anniversary of BBCentral

[punkinhead]

We're comming close to the 1 year anniversary of the "opening" of BeachBoysCentral.com     

[the captain]

We're also just a few months past the 40th anniversary of the release of Smile. So...

[punkinhead]

good call my friend

[Rocker]

I wonder if that site could be opened without the downloads, etc. and they can still try to get them on this on a later date. I just think the BBs need an up-to-date site not like their official one on Capitol, which looks great but never has any real news other than "Sounds of summer" or "Warmth of the sun" is released. No word on the touring or even the pairing of Al and Brian. I'd be grateful for such a site, even if downloads won't be available in the beginning.

[Aegir]

http://beachboysband.net

[HeyJude]

I wonder if that site could be opened without the downloads, etc. and they can still try to get them on this on a later date. I just think the BBs need an up-to-date site not like their official one on Capitol, which looks great but never has any real news other than "Sounds of summer" or "Warmth of the sun" is released. No word on the touring or even the pairing of Al and Brian. I'd be grateful for such a site, even if downloads won't be available in the beginning.

I think it would be great for either the official Capitol site to be more comprehensive and up to date, or for a site like BB Central to serve that function. But at least from my point of view, the whole point of the BB Central website was for the release of outtakes of some sort. So seeing it change into another "official" website that simply has news and tour dates would be quite a let down.

I don't think all of the various websites always to a great job of staying up to date on news, but if you lump together a number of the official or semi-official or fan club-type websites, there isn't much we're missing. For tour dates, one usually doesn't miss much by checking the respective official websites and beachboysfanclub.com (plus ticketmaster.com and pollstar.com). Brian Wilson's website has sometimes been slow on tour dates either simply from dropping the ball, or because they can't "announce" a tour until a certain date. On at least one occasion, the November 2004 San Francisco "Smile" show, the website never listed the date, ever! I think for pretty much every BW tour, I've learned of the tour date that I would likely attend either on message boards or Ticketmaster or Pollstar.

So, I'm not at all down on the idea of the BB Central site being a comprehensive, updated "official" site. And, if the release of outtakes is not ever going to happen, I'd like to see it function as that comprehensive official site rather than nothing. But the release of outtakes is really what I would hope the site ends up being about.

For the most part, I usually get the most news, and certainly usually the first word of news, on message boards like this.

[XY]

Happy Birthday 'coming soon' page!

I don't know if a page with previous unreleased material for payed download would be very lucrative. A couple of hard core fans would pay for the files, but sadly, most people would get them through other channels.

Better releasing something you can't download like a revolutionary, interactive DVD where you can mix your own "Surf's Up" album on the PC with a virtual mixing board program. Plus bonus tracks of course.

[HeyJude]

Happy Birthday 'coming soon' page!

I don't know if a page with previous unreleased material for payed download would be very lucrative. A couple of hard core fans would pay for the files, but sadly, most people would get them through other channels.

Better releasing something you can't download like a revolutionary, interactive DVD where you can mix your own "Surf's Up" album on the PC with a virtual mixing board program. Plus bonus tracks of course.

I'd love an interactive DVD like that, but geez, I'd think that such an interactive mixing sort of thing would appeal to an even more narrow group of "hardcore" fans, since it would require somebody who is both a hardcore fan and somebody who has the interest and/or knowledge to mix, etc.

The unreleased material indeed would not sell a ton of copies, but that's part of the reason (or at least, I've assumed that it's part of the reason) behind releasing the stuff direct to fans, because Capitol/EMI isn't interested in putting out disc after disc of archival material that usually doesn't even hit the Top 200 album charts and probably sells in the 5-10,000 copies.

If they release outtakes via the BB Central website, there would no doubt be people who would get it through "other channels" instead of paying for it. But the people who won't buy a single disc or a few discs of outtakes and will only try to get a free copy are the type that would never buy the CD even if it was in stores. People who never bought "Pet Sounds" but only download or get a burned copy or something are people who are never going to buy anything anyway. I think there are plenty of fans who will buy either download or physical CD's (which is what I prefer) through BB Central to make it successful for what it is. I think the people who would put the site together are aware of the potential market for the material.

Heck, maybe they can get Capitol interested again based on the success of "Warmth of the Sun", but I somehow doubt it. I can't believe how many people (including the "official" Warmth of the Sun blog) are salivating over the possibility of a *third* compilation to follow up on "Warmth of the Sun" and "Sounds of Summer." No! Let's get some outtakes! Or some stereo remix album presentations! Anything but another compilation! I support the compilations when I do because of the theoretical idea that this will then make Capitol more interested in future BB releases including archival releases. But when they continue to follow up with more hits compilations, I don't see the pay off in supporting the compilations anymore. Plus, there has to be diminishing returns if they continue to compile these CD's by ruling out stuff that is already on "Sounds of Summer" and "Warmth of the Sun". As successful as "Warmth of the Sun" has been, it hasn't been and will not be nearly as successful as "Sounds of Summer", for obvious reasons.

It would be nice if Capitol would at least issue the "Surf's Up" DVD-Audio, since it's presumably finished and just sitting on a shelf somewhere ready to go.

Hey, here's an idea: Maybe Mike Love and Al Jardine can try to market their in-progress (presumably) solo albums through the BB Central website! Run a special on the site or something, where they release an archival BB album of some sort, and then offer a deal where you can get the new BB release and Mike and Al solo albums all in one package for a discount.

[Rocker]

Hey, here's an idea: Maybe Mike Love and Al Jardine can try to market their in-progress (presumably) solo albums through the BB Central website! Run a special on the site or something, where they release an archival BB album of some sort, and then offer a deal where you can get the new BB release and Mike and Al solo albums all in one package for a discount.

That's a great idea imo !
But I guess there will be lots of problems with that (although I don't know or can't say which kind of). But they'll probably even sell more as if they do it via their own websites.



Back to this again: I'd think even a regular website (with the infos we can get on message boards) would be great for newbies to have a place where they can start. With a link to this board, it would be cool. Then put some of the official music videos online plus some live-fottage and it would be great for beginning. And maybe later they can get to the downloads when they are finished with the legal side. At this point they have the site and the "coming soon"-sign, they could as well start an interim site

[Emdeeh]

It looks like the domain name registration has expired, as of July 5.

[Black Tiger]

that's pretty pathetic

[punkinhead]

yeah, that totally is...

[Aegir]

After a month of nothing happening, I knew it would eventually come to this. I'm not let down or surprised at all.

[mikeyj]

Just because the domain name has expired doesn't mean that it won't be back. Obviously it cost money to register a ".com" and maby whoever is in charge of paying for that domain feels that they won't register the domain name again until they have definately sorted everything out and THEN they will register it again. I mean whats the point of paying for a domain name if its just going to sit there doing nothing?

[Dancing Bear]

whats the point of paying for a domain name if its just going to sit there doing nothing?

BRI should have asked themselves this question in the first place, before even announcing the project.

[mikeyj]

whats the point of paying for a domain name if its just going to sit there doing nothing?

BRI should have asked themselves this question in the first place, before even announcing the project.

Yeh I couldnt agree more. Id rather not have known about it and then one day be pleasantly surprised with heaps of officially released rarities.

[Black Tiger]

it costs about $5 per year for a domain name

[mikeyj]

it costs about $5 per year for a domain name

Well it all depends where you buy it from as well as if you want ".com", ".info" etc.. I know its not expensive but I think your missing the point, unless the people (ie: BRI) who are running this website are actually going to use it, then whats the point of having it AT ALL?? Its not so much the cost, my point was just to say why pay for something that your not going to use. For example why should I register a domain name if im not going to use it? Its just pointless, I might as well buy a few chocolate bars or something. So when they are going to open the website then hopefully they will register the domain name again.

[Susan]

Now, however, having registered it once, i would think they would want - need? - to register it again and keep that registration current so that someone else doesn't register the name.

[XY]

Honestly, I always saw BeachBoysCentral as some sort of revanche regarding unfulfilled promises in BB fan land.

[Emdeeh]

It iS possible they don't know the domain has expired. Does Alan Boyd know?

[Alan Boyd]

He does now!

[Susan]

...

[XY]

Wow, the most famous Coming Soon page in BB history is back online!

[melissalynn]

Yay, now I can keep my dream alive that someday that site will be up