Niceman
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
And you've been in contact with U2 and Universal at some point in the last 3 years to determine this?
We don't know how U2 or Universal are looking at things. They could very well be looking at it solely from a sales perspective, sure. But after No Line's relative failure (and no, it wasn't a failure, but I'm sure it disappointed sales wise to them, through no fault of Boots or a March release, but just through the fault that CD sales just aren't there anymore unless you're appealing just to a tweenager audience), and 360°'s raging success, I'd say that the tour is the most important thing for U2 in terms of sales.
In terms of "success," I think they're looking for one song that will be all over the radio, in Starbucks and getting good reviews among the music bloggers. They're looking for something that will be successful to a huge variety of people. And even if they come up with that song, it'll make little impact on that album's sales.
I'm sure that somebody at Universal and somebody inside U2's camp realizes this. I'd be willing to bet that being home for the holidays and touring when they like to the most (summer months) means more to them than an extra 150,000 units sold at Best Buy at this point in their career.
Of course, *I* haven't been in contact with anybody either, so it's just my speculation versus yours, but I don't think it's fall or bust anymore. I just don't think that mentality can really exist in 2012-13, when all the money is made either digitally or on tour.
Again, it boils down to this: it'll be released when U2, collectively, think it is ready to be released, and not a moment sooner or later.
Yes, I have no other recourse but psychic powers to determine that Universal and U2 care about record $ale$.
If you want to call this speculation, be my guest, but I don't believe Universal Music see themselves as a not for profit. Their recent crowing about what a good year 2013 was going to be for them was clearly based 100% on expected record sales, and not on tour sales - of which I'm not even sure how much profit Universal even sees.
Sales in 2012 might not be what they were in 1992, but the music industry still cares very much about maximizing it. And I don't believe I'm speculating when I say so.