From: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org (navy-soup-digest) To: navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Subject: navy-soup-digest V5 #11 Reply-To: navy-soup@smoe.org Sender: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk navy-soup-digest Tuesday, January 15 2002 Volume 05 : Number 011 In This Digest: ----------------- Some other thoughts on the Sarah's label issue [Greg Teltschik ] re:Album Release? ["T Taitt" ] Re: Album Release? [What? Management ] Re: Album Release? ["Kelly Goodlad" ] Re: Album release? [JewelEDA21@aol.com] RE: Album Release? ["Bartholomew, Bill" ] Re: Album release? [Paul Schreiber ] Re: Album release? [JewelEDA21@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 06:38:16 +0000 From: Greg Teltschik Subject: Some other thoughts on the Sarah's label issue I've been reading all the thoughts (and fears) over the last couple days about Sarah's new album, and the conspiracy that is her delayed album date. Sometimes I find it thought provoking, sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, and sometimes informative. But I felt that I had a little to add to the conversation. I don't really know all the details surrounding Sarah's contract with Atlantic, but it seems to me she's been very lucky in that regard. They've given her liberties and freedoms that other artists can only dream about. I have to think that she must have a very good relationship with someone at (or previously at) the label who was very much a fan of her work and saw the incredible potential she has. I think one of the things that becomes very easy to do is to view any large corporation or government entity as some monolithic, impersonal beast hell-bent on world domination. (Sounds like something Buffy would want to slay.) I have to say that we often forget that any organization is made up of people, just like you and me. In the case of the major labels, this means that there is a whole host of people who have something to say about various decisions that are made. Some of these may be real music fans looking to promote real artists. Others may have been music fans once, but have lost that spark. Others may have been nothing but business-people since day one. Make no mistake about it. Music is a business, and the labels are run like businesses. Artists are not judged necessarily on their artistic merits, but on the monetary return they can generate for the label. If an artist no longer fits in with the market direction or isn't generating the expected revenue, you can expect things will change. In today's market of dwindling CD sales and industry consolidation, that means that labels will be taking what seem to be draconian measures, like releasing once-prominant names from their contracts. And they will certainly use the terms of the contract to their advantage. That, my friends, is unfortunately how big business is run in this country. But there is something that stands in the way of all this business decision making. It's those people within the organization who still really care about the music. If they have the right clout, they have the ability to retain an artist who doesn't seem that promising today, but who shows tremendous promise in the future. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. I suspect that Sarah may have someone like that working for her within Atlantic. As a music fan who keeps track of many different artists, I've seen all sorts of delays to album release dates. I know of one that was delayed because the label wanted some of the tracks rerecorded. I know of another delayed because the artist wanted to rerecord something. I've also seen delays because of other intelligence, such as what else was being released on the same date, or when a tour was scheduled to start, terrorist activity, etc. And yes, you may find that some releases are delayed because someone at the label isn't happy with the results. It happens. With respect to Sarah, I personally have no preconceived notions about why the album is delayed. For all I know, there were production problems. Maybe it is signs of something afoot within the label. Maybe it's as simple as a shuffling of priorities. I don't know, but I'm willing to wait and see what happens. I only hope that if the album is never released, we'll eventually hear the whole story. Or at least Sarah's side. As a side note, I have to say that while I can't call myself a fan of the big record labels per se, I don't immediately hate them, either. I don't think that independent or small labels are necessarily better in all regards. They have just as much potential to abuse artists as the big guys, except you don't hear about it as much. And I think it rather strange, but the small labels that grow into big labels don't seem to be that much different, often adopting several of the same policies and procedures that they once disdained. The major labels are serving the mainstream market, giving the masses whatever they want, whether it be real music or just drivel. You and I may feel more enlightened because we recognize artistry as opposed to commercialism, but it doesn't mean that 90% of the record buying public is necessarily wrong in their musical taste. As examples, the folks listening to Eminem embraced Dido (some of us remember her when), and somehow Lyle Lovett - a truly acquired taste in music in my opinion - suddenly found legions of fans among the Metallica metal-heads (he opened for them on one or more tours). I'm not sure if any of this made sense, but I hope it did. I get tired of these bashing sessions no matter who the target is. Oh, another side note. I saw something about a large group of artists working to get real reform in the music industry. They want artists to have more control over their works and receive a bigger share of the take, among other things. I'm all for it as it does seem that there is some imbalance in the current situation. Greg Greg Teltschik gteltschik@mindspring.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 08:57:00 -0500 From: "W. L. Estes" Subject: Re: Album release? I'm also thinking of the troubles I had getting a copy of Weeping Tile's _Valentino_ because Warner and WT had a falling out. Mind you, if all the copies of the album had sold out, or been lost in a fire, I wouldn't be bringing this up now. But: If no one sells the album, I can't buy it. I have no idea why the release date was pushed back, and as others have pointed out, the delay could have any number of causes. But, I am disappointed for the simple reason that I have been planning to buy this album for months. I have held off on buying the EP because all the new material on the EP will be on the LP--and there isn't that much new material on the EP[1]. - --Will [1] New recordings of old songs hardly count in my book. Especially what with my low bank balance these past 10 months or so. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 00:56:50 -0500 From: "T Taitt" Subject: re:Album Release? If Warner has moved the date back from February 26 it's likely a wise idea. That's the release date for Under Rug Swept (which I can't wait to finally hear in its entirety!) and it's likely that anything else coming out that day will be an afterthought. Not to us, of course =), but to many. March 19 is probably a good move. - - Tanisha. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 10:51:58 -0500 From: What? Management Subject: Re: Album Release? Tanisha wrote: If Warner has moved the date back from February 26 it's likely a wise idea. That's the release date for Under Rug Swept... Yup. Good ol' Alanis Morissette. Three guesses as to why we fought to have "Night Bugs" pushed back... :) Cheers, Heather ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 13:00:07 -0500 From: "Kelly Goodlad" Subject: Re: Album Release? >Yup. Good ol' Alanis Morissette. > >Three guesses as to why we fought to have "Night Bugs" pushed back... >:) I SAW that on the board at HMV... of course! :) Cross your fingers nothing big's happenning March 19th. ;) _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 13:04:15 EST From: JewelEDA21@aol.com Subject: Re: Album release? In a message dated 1/14/02 12:34:36 PM, badlass@hotmail.com writes: << The same thing happened with Juliana Hatfield and the album "God's Foot" >> I love gods foot. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 13:01:09 -0500 From: "Bartholomew, Bill" Subject: RE: Album Release? can someone explain the benefit of having a release pushed back as opposed to being bumped ahead of schedule (by a week or two)? this rarely makes sense to me. thanks in advance, bill b > ---------- > From: What? Management[SMTP:heather@whatmanagement.ca] > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 10:51 AM > To: T Taitt; navy-soup@smoe.org > Subject: Re: Album Release? > > Tanisha wrote: > > If Warner has moved the date back from February 26 it's likely a wise > idea. > That's the release date for Under Rug Swept... > > > > Yup. Good ol' Alanis Morissette. > > Three guesses as to why we fought to have "Night Bugs" pushed back... > :) > > Cheers, > Heather ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 10:43:59 -0800 From: Paul Schreiber Subject: Re: Album release? sophie b. hawkins had a similar problem with _timbre_[1]. her then-label, sony/columbia, sat on it for a year and a half or so. at that point, sophie mentioned her problem during a radio interview in florida. well, one thing led to another and soon there was a web site set up, and sony execs were getting phone calls, letters and faxes form fans everywhere. (sophie claimed to be surprised at the number of fans she had after a 5-year hiatus.) the album did get released in july of 1999. sony gave the album as much promotion as i give mariah carey (read: fuck-all). the first single, "lose your way," got picked up by a few stations and was remixed for the _bounce_ soundtrack. shortly thereafter, columbia and sophie parted ways. sophie got to keep the rights to _timbre_, and she re-relased it on her own label, trumpet swan, which is an imprint of rykodisc, in april of 2001. sophie's touring has been sparse, however, and she only hit california after i moved back home. she didn't manage to make it to toronto in the 15 months i was there. now that i'm back in cali, she's in germany. [aside: of all the musicians i like, she's the only one i haven't seen in concert. it's been five long years.] paul shad 96c / uw cs 2001 / mac activist / fumbler / eda / headliner / navy-souper fan of / sophie b. / steve poltz / habs / bills / 49ers / your love is better than ice cream / better than anything else that i've tried / - -- Sarah McLachlan, "Ice Cream" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 17:05:17 EST From: JewelEDA21@aol.com Subject: Re: Album release? In a message dated 1/15/02 2:45:17 AM, shrub@mac.com writes: << sophie b. hawkins had a similar problem with _timbre_[1]. her then-label, sony/columbia, sat on it for a year and a half or so. at that point, sophie mentioned her problem during a radio interview in florida. >> are you on the Sophie list?! :) i thought i was the only one!!! word, sophie just added some more cali dates. peace, seb ------------------------------ End of navy-soup-digest V5 #11 ******************************