Make or Break for Jovi ????

Bounce7800 · #21 05-30-2007, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p34semm

Hi new to the forums this is my first post so please be nice !!!

...Welcome, as youre from Romford thats good with me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butters

As far as commercial success in the UK goes I don't think they have a make or break album left, I think they've already broken. The performance of HAND was so dissapointing. The tour was huge, especially pushed along with them being the first band to play at Wembley but the album did nothing. I think it was down to a combination of shockingly bad promotion (lip-synching on TOTP and an appearence by Jon on Frank Skinner) and poor single choices.

Bon Jovi have become so focused on the US market...

Totally agree with everything in this post. The album can hardly be make or break if the record company cannot be bothered to promote it properly. If such a situation was to occur, then they would promote the hell out of it and expect a smash hit.

The UK promotion is woeful and very annoying. They need to get the band over here and get them on what few shows there are. Get THE WHOLE BAND on to interview and perform. And make sure ALL the music channels have the video- not just VH1 and the odd other one, but everyone. When Im channel hopping I want to bump into the video.

They have been left behind by the Internet too. A lot of bands for instance use their Myspace page to much better affect. I know they are a poppy-kiddy band, but Mcfly will bombard you with bulletins left right and centre so you know exactly what is happening. It worked for their last single- as well as plugging it to text download at their gigs it shot to No.1. It free-fell down to No.20 straight after, but thats what a really good promotional burst can do. And that was the 4th single off their album. Bon Jovi cant seem to do anything for the lead off single for an album that isnt even released.

Another good example of decent promotion is with my current 2nd fave band, Kaiser Chiefs. When their album came out, you couldn't help but know the album was out. They were everywhere that week and thats how it needs to be with Jovi: plenty of promotion and lots of live performances; and the Kaisers were doing sets with a few songs in plus the new album tracks. That will get people to buy the album, a live performance of a couple of songs from LH. Channel 4 have had a "4music" presents... programme of a few bands lately when they have new albums out, with a short performance of 3/4 songs with a classic thrown in, and an interview. Id love to see a Jovi one, but I wont hold my breath.

Unfortunately it is true that they seem to only want the US market, when back during TD they didnt want to know, but they dont even seem to do the minimum of promotion needed. A telecast of the O2 event would be perfect to get people interested, and boost sales of the album but yet again we know that wont happen.

The problem is every release I have the same moans, but it just gets worse. Total laziness of the part of the record company, and to a point the band. Id love to see it improve in the weeks leading up to the album release but I know its just the same old story and will only get worse.

Jovimimi · #22 05-30-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butters

As far as commercial success in the UK goes I don't think they have a make or break album left, I think they've already broken. The performance of HAND was so dissapointing. The tour was huge, especially pushed along with them being the first band to play at Wembley but the album did nothing. I think it was down to a combination of shockingly bad promotion (lip-synching on TOTP and an appearence by Jon on Frank Skinner) and poor single choices.

Bon Jovi have become so focused on the US market that they release songs they feel will work there and expect the same everywhere else, but it's the complete opposite. Commercial sounding songs don't work here. If they had released songs like Last Man Standing or Novocaine in the UK they would've really helped their reputation over here, which isn't exactly steller. Releasing crap like Welcome does nothing for them.

I can't see how Lost Highway is going to reverse the trend. The album is out in two weeks and I haven't seen the video once on the music channels. It's not surprising that they're not getting radio play but their videos are usually in heavy rotation but I don't know if the video stations even have it and I don't expect they'll do any sort of additional promotion for the album other then the O2 show. Besides, given the fact that it's a "country album" it's probably best that it goes completely under the radar a-la TLFR and then they can maybe come back with a bang with their GH2 and follow up album a-la Cross Road/These Days.

I have very little complaints about their post 2000 releases. I do however see your point about them playing it safe and I think that's all down to the dissapointing performance of Destination Anywhere. Jon as a songwriter and musician had progressed so far at that point and when that album didn't turn out to be a huge success he seemed to regress to a much safer and less challenging style which is dissapointing. I can't help but think if he had a Damien Rice mentality what sort of albums we could've got.

Jon is obviously desperate to stay commercially successful and I'd love to see them stay in the U2 bracket but with their reputation that's never going to happen and I wish they would just embrace their Springsteen bracket. They'll always sell out stadiums but chasing the hit and chasing the young audience is only going to result in them making substandard albums and alienating their loyal fans in the hopes of attracting a large group of fickle fans for a short time. If Jon let go of his desire to be commercially successful and totally embraced a desire to be artisticly successful it would obviously go a long way to them fufilling their potential and it might well bring them back to the top of the music industry.

Also, it's good to know that the GH2 will be TD-Lost Highway only!

such a GREAT post ... I totally agree with your view of the jovi situation today

Shaz · #23 05-30-2007, 02:17 PM

Welcome to DC. Very interesting post...and I agree with what you say.

Very similar situation here...made more so by the band not touring here [and other places] for 10+ years. IML was a big hit here and Crush was their 5th. consecutive debut no.1 album...but since then, it's sort of gone to hell in a hand basket. Good thing they are a great live band as it off sets the downturn in commercial sales success, particularly in places like the UK. Unfortunately, not touring in places like Oz etc., for 10+ years doesn't help the decline either. Die hards over here are just the same as die hards in other countries...no matter what the *tone* of their album, no matter single/s being released or not, they buy regardless. But the die hards are not the majority...the *casual* fan base is. At least here that is the case. In the absence of a cracking single to follow IML, coupled with no tour, it was inevitable that there would be a decline - the charts and radio play show that [IMO] With regard to radio air play here, these days all you hear if it's Jovi being played is the faithful stalwarts of LOAP, Bad Name, Wanted, Blaze [techincally not Jovi], very occasionally an appearance from a 90's single - nearly always BOR or Always, with ISWID making the rare guest appearance, and post 2000 - IML. Being a great live band doesn't do you any good if the fans who were back into Jovi courtesy of IML, aren't going to see the band perform live.
Bounce went head to head with, I think it was the Elvis No. 1's [or something like that] so a no brainer that it would not debut here at no.1. HAND [for me a far better album than Bounce on a lot of levels] only managed to debut at no.8...the worst result for a Jovi album here since before NJ.
HAND got a fair push on radio here, but again, the single debuted at no. 8 [same as the album] and both plummeted off the charts within 3 weeks. And, for the first time I can remember, least since SWW, there was no push of any kind for WYWYA here.

With respect to LH...Sanity and JB Hi-fi both have the album listed for pre-order...but I have not seen, read, nor heard, a single thing on radio, TV, magazines about it....and as far as MAM goes, pretty sure it is not being released here....and given the level of recent interest, or dis-interest as the case may be, that might be the right decision.

Whether it is a make or break album remains to be seen I guess. In the US [where they have been warmly re-embraced ] and say, Japan [certainly for me, a country that would be the one that would herald a universal down turn...if they fell/fall off the radar in Japan, that, for me, would be the indicator that the end was nigh] the album will do very well. Internationally...we will have to wait and see.

S.

Captain Walrus · #24 05-30-2007, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butters

I can't help but think if he had a Damien Rice mentality what sort of albums we could've got.

Could you explain exactly what you mean by that?

JoviForever · #25 05-30-2007, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kathleen

I think that if there was a make or break for this band it would have been before the last album. Their contract was up for renewal for one. Bounce didn't sell well and TLFR bombed. The box set was never going to be a best seller.

They needed a hit and whether or not you like the entire HAND album - it was a hit. The tour was huge. They have now signed their new record deal and I think at this point they are practically untouchable. If a few more albums bomb - they might be back in the same boat - but I don't think they are there yet.

Kathleen

YOur talking very much from a US point of view.
Certainly in the UK it's not like that. The media as a whole show very little interest in anything Jovi. They can't get the TV coverage, radio is now ignoring them in the same way that they've ignored the likes of Def Leppard since the mid 90's. Even concerts aren't selling as they used to. Only the Southampton gig sold out last year and that was becuase it was the smallest venue!
I'm not sure I believe the poster about the 2nd greatest hits though.
A) It's not been mentioned for months so is it even coming out as planned in the Autumn?
and B) Why on earth would they only include songs from TD and LH? They don't even play These Days songs in concert, so if anything that album will be ignored altogether!

Cross Road · #26 05-30-2007, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman

Make or break? They're one of the biggest rock groups ever. If they want to do a country album, no one can stop them.

Agreed. Jon could do a rap album and no one would stop him.

TheseDays2005 · #27 05-30-2007, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cross Road

Agreed. Jon could do a rap album and no one would stop him.

I'm pretty sure his recordcompany will though. What are you all thinking Jon is Elvis, Jackson or Bono?

not even close.....

Solid Sambora · #28 05-30-2007, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cross Road

Agreed. Jon could do a rap album and no one would stop him.

Don't go giving him ideas...

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Originally Posted by Mongoose

Only 2000 for the boxset? O.o

I'd put that down to the price rocketing to £40-£60 shortly after release. I went out and bought it on release for £20, but I'd been aware of it and looking forward to it for ages and 'had to get it'. Someone who isn't a huge BJ fan like most of us, might see 'Bon Jovi - New Album' on the shelf at the standard price and pick it up, but isn't likely to pay upto £60, especially considering all the tracks are listed as 'b-side' and 'demo'. From their point of view, it's a huge amount of money to pay for the 'cast-offs' of old albums.

Quote:

Originally Posted by p34semm

I have a little info on the Greatest Hits 2 album - its all songs from These Days - Lost Highway - IMO that make it a poor album compaired to Crossroads.

This is great news - one for the fans. It would have been easy to release a rehash of Cross Road, hoping the appeal of Prayer etc will pull in more sales.

rainsong · #29 05-30-2007, 10:23 PM

It seems to me that what is going on is the reverse of the 1990's. Back then BJ couldn't get airplay or a promo show in the US if they had written the greatest song of all time. The US record label was focusing it's energy on grunge and then teen pop, Bj just wasn't part of anything they were doing.

Now it seems the UK and Europe are in that trend. Whatever is going on in your music scene BJ isn't a part of it in the minds of the record companies or the radio/tv programmers. so BJ is once again going about their business just in the US this time, where at least for now BJ is once again "in".

As for Lost highway, since it was a between big tour records side project and was done with no particular goal in mind, ie.... not for a tour, the lack of promo for it isn't really surprising, tlfr had the same small promo. My guess is that the unplugged show that the band is doing next week will be LH song heavy and will be used as the bands biggest promo overseas since it seems it will premiere simultaneously on mtv, vh1 and cmt.

As for Jon being able to make whatever record he wants, IDJ US seems to have given him the greenlight for working with whichever label under the umbrella that suits his and the bands creative pursuits at the time.

rockaffair · #30 05-30-2007, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoviForever

YOur talking very much from a US point of view.

And that's the only market that really counts when it comes to the record deal.
And that's the only market BJ seems to be interested nowadays.
LH is the best example: it's 100% produced for a market that only is big and successfull in USA.

So ... why doing annoying promo somewhere in the world when they have their biggest tour and success in the USA since the 80s?

Make or Break for Jovi ????

General BJ Discussion