lazarus said:
What lessens the excitement is the whole rigid, corporate-mindedness of the whole thing. Sure, they're experimenting in Fez and all that, but McGuinne$$ says it has to come out in the fall, and that's all there is to it. You're never again going to experience the joy of a Zooropa, which wasn't known about until what, a month before it came out? 4 months between recording and release? There's no point in even dreaming of some kind of early surprise, because it ain't happening.
You get the sense they are following a pre-determined schedule instead of making the music when they want to, and instead of releasing it when it's ready, when marketing research says it is. Pop didn't perform (relatively) poorly because it came out in the spring, it was because (a) people weren't ready for it, and (b) they didn't pick the right singles. Zooropa, which still managed to go multi-platinum, didn't approach Achtung's sales because it was fucking OUT THERE, and they didn't tour it in the U.S., not because it came out in the summer.
What the fuck do these guys have to prove? The bravest thing they could do isn't make Punk Rock from Venus, it's putting something out when it's done and not waiting for Mr. Moneybags to say when.
While you raise valid points in that neither "Zooropa" nor "Pop" had strong lead-off singles (and that "Zooropa" wasn't really promoted much in the U.S.), I have to agree with McGuinness on the timing of the release.
Holiday album sales are huge - even in the era of illegal downloads. In fact, it's the one time of year that an artist can really sell a decent sum of albums. Maybe you do not care about such things, but if I were an artist and just spent several years working on an album, I know I'd want people to buy it. And the best time for that to happen is during the holidays.
A solid album will sell well any time of year. Kanye's newest album is set to sell about 800,000 copies its first week. However, I can guarantee that had he released this album in a few more months, it would have crossed the million threshold and maybe more. In fact, if Kanye's album catches on, look for a huge holiday boost where he may come close to matching these first week sales then!
Holiday sales mean that a top selling album may chart again or resurface in the Top 100 the following holiday season. Both of U2's last two albums (not the compilations) saw a significant second holiday season boost. ATYCLB sold almost as many copies during its second holiday season as "Pop" did in its second-fifth week of initial sales (in the U.S.).
Maybe you feel that U2 shouldn't care about sales, but they do - in fact, they have for a very long time. It's always been their goal to produce high quality music with a message that also connects with the masses. They are one of the few artists ever to successfully accomplish this. I will not begrudge U2 releasing an album in the 4th quarter if it means stronger sales. In fact, I even take pride seeing U2 at the top of the album charts!
All of that said, given that U2 clearly aren't ready for an album release any time sooner, I think releasing next fall is perfect timing. Any sooner and they may be rushing it - and I don't want that. So many factors go into a hit album - not just good music. Great lead off singles, the right promotion, TV appearances, videos, possible commercial tie-ins, etc. are needed. Gone are the days when artists would get played on the radio just by releasing an album. With the advent of MTV, suddenly more and more was at stake. A strong video spurred interest. An appearance on TV spurred interest. And, now, sadly, commercial tie-ins spur interest. Many artists, of which U2 may be one, might not even receive much radio airplay if their song doesn't immediately generate tons of interest. Commercials and TV appearances and such are needed. It's a sad reality, but hit music stations have a shorter attention span that most teenagers - it's either a hit NOW or it's off the air in a week.
Strong holiday sales also help catch the attention of the industry. When HTDAAB sold nearly 840,000 copies its first week in the U.S., that made news. "Vertigo" received more airplay. The album stayed in the Top 5 through the holiday season and was certified as Triple Platinum come early 2005. These strong sales in turn helped the tour.
If you are all about the music, the good news is that, IMO, U2's music is still very good. And really, does it make a big difference if they release an album in July vs. October? Logic dictates that fans like us will buy it whenever, and the casual fan is more likely to buy it or receive it as a gift during the holidays. It's a winning situation for both U2 and the fans - if you can tolerate those few extra months.
