new stuff from la nicks?!?!?

[ShangriLaTroubl]

Originally Posted by amber

It's hard to believe, and I hope she doesn't expect "royal treatment" but I suspect she does. Although, conversely, it seems to me she has enough money, etc, to where she could take a hit on the "treatment" and just get some good exposure and a good album. But I don't know how much is her agent, and how much is her...

You know really I'm sure she has enough money to start her own record label..maybe her and Lindsey could start one together, I think that would be a great idea at this point in her career.


Chris

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

Personally, I think the point of promotion is actually pretty moot because Stevie is never going to have another platinum record or another record that sets the charts afire.

They said that about Cher and then "Believe" struck in a big way

But, they have to promote it for it to sell at all.

[David]

Originally Posted by Moony

It's kind of sad, but he speaks the truth. I don't think Stevie will ever have a "killer radio tune" again either..

It seems unlikely -- unless it's as a backup or duet with some hot young thing.

That's why I always think all this stuff about promotion is moot. Most of these Stevie & Fleetwood Mac releases are promoted: they show up on talk shows, give interviews, make videos, etc., but none of that activity is worth much. You know, people tune in to their morning news shows & watch Fleetwood Mac shiver their bums off in Manhattan while they play four or five songs, but the viewers don't jump online at Amazon just because Fleetwood Mac is on their boob tube.

I don't think older, widely known bands like Fleetwood Mac need promotion anyway; I think they all have their fan base, & those are the album sales. Stevie Nicks has about a million people in the United States who think of themselves as big fans of hers & who buy her stuff as well as the Fleetwood Mac stuff. That seems to me a pretty good explanation for why Shangri-La sold about what Say You Will did. They both sold about a million, or not quite a million. The four million behind "The Dance" must have been just a bandwagon that all the yups jumped on -- all the fans of Dave what's-his-name who was so big in the late '90s & other acts who were adult-contemporary & who generated a big block of buyers for that sort of fare. "The Dance" is history; those buyers have long since moved on -- to what, I don't know, because I don't listen to commercial radio. But it's the Stevie Nicks fans who bought Shangri-La & Say You Will. The rest of the world really isn't interested (although, paradoxically, they're still interested in going to a Fleetwood Mac rock concert, but that's just a fun night out with wife & beer, & doesn't signify anything else).

So that's why I think promotion is moot. If you're 25 & breaking, it's important. But if you're 55 & just a back-catalog artist with an aging fan base, why do you need it -- especially when radio doesn't want your new stuff? All you need is a label that leaves you alone, for the most part, & lets you take whatever chances you want to take.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

They said that about Cher and then "Believe" struck in a big way

Just look at why it was a big hit. Stevie's never going to cater to what's hip, she doesn't have it in her. The record-buying public loves to give classic artists comebacks, but after the one comeback is given to them, everyhting after it just falls by the wayside. Stevie had hers with The Dance. Cher had hers with Believe. Blondie had theirs with No Exit. The Eagles had theirs with Hell Freezes Over. You only get one shot, traditionally.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by ShangriLaTroubl

How does U2 and Aerosmith always continue to do it? They pretty much keep to their old styles? I dunno, Eric Clapton has done it without changing much...

She needs to really do something to catch peoples' eye..and of course "Every Day" was not that nor was "Sorcerer." But I think that any good solid album she does with a lot of promotion, and ACTUAL radio airplay could give her a hit...so how do you get airplay? Certainly not by writing good songs...but somehow they have to let EVERYONE KNOW "HEY STEVIE NICKS HAS A NEW ALBUM!"

It's like when you have people coming to the Fleetwood Mac show and don't even know they have a new CD out till they get to the merchandise stand --- I think you have a promotion problem

Chris

See, I disagree a little here (respectfully of course ) - Everyday, POTU, and Sorcerer initially got plenty of airplay in Atlanta which is a major market. Interestingly, so did "If You Ever Did Believe." They also got airtime in my smallish hometown in Louisiana and I remember hearing them on the radio in New Yor City. I think the songs were good and the exposure was there but they just did not catch on - sadly so IMO.

[David]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

They said that about Cher and then "Believe" struck in a big way

But that song got picked up by radio DJs who played it all day long. Plus, clubs probably just fell in love with it because, after all, it was a superb specimen of "club track."

The sales of "Believe" weren't a response to the promotion (I don't even remember seeing Cher around at that time) but to hearing the song over & over again on the radio.

The only Fleetwood Mac songs you hear that frequently are the back-catalog tracks -- that's undoubtedly what keeps people at their shows.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

Just look at why it was a big hit. Stevie's never going to cater to what's hip, she doesn't have it in her.

But, nothing really sounded like Believe before it was released Cher was a little bit of pioneer there IMO. I think La Nicks could hit big with a ballad a la Landslide. That is what people want to see her do IMO.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by dissention

Just look at why it was a big hit. Stevie's never going to cater to what's hip, she doesn't have it in her.

I think EFO was a try to 'cater what's hip'. It's very similar to Believe.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by David

But that song got picked up by radio DJs who played it all day long. Plus, clubs probably just fell in love with it because, after all, it was a superb specimen of "club track."

The sales of "Believe" weren't a response to the promotion (I don't even remember seeing Cher around at that time) but to hearing the song over & over again on the radio.

The only Fleetwood Mac songs you hear that frequently are the back-catalog tracks -- that's undoubtedly what keeps people at their shows.

Exactly. A lot of people didn't even know it was a Cher song, either.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by David

But that song got picked up by radio DJs who played it all day long. Plus, clubs probably just fell in love with it because, after all, it was a superb specimen of "club track."

The sales of "Believe" weren't a response to the promotion (I don't even remember seeing Cher around at that time) but to hearing the song over & over again on the radio.

The only Fleetwood Mac songs you hear that frequently are the back-catalog tracks -- that's undoubtedly what keeps people at their shows.

I agree. Interestingly, Stevie dance remixes of POTU received HUGE club airplay for years. So, the market is there as long as she gets a hip DJ to do it.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by dissention

I agree.

Lauper had her biggest hit since the 80s with At Last, though. I'm not sure if it's been certified platinum, but that goddamned album was all over the freakin' place. You couldn't get away from it.

I have to say I have it and did not like it all that much - though I do like it. Though I LOVE her, she sometimes does strange things with her voice that kind of grate on me.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

But, nothing really sounded like Believe before it was released Cher was a little bit of pioneer there IMO. I think La Nicks could hit big with a ballad a la Landslide. That is what people want to see her do IMO.

It's simply unrealistic to think that a Stevie Nicks ballad would be a hit these days. If she's going to have a hit, she needs to do something that's jarring and surprising, something that will get picked up by radio because of that.

[David]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

See, I disagree a little here (respectfully of course ) - Everyday, POTU, and Sorcerer initially got plenty of airplay in Atlanta which is a major market.

Well, that's very weird, strand, because even though I don't listen to commercial radio, I still can't believe that new Stevie or new Fleetwood is requested by such a large number of listeners as to force stations to play it constantly. Are you saying that's what happened in Atlanta? So many thousands of listeners compelled the stations to put those songs on their playlists, cranking them over the airwaves dozens of times per day?

Interestingly, so did "If You Ever Did Believe." They also got airtime in my smallish hometown in Louisiana and I remember hearing them on the radio in New Yor City. I think the songs were good and the exposure was there but they just did not catch on - sadly so IMO.

Wait a second. Saying something "got airtime" is not quite the same thing as saying something is a big hit on the radio. It's not the former but the latter that sells albums.

"Catching on" is exactly what happens when you get a big hit on the radio. New Stevie & new Fleetwood doesn't do that ... not even in Atlanta.

[ontheEdgeof17]

Originally Posted by dissention

It's simply unrealistic to think that a Stevie Nicks ballad would be a hit these days. If she's going to have a hit, she needs to do something that's jarring and surprising, something that will get picked up by radio because of that.

I think EFO had great potential. However, her vocals should have been more intense and on target and it should have been a Stevie Nicks song and not a Fleetwood Mac song. It would have been a great first single out of the gate.

[strandinthewind]

I was responding to the comment that Stevie needs to get on the radio by saying those songs got airplay when they came out - they were given a chance to be hits - they were not wholly ignored by radio, etc. They did not, however, hit, with the exception of the dance remixes of POTU. So, I do not think getting on the radio is the problem. I think it is the lack on interest by the public, etc.