO aren't. That's the key difference.

The Killers also want to play the game. They want to be bought and sold and New Order don't. If New Order were young and desperate for attention, this album would put them on top. Thankfully, they don't give a fuck and we don't have to worry about chart success. Honestly, the majority of Americans have no taste at all when it comes to music and art and i don't want a bunch of ignorant yahoos wearing New Order t-shirts and snagging the promo's when they turn up in the shops. As it stands now, any rarity that turns up in Seattle, i'm going to get. Fucking indie-rock cut-outs roaming the streets in their uniforms don't know good music unless KEXP/Pitchfork tell them. For this, i am eternally thankfull.

ummm...good point, and I DO agree

still...I just cant help thinkin it would be really nice for the additional monetary success..its well earned....

actually, maybe I'm just being selfish in that I'd feel so validated by my dedication to a group for over 20 years, if a bunch of new young slobs discovered them as well

Patrick wrote:

Since this is not an e-bay thread, I will risk answering that so far today, DC, it's just been coffee, OJ, and (dare I say it?) a banana.

I suspected you may be a banana-eater, Pats.

:\pimp3:

As seen on the Warner control panel.

Anyone who wants to bitch about the U.S. radio chart and American tastes in music needs to check out the current the British chart:

1. Tony Christie - ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’
2. Razorlight - ‘Somewhere Else’
3. Ciara featuring Missy Elliot - ‘One, Two Step’
4. Elvis Presley - ‘The Wonder Of You’
5. Will Smith - ‘Switch’
6. Mario - ‘Let Me Love You’
7. 50 Cent - ‘Candy Shop’
8. Mariah Carey - ‘It’s Like That’
9. Freeloaders - ‘So Much Love To Give’
10. Gwen Stefani - ‘Rich Girl’

:dead:

Don't forget that the push for Get Ready in the states was pretty anemic ... one single and no tour. Looks like we're getting the Australia treatment this time 'round. Maybe Bernard heard there's good yachting here.

What about the fact that their releasing Krafty after releasing WFTSC. I know it's been released for download for a month now, but why not release a proper Krafty CD weeks ago. It sounds like to me that Warners pretty much has given up on Krafty doing anything here in the US.

that just tells me Warners are smart. Krafty is mostly shit and wouldn't make the top 100 in the US. Jetstream won't budge the top 40 but the dance mixes might chart in the greatly ignored Dance Chart. New Order have zero chart potential in the US.

Gnu Odor wrote: Anyone who wants to bitch about the U.S. radio chart and American tastes in music needs to check out the current the British chart:

1. Tony Christie - ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’
2. Razorlight - ‘Somewhere Else’
3. Ciara featuring Missy Elliot - ‘One, Two Step’
4. Elvis Presley - ‘The Wonder Of You’
5. Will Smith - ‘Switch’
6. Mario - ‘Let Me Love You’
7. 50 Cent - ‘Candy Shop’
8. Mariah Carey - ‘It’s Like That’
9. Freeloaders - ‘So Much Love To Give’
10. Gwen Stefani - ‘Rich Girl’

:dead:

With the likes of 50 Cent, Will Smith, Gwen Stefani and so on, this could almost be any chart in the world today.

But over a period of time, a band like NO or some of their 'indie' contemporaries will chart a lot more often in the UK than in the US. Also Europe and Australia for that matter. They mostly won't even make it onto the radar in the US. The differences seem subtle, but it equates to a lot of units.

:\pimp3:

As the one who started it the thread, I was just surprised that they would go to the trouble of sending me an e-mail with, not just a 404 link but a domain that's up for sale.

You're absolutely right about US radio - I only listen to NPR these days - and I don't even know where they'd position NO in their neat little pigeonholes anyway.

Colin

PS Interesting to see Razorlight are #2 in the UK, I'm seeing them tomorrow night with Muse. Have they been big over there for a while?