From Billboard: U2 Dismantles TV: 'SNL,''CSI,' 'O.C.'

[tkramer]

Some of this we know, some we didn't...

U2 Dismantles TV: 'SNL,''CSI,' 'O.C.'

To accompany its upcoming album, U2 is planning a coordinated blitz that will visit touch down on U.S. television networks. Having already seen and heard in a frequently aired ad for Apple's iPod, the Irish rock act is planning a live appearance on "Saturday Night Live" and will have songs included on at least one popular drama.

The performance on NBC's "SNL" is slated for Nov. 20, the weekend before Interscope's scheduled Nov. 23 release of "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." Actor Luke Wilson ("Old School," "Bottle Rocket") will host. The band last appeared on the late-night variety show in 2000, performing "Beautiful Day" and "Elevation" a little more than a month after the release of the album "All That You Can't Leave Behind."

The band will achieve further saturation as new album cut "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" will be heard during the Dec. 2 episode of Fox's "The O.C.," a network spokesperson confirms.

Additionally, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has already featured a snippets of first single "Vertigo" in an episode, and will reportedly add "Atomic Bomb" cuts into two upcoming programs. A spokesperson for the network was unable to confirm details by deadline.

Along with a standard CD release, "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," will also be available on vinyl, as well as two CD editions with a bonus DVD featuring footage of U2 in the studio plus performances of as-yet-unnamed songs. The deluxe version will house the CD and DVD in a 48-page hardbound book.

-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.

 

[mikal]

hmm....i wonder what song will be featured tonight on CSI.

 

[Lancemc]

hmm....i wonder what song will be featured tonight on CSI.

probably All Because of You or something most of us have already heard. (in one form or another)

 

[AtomicLemon]

"CSI" Investigates New U2

by Charlie Amter
Nov 2, 2004, 5:45 PM PT

Pity the television fan who doesn't like the music of U2.

After a blizzard of Apple iTunes commercials featuring the band's new single, "Vertigo," blanketed television screens nationwide in October, the band is once again turning to the tube to usher in a second wave of exposure.

To promote their new record, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which drops Nov. 23, the Irish foursome will pull musical guest duty on NBC's Saturday Night Live later this month. And, in an even more novel strategy, the band is teaming with CBS' runaway hit CSI to will roll out tracks from the album over the next few weeks, E! Online has confirmed.

A snippet of "Vertigo" played in last week's CSI, while the show's 100th episode on Nov. 18 will feature a special remix of the single. Another track, to be determined by the band, will appear on the Nov. 25 episode.

Meanwhile, in a sign that the band is reaching out to a different demo, a mix of the new song "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" is slated to air during the Nov. 25 episode of Fox's The O.C..

While the soundtracks to many TV shows feature modern rock acts to cross-promote the music and sell the show's hipness (see: The O.C., Felicity and even The West Wing), never has a band of U2's caliber taken advantage of the tactic.

Precious few bands wield enough clout to cherry-pick shows for their promotional purposes, especially when the show of choice is the top-rated on television and will air during the high-stakes November sweeps.

"I think that U2 and their manager Paul McGuinness have been extremely smart," says music supervisor G. Marq Roswell of 35 Sound. "The show [CSI] is a proven success and this is a way to expose them to an entirely different demographic that may or may not be aware of their new release."

Roswell, who has worked as a music supervisor on films like Auto Focus and Spy Game, thinks U2 knew exactly what it was doing when the band agreed to license its music to CBS' number one drama.

"When a group like U2, who are so notoriously careful with licensing their music, agrees to rollout three tracks on a show like CSI, that's huge," he says. "That's the McGuinness way. As a manager, he's always been extremely smart in realizing how the music business is changing--and I would have to say he's usually been right about it."

Roswell says U.S. television viewers can expect to see more bands attempting to promote their new records via partnerships with television shows in the future.

"Managers are starting to realize that TV has such a huge audience," he says. "They know the demographics of the shows, and they see immediate sales spikes right after the show airs whether it is CSI or even a WB series."

Aside from the TV blitz for the band's old media fans, U2 is also using the Internet in hopes of enticing some younger music fans who may not be down with the lads from across the pond.

Last week, the band announced it has teamed with Apple to release a special-edition black iPod. "Vertigo" has been available on Apple's iTunes Music Store for weeks and is currently the most-downloaded track on the music service.

And, as if November couldn't get any busier for the biggest band in the world, U2 is considered a lock to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this month in its first year of eligibility. The band, now almost 30 years into its career, was nominated for the Hall of Fame in September.

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Hmmmm... I wonder if the 2nd single will be out in december then?

 

[FullonEdge2]

So if another song would be premiered on CSI tonight, would it have appeared already? Vertigo was on in the intro last time. So far tonight, nada.

 

[FullonEdge2]

well, no new song

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

no new u2 but one hell of an episode.

 

[FullonEdge2]

man though. The show just gets freakier with every episode

I didn't watch it all, but there were maggots, woman torture, murder, and gore.

 

[Mark Freedman]

man though. The show just gets freakier with every episode

I didn't watch it all, but there were maggots, woman torture, murder, and gore.

Yeah, it was cool, though. Several years ago, a show like this would have freaked me out. I wonder why it doesn't anymore? The desensitization of our world, I assume, especially in today's world.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

man though. The show just gets freakier with every episode

I didn't watch it all, but there were maggots, woman torture, murder, and gore.

yes, but the show isn't about the murder... it's about the solving of the murder, or whatever crime they're investigating on any given week. this episode was actually a continuation of a show from two years ago.

 

[Queen Bee]

I was looking forward to a new U2 song every week until the 25th. Oh well.

Awesome episode this week on CSI though. My love for this show has finally been rekindled.

 

[Tip Top Prince]

Ok - so now that most of us have heard the album, which song will be the second song they play on SNL - assuming vertigo is first?

I'll vote for COBL - but maybe MD.

 

[ramblin rose]

Isn't U2 supposed to sell out on tonight's episode of CSI?