One last shot at mass communication: only if you live in the UK

[Embla Claymore]

I'm with StandAndStare. Italy doesn't seem to be a good market for the Manics, so we only get a marginal coverage on some 'open minded magazines'. I guess we're used to it and I wonder if there are any Manics fans left in this country... Anyone in here?? Raise your hand!!

A journalist friend of mine got the promo a month ago and should interview one of the guys at some point... Besides, nothing happens around here in July/August, so marketing wise, it's bad timing!!

[Guernica]

@leericketts Same. Well stated.

[Abstract Unknown Girl]

Originally Posted by everlasting

I hope they get on some TV shows or something, it's all good doing these little radio interviews but how many people are going to hear them? I haven't even heard of the stations they're on let alone listen to them. Oh well.

Which TV shows would they actually go on though? There aren't really many shows where there are live performances from bands anymore, especially now even Friday Night with Jonathan Ross has gone. The only things I can think of are those 4Music Presents... programmes on Channel 4 or The Album Chart Show; the ones that are usually on about midnight. Oh and I suppose Alan Carr's chat show on C4 has live performances, but it's the last one next week and I already know Brandon Flowers is performing on that one.

[Bryter Layter]

Originally Posted by Son of Stopped

Now it's the turn of the Americans to moan about "One last show at mass communication"...

Well, I don't know about the Americans, but I'm certainly not going to "moan" about something beyond my control. If their record company doesn't see any progress can be made in the N American market and therefore choose not to put a great deal of marketing behind the album (I mean, this isn't an unusual occurrence where the Manics are concerned), there's nothing I can do about that. Personally, from the very small amount I've heard of this album so far, I don't think they have a snow balls chance in hell of having a hit with it in N America and especially in the coveted US market. They had a much better chance with JFPL, but unbelievably poor promotion (good on the boys for taking the initiative to play some shows over here despite their record labels lack of interest) trumped that one. I just don't care anymore. Whether or not they get air play or have a significant following over here doesn't affect my appreciation of the band even if it's ridiculous that their record label doesnt have much faith in their abilities to build a more significant following over here. I don't know, maybe the band needs to assume some of that responsibility themselves as well.

Btw, great post Lee! Absolutely agree 100% with what you wrote about the recording industry

[starstruck]

cheers for the support!

i can understand the label not wishing to spend a fortune on advertising / promoting the Manics (or any band) where they don't sell well. however.....

Originally Posted by ZiZi

If you live outside the UK you can't even watch the official video of the single on youtube (f*ck Sony!)
.

this is the really fucking stupid bit, unless i am missing something? i am not too sure how youtube works. is it that Sony have to pay every time someone in a different country plays it? or that they have to pay to let it be played in areas outside of the UK? my understanding was that this youtube thing was meant to provide free, worldwide easy access?

it sounds to me like it's more effort than it is worth to block regions on youtube than to let it play, the latter allowing for people around the world to "discover" this or any other video and maybe well go on to purchase, even if they have to import it? Sony get the $$$ from sales in the UK, no matter where the product ends up.

it's worth remembering that Sony are the ones who came up with Region Code Enhancing (RCE) for DVDs. this meant that, until multizone players became the norm, whereas it was perfectly legal for you to buy a Colombia DVD from the States, you couldn't actually play it.

George Michael did try to warn us all of the evils of Sony back in the early 90s......

[anglopunk]

The way I understood YouTube, especially since Google took over, was that record labels could potentially make money if people watched their uploaded content. Thus, while I can understand disabling video embedding, I don't understand localizing content. You would think putting videos up on YouTube and observing where the comments and hits were coming from would be valuable analytics for marketing.

However, since record labels definitely don't understand the media they're working in, I'm not particularly surprised. Perhaps record execs and their marketing department should read a little Marshall McLuhan.