17489, RE: The Business Posted by spirit, Sun Apr-01-01 06:53 PM
>>Shit, how many singles did >>Sisqo get to put out? > >Got To Get It, Thong Song >(mega-bubble), Incomplete (sat in the >top 20 for quite awhile... >i think it even hit >#1). They were smart >to stop after "Incomplete" so >as not to interfere with >his DMX collab, and to >not overdo it anymore than >they already had. > >Voodoo still had a lot of >potential, i just think that >Virgin got scared and didn't >want to risk having another >single flop.
i think you may have missed my point.
i brought up sisqo to demonstrate that even a mega-successful r&b act doesn't get to see very many singles releases (i thought it was 3, but wasn't sure). the point is, virgin released a fairly typical number of singles from the D record. i don't think they were scared, i think they were pragmatic. they did what they could with an unconventional modern r&b record. and i'm sure you realize that "voodoo" wasn't an easy album to market in today's r&b climate. i hope you also realize that r&b albums as a general rule are pretty hard to market. if your r&b artist doesn't have a hit on radio, there's not much else you can do. (contrast that with hip-hop, where cats with little radio play can still go gold...because you've got mix tapes, college radio, and hip-hop media...there isn't an R&B equivalent to The Source (don't say Vibe, the analogy doesn't work*)...there isn't any level of serious R&B mix tape scene...it's a hard thing to push...r&b crossover is an uphill climb, for whatever reason, so you have to break the urban market or die...).
* Vibe tends to mix it up: hip-hop, R&B *and* pop. Any given cover might go to a hip-hop artist or a pop star, but how many R&B male quartets have you seen on the cover? R&B female soloists? Anyway, when R&B cats are in Vibe, it's superstar level cats like R. fucking Kelly ("fucking" is officially a part of his stage name now, btw. ha.).
I could talk about this all day, but I won't.
I am of the opinion that Virgin did okay: not great, not horrible. You disagree. It's all good.
Know that R&B records are hard as fuck to market though.
I would respect your opinion a lot tougher if you threw up an alternative marketing plan. What would you have done?
Thoughtfully yours,
Spirit
http://www.mp3.com/miscellaneousflux - Just listen, you will believe...
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