Part of me thinks U2 can’t fail, they took chances with Pop and Achtung Baby but not with the same impact as The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, well not for me anyway. It’s good that they are prepared to do that and probably the only band alive that can but in this day of dismal sales how will their new album perform? ( As I’m writing this I have yet to hear the whole of the album but I’m thinking, from what I have heard there are no real killer singles. So where will the mass radio play occur? It’s something that they are used to getting and it’s been instrumental to their sales.Will they hover around the 2 million sales mark like Bruce? Where will the sales they are used to come from? It’s not like they need the money, but the record label will and what will they be prepared to spend when their profits are diminishing? How will the expense justify the result?
The bottom line, will it make everyone what they are used to earning from a U2 album? Many, many unanswered questions. Time will tell and it’ll give us a sure fire indication of the times ahead. Once the accountants work out what Bruce and U2 have sold it will tell us a lot. Everyone in the industry will be watching, the goalposts have changed.
And what about the tour, where will touring be when they roll out? The promoters will have forked out a fortune and paid up well in advance I would imagine. With the economy in free fall will people just be able to afford it, no matter how good a show it may be? I doubt if anyone has the answer and they’ll all be watching nervously.
Downsizing, it has to be the way forward. I don’t think anyone can realistically tour in the way they did either. Touring has to be affordable for all, not least of all the fans. If there are no bums on seats then there’s no point touring at any level but of course touring will continue and now is the time to protect the endangered species before it’s too late.
Touring has been a very lucrative income stream lately for bands. It’s also money they get to keep when they are at the top end and not in need of tour support, something the record companies would love to change. If they aren’t making on the record they need to get some return on their investment and that’s why they are exploring other income streams.
There we go again, return on investment. That’s the bottom line, what you get back against what you’ve spent. Nothing more nothing less. Nothing to do with the act and building something, allowing them to develop and getting a return on their investment. In time. We used to call it careers but I’m not sure it’s a word the music industry uses anymore. Talk of careers and you’ll get a vacant look. We want it now!
I meant to write about Factory records, so what happened there?
