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Thread started 02/08/06 10:14am

GottaLetitgo

Will 3121 Peak Too Early?

Love the attempts at marketing the album so far. Te Amo created a little buzz, Black Sweat gets the fan base charged and then we are taken to the peak of ecstacy with the tremendous SNL appearance. Okay, now what? There is a month and change before the album comes out and we have already heard 3 songs off of it, TAC, BS, and presumably Fury will be on there too. Have we gotten too much too soon is my question. When you release something (TAC) 3 months before the album comes out, and it subsequently is not that successful, it seems like too much lead time. Now Black Sweat is out, single number 2, and if it doesn't fly on the radio (a very strong possibility) do you release single number 3? I'm just afraid that by the time March 21 rolls around, the buzz will be gone, the SNL performance will be forgotten about, and it will be just us Orgers out there at the store buying the album. Decent debut, falls off the chart in 10 weeks or less. That would be a huge disappointment for an album like this which just appears to have so much potential.

Musicology seemed to get the timing a little better, even though I'm liking the stuff from this album more than I liked anything on that one. I wonder if the release date can be moved up or if it will puncture a hole in Prince's universe if the release date doesn't have something to do with the numbers 3121.
All good things they say never last...
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Reply #1 posted 02/08/06 10:17am

MickG

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Diffrent Marketing Plans.

Each have there own positives vis negitives.

One Must Keep The Eye On The Goal.

I would tend to trust a company named universal.
News: Prince pulls his head out his ass in the last moment.
Bad News: Prince wasted too much quality time doing so.
You have those internalized issues because you want to, you like to, stop.
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Reply #2 posted 02/08/06 10:21am

ThaStrike

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GottaLetitgo said:

Love the attempts at marketing the album so far. Te Amo created a little buzz, Black Sweat gets the fan base charged and then we are taken to the peak of ecstacy with the tremendous SNL appearance. Okay, now what? There is a month and change before the album comes out and we have already heard 3 songs off of it, TAC, BS, and presumably Fury will be on there too. Have we gotten too much too soon is my question. When you release something (TAC) 3 months before the album comes out, and it subsequently is not that successful, it seems like too much lead time. Now Black Sweat is out, single number 2, and if it doesn't fly on the radio (a very strong possibility) do you release single number 3? I'm just afraid that by the time March 21 rolls around, the buzz will be gone, the SNL performance will be forgotten about, and it will be just us Orgers out there at the store buying the album. Decent debut, falls off the chart in 10 weeks or less. That would be a huge disappointment for an album like this which just appears to have so much potential.

Musicology seemed to get the timing a little better, even though I'm liking the stuff from this album more than I liked anything on that one. I wonder if the release date can be moved up or if it will puncture a hole in Prince's universe if the release date doesn't have something to do with the numbers 3121.


Well, don't forget the "other" single we've heard from the album ("Beautiful, Loved, & Blessed"). wink

But, to answer your question, I think Universal knows just what they are doing. They are very experienced at this type of thing (marketing), and just may use that experience to get the type of results they are after. You have to remember...the "buzz" caused by the recent SNL performance is just the tip of the iceberg. If you saw their "wishlist", they have quite a few of these types of "activities" to keep the buzz going (or even progressing). I'd expect another few live performance showcases (via major TV outlets) in the near future...leading up to (and past) the release date.

Even if what you say is in fact the case. I wouldn't think it'd be so bad standing outside my local record shops with fellow orgers. Well...some of them anyway...wink

Just my 2 cents.

Strike
As usual, this is only my 2 cents. Of course, I could be wrong...
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Reply #3 posted 02/08/06 10:22am

Anx

at least they're being creative.

i think the different songs are aimed at different demographics - te amo is more of a smooth soul/adult contemporary thing; black sweat is more of a pop/club song; and fury, if it goes on to become a single, is more of a glam rock song for people who want another 'cream' or 'let's go crazy'.

the tamar song, meanwhile, is straight-ahead r&b.

even if his songs middle out the way they've done over the past decade or so, they'll be middling out on lots of different charts. that can't hurt him too much.
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Reply #4 posted 02/08/06 10:23am

GottaLetitgo

ThaStrike said:

GottaLetitgo said:

Love the attempts at marketing the album so far. Te Amo created a little buzz, Black Sweat gets the fan base charged and then we are taken to the peak of ecstacy with the tremendous SNL appearance. Okay, now what? There is a month and change before the album comes out and we have already heard 3 songs off of it, TAC, BS, and presumably Fury will be on there too. Have we gotten too much too soon is my question. When you release something (TAC) 3 months before the album comes out, and it subsequently is not that successful, it seems like too much lead time. Now Black Sweat is out, single number 2, and if it doesn't fly on the radio (a very strong possibility) do you release single number 3? I'm just afraid that by the time March 21 rolls around, the buzz will be gone, the SNL performance will be forgotten about, and it will be just us Orgers out there at the store buying the album. Decent debut, falls off the chart in 10 weeks or less. That would be a huge disappointment for an album like this which just appears to have so much potential.





Musicology seemed to get the timing a little better, even though I'm liking the stuff from this album more than I liked anything on that one. I wonder if the release date can be moved up or if it will puncture a hole in Prince's universe if the release date doesn't have something to do with the numbers 3121.


Well, don't forget the "other" single we've heard from the album ("Beautiful, Loved, & Blessed"). wink




I'm just kind of disregarding BLB right now, with it seeming like a separate project entirely. Ironically, it may do the best chartwise of the early singles.
All good things they say never last...
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Reply #5 posted 02/08/06 10:26am

Universaluv

Not necessarilly,

Seemed like Te Amo was intended as more of a teaser then a single to get major airplay. They pushed the video for TAC, got a little press, and after that we didn't really hear about any promotion of it for radio airplay. Basically, in retrospect, it doesn't seem like Universal intended TAC to be a chart-topper (although it seems to have done fairly well internationally).

Now, Black Sweat is getting alot more promotion by Universal as a potential hit. Maybe it will hit, maybe it won't. The SNL performance seemed to spike interest the CD considering the recent jump in presales on Amazon. The fact they will be repeating that performance the week 3121 is released should help.

It's probably a safe assumption that between now and the album release, there will be some additional promotional efforts by Prince and Universal to keep a buzz going.

If Black Sweat does alright as a single and they continue to promote the album, the album could sell just fine.
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Reply #6 posted 02/08/06 10:30am

GottaLetitgo

Universaluv said:

Not necessarilly,

Seemed like Te Amo was intended as more of a teaser then a single to get major airplay. They pushed the video for TAC, got a little press, and after that we didn't really hear about any promotion of it for radio airplay. Basically, in retrospect, it doesn't seem like Universal intended TAC to be a chart-topper (although it seems to have done fairly well internationally).

Now, Black Sweat is getting alot more promotion by Universal as a potential hit. Maybe it will hit, maybe it won't. The SNL performance seemed to spike interest the CD considering the recent jump in presales on Amazon. The fact they will be repeating that performance the week 3121 is released should help.

It's probably a safe assumption that between now and the album release, there will be some additional promotional efforts by Prince and Universal to keep a buzz going.

If Black Sweat does alright as a single and they continue to promote the album, the album could sell just fine.



I guess my concern from a marketing stand point is if Black Sweat is not a hit. Radio is going to put forth a lot of resistence. Heaven forbid he break into a slot that they can play Ne-Yo for the 50th time. It's his strongest single in years but is it strong enough?
All good things they say never last...
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Reply #7 posted 02/08/06 10:35am

livewire

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I think there is potential for "3121" to shoot its wad too soon. P and Uni just have to be extra diligent in keeping the project in front of the public. A string of appearances on the level of "SNL" wouldn't hurt AT ALL. Nor would Universal getting the singles heavy airplay.

Peace, David
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Reply #8 posted 02/08/06 10:35am

booyah

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Sometimes I wonder if Prince's musical diversity is his own downfall when it comes to 'comeback' albums - it's true that all the songs we've heard so far seem to intentionally fit different dynamics. But does that mean that listeners of different stations will only hear one track? Would they buy the album only knowing one track? Would they be disappointed if that was the only track in that style? If they knew ahead of time that the other songs were different styles, would they avoid buying the album? After all, you can't be all things to all people.
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Reply #9 posted 02/08/06 10:51am

ImYours

Nah. I don't think that Universal will let the album sizzle. They are basically showing the different sides to the album, from ballad to funk joint to high-powered rocker.

[Flame snipped: behave - BananaCologne]
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