It's "Arcade Fire Day." Like Daft Punk and, to a lesser extent, Vampire Weekend before them, Arcade Fire and their people have done everything they possibly can to make sure that Reflektor is on the mind of the record-buying public.
I've been a big fan of Arcade Fire over the years, but I have to admit that the Reflektor marketing campaign has been getting on my nerves. That's mostly my problem, obviously. Everyone's got a right to make a living and to promote their product, right?
Our friend Mike V of The Everymen has a bit of a history on the business side of selling records, so I thought I'd ask him what he thinks of all the pre-release hype around Reflektor. He makes some good points, especially about the balancing act that big bands need to perform when selling to "tried and true" fans (like me) as well as new listeners.
On another, very important, note, The Everymen are playing their final area date of the year TONIGHT at Mercury Lounge. They'll be joined by Life Eaters, and all proceeds from the event go to the fight against MS. Go check them out if you can and support a good cause.
CDM: Arcade Fire's new album , Reflektor, is out today. In the run-up to the release we've been absolutely deluged with pre-release activities. There were mysterious Reflektor Instagram and Twitter accounts. I even saw folks fanning themselves with Reflektor fans at FYF, weeks before we ever even heard a single. What do you think of the pseudo-guerilla and other types of marketing that characterize the modern album release cycle?
MV: Innovative marketing tactics have ALWAYS been a component of the record business. From the trading cards, obnoxious merchandise and television specials of the past to today's crazed environment of hidden teasers, easter eggs and campaign rollouts which take longer to execute than the making of the album itself, thinking outside of the proverbial box to get as many eyes on a new record as possible is hardly new. But I think we have reached a possible (hopeful) critical mass of pre-release hype generation.
While a perfectly crafted marketing campaign can do wonders for an album, record companies must walk the fine line of just right and massively overdone. It really is just that simple to cross the line from the perceived ubiquity that all record labels strive to achieve in the days, weeks and months leading up to an album's street date to "ENOUGH WITH THIS FUCKING RECORD" and I think a lot of it has to do with the status and size of the band.
For me, those moments that are manufactured work perfectly when the band/artist in question is juuuuuust about to break into a new level. Try these overcooked stunts on a band no one really knows yet and it's just a waste of time, money and brain power because most people might not know that Weaselden* is a band - and not say a clothing line or a skate shop or whatever the fuck else people advertise. Weaselden should just be out playing shows, building their fan base and selling records on a face-to-face level, because that's where they're at in their career.
Do this with a band that's too big and you run the risk of most certainly alienating a lot of the band's tried and true fans. It's an ugly feeling when you see the band you discovered while they were still playing at Mercury Lounge shilling BS on cable television. But you still have to tell people that the band has a record coming, no? So that's that. Arcade Fire could have sent out a Tweet this Monday saying that their album drops the next morning and I'm sure they'd sell just as many copies as they will behind this absurd Reflektor campaign. The biggest bands in the world don't need all of that ramping up hype. In a way they simply just need to put a record out (see also: Radiohead In Rainbows)
Of course this all begs the eternal question (posed initially by Socrates, I believe) of exactly how much a turd can be polished.
When I see these huge, worldwide marketing campaigns the first thought that pops into my cynical mind is usually, "Well this album probably isn't very good if they're selling it THIS hard." Because despite what has become an en vogue idea, most records sell or tank based on the merit of their music. Sure there are some records that sell WAY more than they should, but we'll chalk that up to the musical narrowmindedness of the pop-loving public. And, as always, there are plenty of records that should have sold a whole lot more than they have because they are just that good. But justice will never be served. Taylor Swift will always be a multimillion seller and no one will ever really appreciate Yank Crime** the way it should be appreciated. But in the end it is the music contained on that disc or that plate of wax or that file of 0s and 1s that will determine the inherent value of whatever garbage you listen to. No one will ever remember the street team chalking campaign or the hashtag promotion or the bonus tote bag you got if you purchased the album at an independent retailer. But they will remember if your album sucks.
IN CONCLUSION!!!
As a very wise record man once told me, "Why bother with all of this stupid shit when we have a really. fucking. good record?"
Good day, sirs.
*Weaselden is one of my thousands of fake bands. We're a psychedelic polkapop power trio. We fucking rip.
**If you don't know this album go now and listen, my child. You can thank me later.
editor's note: I tried to be as contrary and anti-hype as I possibly could, but dammit if I don't think that Reflektor is pretty good. - CDM
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