Anticlamactic?

[blinker12]

I'm finding this final week leading up to the release of In Your Dreams oddly anticlimactic. Apart from a couple reviews in rather obscure publications, there's been little to no press about the album. I'm surprised because I remember the final week before both TISL and Say You Will being action-packed with interviews, song previews, TV appearances etc.

I'm not trying to be negative, or say that this portends poor sales for In Your Dreams. But I am puzzled. Anyone else?

Maybe it's just the calm before the storm.

[AnthonyMI]

The record industry has changed. Nobody cares about New Release Tuesday anymore. Nobody lines up at record stores anymore for new albums. Nobody buys 45s anymore. Albums don't just don't sell like the used to anymore. Stores like Media Play and Circuit City are gone. Best buy has an ever shrinking CD department. VH1 and MTV only play reality TV shows.


The Record Industry knows the only way to move albums is in the Digital World is through word of mouth, Singles of the Week at Starbucks, kiosks at stores with a handful of albums, iTunes and Youtube/Facebook. I expect THOSE are the places we will see the most of Stevie being promoted. You just are NOT going to see the amount of airtime The Dance got, well, because MTV and VH1 don't play music anymore. We were luck Soundstage did FM and Steve when they did!

For the over 40 crowd that are her fan base (maybe over 50?) who more than likely do NOT have Facebook or give a crap about the Digital World, you can expect some late night talk shows (Leno, Letterman) and day time blitz (Ellen, The View, Oprah (check) and Today Show (double Check)).

[bluefox4000]

Stevie's essentially over the hill and has had her day. Her core fans will buy the record. I don't think we can expect much more. We'll buy. that's good enough. I don't know why some people expect the 2nd coming of Nicks. Not being negative. I just Wonder.

Mick

[HejiraNYC]

I'm finding this final week leading up to the release of In Your Dreams oddly anticlimactic. Apart from a couple reviews in rather obscure publications, there's been little to no press about the album. I'm surprised because I remember the final week before both TISL and Say You Will being action-packed with interviews, song previews, TV appearances etc.

I'm not trying to be negative, or say that this portends poor sales for In Your Dreams. But I am puzzled. Anyone else?

Maybe it's just the calm before the storm.

I agree... in the interest of trying to keep this album out of the hands of bootleggers, Stevie/WB seem to have sabotaged the success of IYD. Rolling Stone should have already published a review. There should be listening parties. There should be more tracks being released to radio. There should be more interviews. I mean, for crikeys sake, there have been zero print ads, zero internet ads, minimal social media interaction and just one television appearance (that didn't showcase any new material). The world at large still does not know about this album. But for all we know, this could just be par for the course for "legacy artists" these days. :shrug: Given Dave Stewart's involvement and his creative, out-of-the-box approach to... just about everything, I was hoping the launch of IYD would be extraordinary. Instead it's the same ol', same ol'...

[DallasDude]

Turn on the radio, and listen. Do you hear anyone over the age of 35 singing? Talent has nothing to do with it. Stevie knows this, which is most likely why she has had the weight of having to produce radio hits lifted from her, allowing her the creative space to produce an album she was most proud of. By all accounts, Dave allowed her to do this and didn't try to make her sound "today" or "hip."

[chriskisn]

Stevie's essentially over the hill and has had her day. Her core fans will buy the record. I don't think we can expect much more. We'll buy. that's good enough. I don't know why some people expect the 2nd coming of Nicks. Not being negative. I just Wonder.

Mick

Because a lot of people make her into an object of worship. I do understand, I feel the same way about Bob Dylan (there can be no bad concerts because you are in the presence of God personified). Sadly you have to take a reality check that the majority of the world don't feel that way .

[bluefox4000]

Nothing wrong with it, I don't understand because I've never put an artist that much on high. It''s perfectly fine though:thumbsup:

Mick.

[DallasDude]

I actually hope that this CD is so good she can move on to other things. I'd rather see her concentrating on writing her autobiography, or developing a FM screenplay. As for recording again, unless Christine is back in the studio, I'm less interested in hearing another Mac project.

[Artemis]

She'll probably do a media-blitz next week, starting with the Glee episode of Rumours (If a promo for IYD doesn't air while that is on; I've lost all faith that her record company even know how to spell marketing, never mind know how to do it)

Although, I did think we'd be seeing some more TV / Radio appearances, or some articles or something. It's all a bit too quiet. I say we blame Rod Stewart. I bet Stevie will if the album flops (which I don't think it will)

[jkmaletic]

What a bummer thread...although there are valid points.

I think it's the calm before the storm. Next month they have all kinds of promotion scheduled. Next WEEK we have the Today Show and the Webster Hall show. For whatever reason, WB decided to do the bulk of the promotion after the release.

Jamie

[ontheEdgeof17]

For whatever reason, WB decided to do the bulk of the promotion after the release.

Maybe they want the album to be a grower instead of being a big hit, then slowly falling away? :shrug:

[Spoinny]

I actually hope that this CD is so good she can move on to other things. I'd rather see her concentrating on writing her autobiography, or developing a FM screenplay. As for recording again, unless Christine is back in the studio, I'm less interested in hearing another Mac project.

It would be nice for Christine to at least record, if not tour, with the band 1 more time. Sadly, I think she's retired for good.

Wonder what Stevie will do next?

[tabruns]

Stevie's essentially over the hill and has had her day. Her core fans will buy the record. I don't think we can expect much more. We'll buy. that's good enough. I don't know why some people expect the 2nd coming of Nicks. Not being negative. I just Wonder.

Mick

I think people just want the album to do well enough so that there will be more music down the road.

[Christopher]

What a bummer thread...although there are valid points.

I think it's the calm before the storm. Next month they have all kinds of promotion scheduled. Next WEEK we have the Today Show and the Webster Hall show. For whatever reason, WB decided to do the bulk of the promotion after the release.

Jamie

Here Here!! This really is depressing thread, just one week before Stevie's 1st new album in 10 years. Jeeeezz! We should all be celebrating. The album will do what it will do. Stevie is a sixty-somthing artist, who is doing ok, relatively speaking, in regard to pre-release expectation. Stevie hasn't pandered to the latest "sound" to force a hit song (thank goodness) or collaborate with the "in" current artists (like she did on TISL) so all being said, I expect a fantastic non-contrived artistically driven classic Stevie Nicks record - Finally!!!

I agree... in the interest of trying to keep this album out of the hands of bootleggers, Stevie/WB seem to have sabotaged the success of IYD. Rolling Stone should have already published a review.

IDK, I think they are being smart by keeping a tight lid on this album. We have 2 full songs, and the trailer:shrug: The listening parties/album showcase's for TISL, produced most of the leaked advance promo copies, that ended up in the hands of fans and on the web & ebay early. And that cost Stevie dearly, cause that was at the height of file sharing & Napster. Stevie & WB probably easily lost over a hundred thousand copies that could have been sold, instead of downloaded. So now, with Stevie's base and celebrity considerably smaller than it was 10 years ago, they cannot afford to have this one leak and lose any more precious sales.
Also I suspect we'll see a review for IYD in the next RS.

[jkmaletic]

Maybe they want the album to be a grower instead of being a big hit, then slowly falling away? :shrug:

One HOPES it's that thought out, but who knows.

Jamie

[blinker12]

Again, not trying to be depressing - I'm just surprised we're not seeing more, well, stuff. I don't think age is the issue. Stevie has been 35+ since Wild Heart (!), and she has always gotten big pre-release pushes from the label on her albums since then.

Maybe they want the album to be a grower instead of being a big hit, then slowly falling away? :shrug:

That's a good thought. It would be nice if this album reversed the trajectory of Stevie's last few albums, which opened with a bang and then faded.

Perhaps I am still stuck in the 1990s mentality of big first weeks, as others have suggested. Honestly, I don't follow any artist as closely as Mac/Stevie, so I haven't been tuned into how the publicity machine works since 2001-2003! :)

[DallasDude]

Like TV, radio has been fragmented into niche formats, and the "new" music stations now skew considerably lower in age than they once did. Gone are the days when DJ's controlled (or had a say) in the music programming. That is all done by corporate now, and often dispersed to all it's stations across the country.

[Josh2003]

Maybe they want the album to be a grower instead of being a big hit, then slowly falling away? :shrug:

I prefer growers to showers, anyway.

[skuncles]

Stevie isn't Lady Gaga. Gaga's album comes out the end of May and THAT is getting the press and promotion you'd expect for a relavent artist. I've said this many many times, it's not 1981 anymore. Outside of this board and her diehards no one knows nor cares that Stevie has an album coming out. People who bought "Bella Donna" or "The Wild Heart" back in the day (who weren't her core fans) did so because of the MTV and radio coverage, but as they got older they moved on to other things.
My older sister bought "Bella Donna" back in '81 (I eventually stole it from her) but when I mentioned the other day that Stevie's new album comes out next week she said "Why is she still making records? Her voice was shot years ago"
In another example, after I saw Heart last year, one of the comments I heard after the show was "Wow, they are really good considering they haven't done anything in like 30 years! Have they done anything since "What About Love"?"
So as a fan you kind of have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Stevie's doing this album for her and for us, she's not going to win over a new legion of fans at this point nor does she intend to.

[HejiraNYC]

IDK, I think they are being smart by keeping a tight lid on this album. We have 2 full songs, and the trailer:shrug: The listening parties/album showcase's for TISL, produced most of the leaked advance promo copies, that ended up in the hands of fans and on the web & ebay early. And that cost Stevie dearly, cause that was at the height of file sharing & Napster. Stevie & WB probably easily lost over a hundred thousand copies that could have been sold, instead of downloaded. So now, with Stevie's base and celebrity considerably smaller than it was 10 years ago, they cannot afford to have this one leak and lose any more precious sales.
Also I suspect we'll see a review for IYD in the next RS.


It's these very things- her age, her lack of visibility, her lack of recent output- which should compel WB to exploit her new music through every outlet possible. You don't get people to buy your album by keeping it a secret; you need to push, push, push! I mean, would you readily buy an album by someone you are only casually familiar with after hearing just one song? With so much working against her, she needs to be aggressive about getting her music out there.

[wheart]

I agree... in the interest of trying to keep this album out of the hands of bootleggers, Stevie/WB seem to have sabotaged the success of IYD. Rolling Stone should have already published a review. There should be listening parties. There should be more tracks being released to radio. There should be more interviews. I mean, for crikeys sake, there have been zero print ads, zero internet ads, minimal social media interaction and just one television appearance (that didn't showcase any new material). The world at large still does not know about this album. But for all we know, this could just be par for the course for "legacy artists" these days. :shrug: Given Dave Stewart's involvement and his creative, out-of-the-box approach to... just about everything, I was hoping the launch of IYD would be extraordinary. Instead it's the same ol', same ol'...

and the tour with Rod Stewart certaintly didn't help the cause. Instead of using the month prior to IYS's release to do an effective promotional campaign. she was on the road, singing songs she wrote 30 years ago.Sure, she was on stage every night but she was essentially playing to a Rod Stewart audience who could probably care less that she's releasing a new CD. The whole idea of this tour just felt wrong from the very beginning. Now that it's over, it's seems even more so. An ill timed, ill advised mistake

[HejiraNYC]

Stevie isn't Lady Gaga. Gaga's album comes out the end of May and THAT is getting the press and promotion you'd expect for a relavent artist. I've said this many many times, it's not 1981 anymore. Outside of this board and her diehards no one knows nor cares that Stevie has an album coming out. People who bought "Bella Donna" or "The Wild Heart" back in the day (who weren't her core fans) did so because of the MTV and radio coverage, but as they got older they moved on to other things.
My older sister bought "Bella Donna" back in '81 (I eventually stole it from her) but when I mentioned the other day that Stevie's new album comes out next week she said "Why is she still making records? Her voice was shot years ago"
In another example, after I saw Heart last year, one of the comments I heard after the show was "Wow, they are really good considering they haven't done anything in like 30 years! Have they done anything since "What About Love"?"
So as a fan you kind of have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Stevie's doing this album for her and for us, she's not going to win over a new legion of fans at this point nor does she intend to.

But you're missing the point- nobody said that they expect IYD to sell like Bella Donna. They're just saying that the promotional efforts have been weak and tentative, especially given the fact that the release date is just one week away.

[Christopher]

Again, not trying to be depressing - I'm just surprised we're not seeing more, well, stuff. I don't think age is the issue. Stevie has been 35+ since Wild Heart (!), and she has always gotten big pre-release pushes from the label on her albums since then.
Back during Wild Heart when Stevie was one of the biggest female recording artists around, 35 years old wasn't considered a liability, that was decades before the teen to early twenty-something recording artist explosion that is now the new norm & where your considered over the hill once your in your 30's:shrug: And Street Angel did not receive hardly any push from her label prior to its release. Nobody, including a few die hard fans even knew it existed, until she hit the road. That was the quietest unveiling of ANY Stevie record to date, including her best of releases. IYD has been getting far more push from the label & Stevie, probably not as good as we'd like, but it's still something. Why they never released the Secret Love video by now is a real head scratcher, plus it's arguable that they may have released the sizzle reel 2 weeks to early:shrug:

Edit: nevermind. Seems like they are on the ball about the Secret Love video afterall http://www.spinner.com/2011/04/26/stevie-nicks-secret-love-video-premiere/ perhap's it was WB's secret "pre-week" teaser all along.

[HejiraNYC]

and the tour with Rod Stewart certaintly didn't help the cause. Instead of using the month prior to IYS's release to do an effective promotional campaign. she was on the road, singing songs she wrote 30 years ago.Sure, she was on stage every night but she was essentially playing to a Rod Stewart audience who could probably care less that she's releasing a new CD. The whole idea of this tour just felt wrong from the very beginning. Now that it's over, it's seems even more so. An ill timed, ill advised mistake

Well, a tour is one thing. But to tour before an album's release and not mention one word of it to the audience is just pathetic. At the very least, every concert stop should have been festooned with IYD paraphernalia and promo items, e.g., a postcard with a URL link to download "Secret Love." Instead, all I saw were a few rather ugly, overpriced T-shirts. The H&S tour must have played to at least 200,000 people; if even just 10% of Rod's audiences were interested in the new album, that's quite a substantial amount of album sales.

[Spoinny]

Well, a tour is one thing. But to tour before an album's release and not mention one word of it to the audience is just pathetic. At the very least, every concert stop should have been festooned with IYD paraphernalia and promo items, e.g., a postcard with a URL link to download "Secret Love." Instead, all I saw were a few rather ugly, overpriced T-shirts. The H&S tour must have played to at least 200,000 people; if even just 10% of Rod's audiences were interested in the new album, that's quite a substantial amount of album sales.

record companies don't invest in older artists, they don't feel the need to. They figure their core group of fans will buy the CD, so they don't need to push it too much.

[wheart]

Well, a tour is one thing. But to tour before an album's release and not mention one word of it to the audience is just pathetic. At the very least, every concert stop should have been festooned with IYD paraphernalia and promo items, e.g., a postcard with a URL link to download "Secret Love." Instead, all I saw were a few rather ugly, overpriced T-shirts. The H&S tour must have played to at least 200,000 people; if even just 10% of Rod's audiences were interested in the new album, that's quite a substantial amount of album sales.

yup...many, many missed opportunities.

[Tango]

Definition: weak, useless

Synonyms: abortive, anticlimactic , barren, bootless, defeasible, feckless, feeble, forceless, fruitless, futile, idle, impotent, inadequate, incompetent, indecisive, inefficacious, inefficient, inept, inferior, innocuous, inoperative, invertebrate, lame, limited, neutralized, nugatory, null, null and void, paltry, powerless, spineless, unable, unavailing, unfruitful, unproductive, unprofitable, unsuccessful, vain, void, withered, worthless


No, I don't think it will be anticlimactic to us, the fans. I believe Stevie's excited to get this album to us and knows the anticipation is probably making at least a few of us crazy. I don't know how they have managed to keep this album from leaking out so far. While I don't think the album will be Stevie's "Rumours," I accept this album as Stevie's gift to her fans. She did this album because she finally wanted to.

I don't think it will be futile, fruitless, inept, inferior, vain, worthless, etc. I have been hoping for a new Stevie album. If I may quote Lindsey Buckingham (instead of the Rock A Little song), "I am waiting. I am waiting . . . oh yeah, oh yeah!" ;)

[blinker12]

Speak of the devil...
We just got the Secret Love video, maybe things are picking up!

[Jondalar]

I'm finding this final week leading up to the release of In Your Dreams oddly anticlimactic. Apart from a couple reviews in rather obscure publications, there's been little to no press about the album. I'm surprised because I remember the final week before both TISL and Say You Will being action-packed with interviews, song previews, TV appearances etc.

I'm not trying to be negative, or say that this portends poor sales for In Your Dreams. But I am puzzled. Anyone else?

Maybe it's just the calm before the storm.

I feel exactly the same way. I think the Australian Review tempered the excitement, especially when the reviewer said the album will not garner many new fans.

[Musicman408]

I just somewhat mentioned this to my roommate, but realized the reason it's all been anticlimactic this week is because it's almost finals week, and it's the end of the semester, and I feel SOOO overwhelmed with it all!!

[Bryan]

Yep i'm feeling it. I think the difference for me from previous album release-lead-up-excitement is having the likes of Twitter,and following the updates from Dave Stewart & knowing when the songs were being mixed,videos were filmed,cover was shot etc. It all feels like aaages ago.
And knowing people have heard the finished album from around February..David Wild I think tweeted about it and a few other reviewers/industry peeps since then..it's drawn out the wait for me to the point of current anticlimax..and now i'm just:'hurry up and leak please 'cos i'm done waiting & wondering'

[saintvox]

Yep i'm feeling it. I think the difference for me from previous album release-lead-up-excitement is having the likes of Twitter,and following the updates from Dave Stewart & knowing when the songs were being mixed,videos were filmed,cover was shot etc. It all feels like aaages ago.
And knowing people have heard the finished album from around February..David Wild I think tweeted about it and a few other reviewers/industry peeps since then..it's drawn out the wait for me to the point of current anticlimax..and now i'm just:'hurry up and leak please 'cos i'm done waiting & wondering'


That's how I feel.

[louielouie2000]

I know I've been called all sorts of names by board members (all variations of being a Negative Nancy or Dark Cloud), but I'm so excited for this album that I can't stand it! :D To me, this waiting isn't anti-climatic at all. I think it's important to remember the rather limited buzz the album is currently generating is almost wholly gushing. I chalk up the lack of publicity the album and Stevie are getting to the way the music biz is right now, too. The music machine is pretty crippled and is much simplified currently. I expect a blitz of magazine & newspaper articles after the album is released, though. In addition there will be tv segments on various shows dedicated to In Your Dreams & Stevie, and Stevie herself will no doubt be making the various media rounds. I'm guessing Perez Hilton's blog will focus on Stevie's new album quite a bit too. The music and media business is just a different model now than when Stevie released TISL 10 years ago. Comparing what's going on with In Your Dreams vs TISL is pretty irrelevant, in my opinion. In any event, I'm hoping the media buzz will be large enough to warrant an eventual Grammy nod. I guess we'll see! :)

[Bandon]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't remember that much hoopla prior to her other solo albums except for TISL. There would be some print ads in Billboard a week or two before the releases, and usually a video on MTV or VH1. Oh yeah, and a handful of articles in music publications. The biggest difference is prior to Street Angel there would actually be a lead single you would HEAR on the radio.

TISL was different because of the Internet and the access we had to information. We were able to access much more. Remember the internet flicker ad I think it was just prior to the release? It seems to passe now, but was cool then.

Oh, hell but then again, maybe I am just experiencing false memories... :D

[used karma]

Stevie's essentially over the hill and has had her day. Her core fans will buy the record. I don't think we can expect much more. We'll buy. that's good enough. I don't know why some people expect the 2nd coming of Nicks. Not being negative. I just Wonder.

Mick
Sad, but true.

[Bandon]

Btw. I was kidding about the false memories. But really, there was never a "sizzle" video for one of her solo projects. Although what good is a sizzle video if no one sees it..a missed opportunity. I think we are so much in the Internet age. We except so much from an artist who hasn't had a real hit single since 1986 and a major hit album since 1997 (i.e., the Dance). Hey, go to the the record store...maybe there is a cardboard display of In Your Dreams.. Oh, wait that was 1986. LOL :laugh:

I do agree that Warners can maximize things better than they have. We shall see in the next few weeks. :D

[MacMan]

and the tour with Rod Stewart certaintly didn't help the cause. Instead of using the month prior to IYS's release to do an effective promotional campaign. she was on the road, singing songs she wrote 30 years ago.Sure, she was on stage every night but she was essentially playing to a Rod Stewart audience who could probably care less that she's releasing a new CD. The whole idea of this tour just felt wrong from the very beginning. Now that it's over, it's seems even more so. An ill timed, ill advised mistake

Can you imagine the awareness the album would have received had she not gone on the road with Rod? The press that their joint tour generated probably did way more promoting the album then anything in the lead up to the album... Every mention of the tour mentioned the new album... Sometimes it doesn't even matter what you're seen doing, it's the fact that you are out there... visible, in peoples subconscious.

[MacMan]

Btw. I was kidding about the false memories. But really, there was never a "sizzle" video for one of her solo projects. Although what good is a sizzle video if no one sees it..a missed opportunity. I think we are so much in the Internet age. We except so much from an artist who hasn't had a real hit single since 1986 and a major hit album since 1997 (i.e., the Dance). Hey, go to the the record store...maybe there is a cardboard display of In Your Dreams.. Oh, wait that was 1986. LOL :laugh:

I do agree that Warners can maximize things better than they have. We shall see in the next few weeks. :D

There were "sizzle" reels for Crystal Visions and the Soundstage cd/dvd...

What I think people have to keep in mind when they blame the record company for not doing this or that in the promo dept. All money spent by the record company on promoting an artists album is recoup-able meaning the artist is paying for all the promotion out of sales of the album ie royalties.. The record company gets all money spent on the album, videos, and anything else, right down to the production of promo discs sent to radio stations, paid back before the artist generates any money from their royalties... Even the advances the artist receives from a record company... all that money needs to be paid back first... So if you aren't one of the big heavy hitters in the album selling dept. expectations are lower therefore the money spent on the project is lower.

[Sahara]

I just somewhat mentioned this to my roommate, but realized the reason it's all been anticlimactic this week is because it's almost finals week, and it's the end of the semester, and I feel SOOO overwhelmed with it all!!

I feel the same way, Ethan :( The album is a bright light in a dark, stressed-out few weeks for me, which is good ... but I want to devote much more time and energy to enjoying this album and all the shenanigans that go with its release than I can give!

[Musicman408]

I feel the same way, Ethan :( The album is a bright light in a dark, stressed-out few weeks for me, which is good ... but I want to devote much more time and energy to enjoying this album and all the shenanigans that go with its release than I can give!

I've got to say, I got pumped, hoping there would be some sort of leak like this today, so I was beyond pleasantly surprised when I got back home! Now I'm completely pumped, and can't wait to write some songs of my own this weekend, now that I actually have a singer!! :nod:

[mylittledemon]

What are you basing the "climax" on? How well you like the record? Whether she sells heaps of records? TV spots? I mean, for me, all the other stuff is pointless if the record stinks. I'd hate to see her pushing herself out there in the public eye is the record was really terrible... i'd just kinda feel sad for her. But that said, I've heard most of the album already and I do like it.

[tabruns]

What are you basing the "climax" on? How well you like the record? Whether she sells heaps of records? TV spots? I mean, for me, all the other stuff is pointless if the record stinks. I'd hate to see her pushing herself out there in the public eye is the record was really terrible... i'd just kinda feel sad for her. But that said, I've heard most of the album already and I do like it.

Well she felt that way herself about Street Angel. She said she hated being out there on the road trying to promote it because she didn't like the album.

[mylittledemon]

Yeah exactly... I'd hate a repeat of something like that. But I think the record is pretty solid, and I'm liking it.