This is just a theoretical question to the musicians, music labels, and the music writers out there.. and since it's really late and I'm sick, it may be the stupidest question on earth.
But with all these leaks happening lately, and with so many labels and artists complaining about it, is it hurtful for labels/musicians to not give advance promos to writers or college radio stations or what have you so early in advance? Dare I say with no advance at all?
I realize that the media outlets mentioned are not solely to blame for the leaks (as we've heard about leaks coming very early from lunkheaded insiders at the label higher ups, and all that), but they're usually the most likely sources. But perhaps they should get the advances maybe a day or two before the street date at most?
I don't think a music review will mean less if it's published even a month or two or so after an album is released.
Or will it?
I realize that music publications have to write pieces months in advance. But will the industry of music writing be lessened if the review-well-after-the-release model were to become the case?
I mean.. it might be! Which would be bad. And if so, please explain. Again, this is totally off the top of my not-so-currently-hot noggin. And it's definitely a new dynamic. And I'm not about to suggest the entire industry switch to it, of course.
I would also make the case that record stores will have to wait until critical acclaim comes along to help clear off precious shelf space for the delayed praised of these albums, but I don't know how many people buy records in record stores based on what they read in a publication or not. Surely, it's not insignificant, but it's not 100% either. But in this new scenario, it would certainly not be mainly due to p2p album leaks (provided, again, the insiders at the label don't fuck up, which is never a guarantee, as we know)
I know I'm grasping at anything here.. but... haha... it's just becoming high comedy now with all these statements that bands are having to publicize on the internet with all the polite (and sometimes not so polite) fingerwagging to their online fans an entire season before street date.
OR... is that all part of the plan? </criswell>
Apologies in advance for wasting anyone's time with anything abominably stupid I suggested above... (again, it's late, I'm sick, and can't sleep due to job search nervousness.)
― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 17 February 2005 09:28 (twenty-one years ago)
I realize the appeal for a magazine to want to be the place to hear about upcoming stuff, and the case where no advances would be sent out would essentially kill that dynamic.. but would the death of that dynamic be the death of the medium, necessarily?
― donut debonair (donut), Thursday, 17 February 2005 09:41 (twenty-one years ago)
big ticket major acts that stand a chance at getting a cover of a glossy can't do it but i could see indie acts - who if they do somehow get a blender/spin/rolling stone it's gonna come well after release - waiting until week of release to send review copies, the blockbuster filmbiz model that definitely DOES apply to major acts - "my album drops ____" - really doesn't apply or make sense as a model for indie acts. they still definitely need to get that stuff in college radio's hands a week or two at least before release. i definitely like reading reviews of stuff that come after, in some cases well after, the initial wave of press; they're alot less likely to be consumer reports.
― j blount (papa la bas), Thursday, 17 February 2005 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)