Just imagine you work at Geffen Records. One of your signature acts of yore just came back from hiding a decade and a half with a “new” album that cost millions to produce. You strike a deal with retailers, you officially release the album and expect it to go through the roof. After all, fans have been waiting for years now. Of course you realize market conditions aren’t what they used to be back in the band’s heyday, but still: who would deny rock royalty a number one slot, right?
No wonder label executives were underwhelmed by Guns N’ Roses’ first week sales figures. In the United States “Chinese Democracy” is expected to clock in at 250,000 to 260,000 copies sold, not the predicted 300,000 to 784,000 units. And in the UK The Killers’ “Day & Age” sold some 200,000 units for the number one spot on the charts – 80,000 more than GNR.
So, what can be done? You play the PR card. You claim, Axl Rose has gone missing. That he failed to promote the record. That he absented himself for two months before the release date. The tabloids and even serious news outlets are all over the story. I doubt that this is going to lift GNR’s sales significantly. But the people at Universal are trying everything to improve their numbers. I suppose they paid Axl and Irving Azoff another hefty advance to get “Chinese Democracy” out in time for the shopping season.
Maybe the label should accept the fact that fans don’t really need to buy the album. It’s been leaked long time ago. And people found out they don’t like it all that much. Sure, they were interested in hearing it. The stream at MySpace attracted 8.4 million listeners. But that just goes to show that demand doesn’t always translate into sales.
[...] Anatomy of a flop. GNR’s “Chinese Democracy” at Best Buy? Nobody seems to care. Not even Axl. [...]