SCROLL ALERT -- I just finished reading the thread and want to label this post RELAX. It will all be fine. If you doubt it, listen to the music, enjoy it, and forget about the angst.
The music is great, Adam is happy, the album will sell.
F.M. Kirby Center @fmkirbycenter (10 minutes ago)
Public on-sale for @adamlambert begins in just 45 minutes. Should be fun (and fast)! Good luck! #AdamLambert
Make that not fun and instant -- there are only single seats in the upper levels available now. Took about 60 seconds for the remaining tickets to "GO".
Not a surprise that this sold out but it was sure fast!
Queen fans (I am an official Queen fanclub member) are amazed how fast the tickets sold. They have never seen anything like it. This is their first exposure to Adam fans. They will learn that there are few fans more passionate than Adam fans.
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On radio airplay, commercial success and Adam, there was an interesting article in Rolling Stone January 18, 2012.The author used the Boston Consulting Group matrix to explain the levels of success of various Idol.
Here is Adam's classification -- the title is not important because it was about companies in a business portfolio, not artists.
I can nitpick this but in many ways what he writes is true. "PROBLEM CHILDREN
In 2009, Season Eight runner-up Adam Lambert eclipsed that year’s winner Kris Allen from the very start and has since been the quintessential Problem Child for 19 and Sony. The eyeliner-wearing glam rocker recalled a punk aesthetic while belting out poppy dance anthems like Madonna and Lady Gaga. Lambert’s edginess was both an asset and a liability. In 2009, the market was looking for the "other," but Lambert was a loose cannon, and that could hurt potential sales. If the Idol Machine picked him up, he could be trouble from the start – yet with the potential for a high payout. Lambert's position in the matrix could shift up or down following the release of his new album, Trespassing, in March.
Lambert has potential, but his brand needs constant nurturing and policing to survive. Problem Children can become Stars or Dogs. They have the potential for high growth but they require significant investments of time and money and a lot of nurturing."Read more:
www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-american-idol-matrix-why-its-tough-to-create-a-superstar-20120118#ixzz1ssDbNc1j
Adam does not fit neatly into a radio format, he doesn't fit neatly into a box.Gaga appears to be different but her music is basically dance pop. It is designed to fit perfectly into a genre box.
So what does RCA do --- On the first cycle, they decide to try to avoid radio as much as possible and focus on TV.
They also release 4 singles with 4 target audiences:
TFM - classic rock power ballad - too retro for radio, no promo. Target audience - Idol classic rock Adam fans.
FYE - a gay man singing about S&M with a retro glam rock beat fused with dance pop. A niche song out of the gate. Target audience: ??
IMO -- THIS SONG IS THE BEST NON-HIT OF 2009. WWFM - safe adult pop track, Kelly Clarkson could have sung it, the song is a hit. Target audience: Adult contemporary, women,
IIHY - teen dance pop designed to appeal to a younger audience. (Remember this song was promoted on Disney.) Target audience: teen and pre-teen girls.
Then add in Idol and AMAs -- the two most famous moments in Adam's first year.
So by the end of 2010, Adam has passionate fans, has proven to be amazing live performer and bankable concert artist, but with a fuzzy brand image to a casual fan and somewhat unknown to pop radio listeners.
So on reintroducing Adam in 2012, RCA picks a song that is somewhat like WWFM, his big hit. And hopes to recapture his fame from Idol. When BTIKM has only modest success (with no lack of promo effort), they push the album back, spend 3 months talking to radio about what single they should pick, do consumer research, and end up with NCOE. (IMO an excellent choice for radio in North America.)
They also put Adam on the road in the UK and US to try to build support from Radio.
MY CONCLUSION: RCA is investing in Adam because they know he could become a star. They are also working to find a path to stardom using the traditional radio-centric promo path for a non-traditional artist -- and gayness is only a small part of what makes Adam different, "the other". Gay + alternative + theatrical + beyond genre + Idol??? + chameleon + 30 + + +++++
They have no idea what to do except follow the old playbook. But mark my words, the old playbook is not going to work. BUT I FIRMLY BELIEVE ADAM WILL WIN OUT IN THE END.WHAT WILL REALLY MAKE ADAM A SUCCESS? His music. RCA did one brilliant thing. They let Adam create this album. The music is great. It does not matter if there are pop radio hits on it on not. T
his album is going to sell and get critical acclaim. It deserve both.So if Adam has a string of pop radio hits, great.
And if Adam does not have a string of pop radio hits, whatever.
It really does not matter.
What matters is where this album is in December 2012 -- hopefully still selling and wrapped as holiday gifts.I want him to be recognized as the vocalist, singer-songwriter, artist, performer, and person he is. I do not want Adam watered down and repackaged to be acceptable to the 15-29 year old drivetime audience that CHR radio is designed to capture.
I want my Adam to be Adam. I want him to be around doing wonderful music for decades. So let me close my "rant" with a reminder about this rollercoaster that will last for months, here is the only US Top 10 hit by "Frankie Goes to Hollywood". It only hit #10 in the US, but most of us can sign along. Proves that US radio never knew what they were doing.
My mantra for the day -- RELAX.
