*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Pretty much standard practice today, what with  albums basically being used as a loss intended more as an advertisement for the live shows.

[the captain]

Especially for acts whose new albums honestly aren't likely to compete with their back catalogues.

[HeyJude]

Just a note for those wondering about the lack of promotion and trying to extrapolate how that (and its eventual beginning) might affect the timing of the album: U2 today dropped its new album in full--digitally available for free from iTunes for the next six weeks or so--without any advance press. The New York Times, in fact, just recently had a brief article noting they've been working on it for years and noting there wasn't any obvious resolution to the album's eventual plan. (In hindsight one wonders if that was a planted story.) That means in the past year two of the biggest sellers on Earth, U2 and Beyonce, have dropped albums with no notice or advance press whatsoever. There have been others, though I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

Point being, don't be surprised at very little or no notice for the new BW album. It could happen either way.

All fine points. But in at least some of the cases of artists "dropping" a new album as a surprise, the fact they had an album finished and ready to release was part of the surprise. In the case of Brian, we know he has been working on an album and that it will probably be released in the last quarter or so of this year. There's no big surprise to drop, if indeed what we end up getting is a new solo album with some guest stars. If we see a totally different album or other project announced that we knew nothing about, then that would be a big surprise.

If a new Beach Boys album drops at the end of the year, that's the sort of "surprise" some of these other artists were going for: A project whose creation itself has been kept a secret to some degree. If they announce tomorrow that the "Beach Boys Central" website is launching this month with oodles of unreleased material, that's a big surprise.

But I don't see it as a big surprise if we simply don't get months or forewarning of a new Brian album coming out, one which we've known he's been working on and intends to release sooner rather than later.

[Ron]

Personally I would take the lack of promotion as a lack of confidence in the album by the record label.  If they thought it was going to be HUGE they'd talk about it ahead of time.  I would think they believe it's going to get the fanbase buying it so it doesn't matter how far in advance they talk about it. 

I hope I'm wrong though, like mentioned above with the U2 thing, the record industry has really changed a lot in the last 10 years so the old way of doing things isn't necessarily always the best way to do it. 

[alf wiedersehen]

I think what they're doing is actually quite clever marketing.

They're not paying big bucks to advertise it on television or radio or magazines or.... What they're doing instead is promoting the record to the fan base he already has with Facebook/Instagram/Twitter (probably, does he have a Twitter?) which is entirely free. Plus, articles are frequently being published about Brian and his album, sometimes in Rolling Stone, other times on well-known music sites. I mean, what music journalist doesn't want to talk to Brian?

Also, to gain a bigger audience, they've made a smart move in releasing the album almost in tandem with the movie. The press, reviews, and hopefully the film itself will get some new fans of Brian's, who can now conveniently buy a new album that he's just releasing.

And this is all free on Capitol's end. I think they're doing a fine job.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Me too. The attention from the film is going to drive attention to the album.

[Wirestone]

Not sure how the timing works out, though. Film isn't out until next year. Will the album be delayed?

[guitarfool2002]

I don't know how anything leading up to today can be considered a lack of confidence. As mentioned, record labels have changed drastically, the whole business has changed drastically, artists could conceivably make more money from YouTube ad revenue than actual hard album sales, and why would they promote anything which as far as most people know doesn't even have a tracklist or a title which has been solidified and released.

You wouldn't start the promotions machine rolling without something concrete to promote. Even if it's an old school or new school PR campaign, that's basic marketing logic.

Hey, come to my new restaurant! What's it called? I'm not sure yet. What's on the menu? I'm not sure yet! When does it open? I'm not sure yet...just make sure you come! Classic promotion.  

BTW, the whole U2 free online album thing/gimmick/schtick was a corporate promotional tie-in with Apple. I fucking hate Apple, but I dig U2...anyway, U2 got money for their music, they didn't "give away" something for free. As it should be.

Let me make that clear: The band may not have charged fans to "buy" the album, but they were compensated I'm sure through a good deal with Apple using them to tie in with their product promotion. So there is not and should not be a call from cheapskate fans for artists to give away their music for free or expect not to get paid for their work.

Off soapbox.  

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Not sure how the timing works out, though. Film isn't out until next year. Will the album be delayed?

The hype is going on right now, though, and when the album comes out soon, it'll benefit from that. Lifespan will be limited, like all albums these days, so that's likely why promotion will be limited. Movie out next year, and so's the book, and I'm sure he'll be doing some shows around that time, too.

[GoodVibrations33]

Found on the blueboard, Brian's new album titled, "No Pier Pressure".  Street date:  11/4/14.  http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/

[Shady]

Found on the blueboard, Brian's new album titled, "No Pier Pressure".  Street date:  11/4/14.  http://www.directcurrentmusic.com/

Hello!!

That deserves it's own thread

[guitarfool2002]

What the hell??? How did that site get that anyway?  

Something is amiss. Or not.

[guitarfool2002]

What the hell???

Sorry, I'm just baffled by this.

[alf wiedersehen]

Well, that is a wretched album title.

[Shady]

I kind of like the name, I guess

It's too late, I gotta think about that in the morning  

[Niko]

My guess is: that's fake info

[guitarfool2002]

No new announcement threads until this gets confirmed, OK?

Something doesn't seem right about this, unless someone royally f***ed up at that website. Hmm.

[Shady]

No new announcement threads until this gets confirmed, OK?

Something doesn't seem right about this, unless someone royally f***ed up at that website. Hmm.

That's probably the right move

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Is this for real? I actually like the pun in the title, but you'd think Brian's FB page or website would've announced it first. I'm not sold on it being legit until I get it from a legit source.

[GoodVibrations33]

From what I can tell, it's nowhere else on the 'net yet.

[GoodVibrations33]

No new announcement threads until this gets confirmed, OK?

Something doesn't seem right about this, unless someone royally f***ed up at that website. Hmm.

That's probably the right move

Yea, that's why I just slipped it into this one.

[guitarfool2002]

This definitely has to be confirmed officially, first.

A quick search, even the official BW website turned up nothing for me either.

[The Dumb Angel]

Man, I kinda hope that title's legit! It's f***ing awesome!

[guitarfool2002]

All I can add is there is *nothing* but nothing on any of the official news feeds, social media, Capitol...nothing.

This is either a hoax, or someone f***ed up at that site. You don't announce an anticipated new album like this, you just don't.

Either it gets confirmed, or that site will have some questions to answer.

Damn, another soap opera. 

[Pretty Funky]

Is Al associated with that site perhaps?