Christine is working on a new album

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

Then they'd be doing it for creative reasons only, because they wouldn't really make money off it. That's fine, but would it happen?

Thesedays, revenue principally comes from touring. Record sales don't bring a vast fortune in for the writer or performer, even at their level. Plus, John and Mick wouldn't make anything significant, as their income comes from live performance.

Then there's the advertising. As you point out, in order to sell anything, word needs to spread. You do the press stuff, all over the place, but that requires travel, which Chris might object to. Even then, you can't sell a record by a handful of TV spots.

Realistically, if you want to shift records, you need to get out there and play live.

Yes, touring is the big money-maker, but I think people tend to overestimate its importance in selling new discs by veteran artists. Most albums by older acts sell most of their units to the die-hard fans during the first week of release; hence the album debuts high on the charts and then falls quickly. If the tour doesn't start for a couple of months, the album might not even be on the charts anymore. And when there is a lot of publicity in any form (concerts, TV, etc.) what really gets a boost is the older catalog, like Rumours or Greatest Hits.