Idolator
A late-breaking item, just hitting my inbox: according to Press Here, the Raconteurs' publicity firm, the indie supergroup featuring singer-songwriter Brendan Benson and White Stripes singer-guitarist Jack White, are one-upping, um, everyone else—not only will Consolers of the Lonely, the band's second album, be available digitally in a week, it will be in stores then. The press release after the jump.
The Raconteurs are happy to announce that in one week's time their second album, entitled Consolers Of The Lonely, will be available EVERYWHERE Tuesday, March 25th.
"Album" meaning: full length vinyl, CD and digital formats; and "everywhere" meaning: local mom and pop Indie retailers, corporate superstores, supermarkets, iTunes, Amazon, the band's own website and any other location that could get the record up and going this quickly (some places couldn't move this fast, so they will join in as soon as they can).
It contains 14 new recordings and is being released globally on Third Man Records in conjunction with our marketing/distribution partners, XL Recordings and Warner Brothers Records.
The album was mastered and completed in the first week of March. It was then taken immediately to a vinyl pressing plant. Then to a CD pressing plant. Then preparations to sell it digitally began. March 25th became the soonest date to have it available in EVERY FORMAT AT ONCE. The band have done no interviews or advertisements for this record before this announcement.
The purpose: to get the album to the fans as soon as possible and as we promised. We wanted to get this record to fans, the press, radio, etc., all at the EXACT SAME TIME so that no one has an upper hand on anyone else regarding it's availability, reception or perception.
With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important "first week sales". We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it's first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.
Another purpose was to also allow people to have their own choice as to exactly which format they would like to hear the album in IMMEDIATELY, rather than having to wait for their favorite format to become available. The band are also not releasing any version of this record that contains bonus tracks. Musically this album will be the same as the band created it no matter what format it is purchased in (The sound quality of each format however, is a different story. The Raconteurs recommend hearing it on vinyl, but the choice is of course up to the listener).
The band also prefer that fans buy the album as a whole instead of breaking up the tracks, but until iTunes and other digital services allows bands to release their albums with the option of NOT breaking it up, it will be sold in that fashion on those particular sites. On the band's website however, the album will be sold in its entirety as an mp3 at 320kb bit rate. Also in Japan, fans will be able to download the record via their mobile phones, as that is how a majority of recorded music is consumed there.
The reason we are announcing this release one week ahead of time is because of retail pre-ordering and stocking, information about this album's imminent release was bound to come to light and could be confusing to fans. Also in the event that the record leaks, we didn't want this method of release to be seen as a REACTION to such a leak. It's not. The actual worst thing about a leak is the usual poor sound quality, akin to watching a movie on a wristwatch instead of in a theater. Which for the album's creators is a bit of a letdown, but again, it is completely up to the listener.
There will be a video up on the internet for the first single, "Salute Your Solution", on the 25th as well, provided it gets edited in time. We just filmed it the other day!
We hope not to confuse anyone with too many options, or deny them the formats that they like best. The Raconteurs feel very strongly that music has worth and should be treated as such. Thank you to all those who respect music in this fashion, and thank you to our label partners for working with us to get this album to fans in as many formats as possible all at once.
So . . . whose move is it next? TV on the Radio? D'Angelo? Neutral Milk Hotel? The 1910 Fruitgum Company? Tell us what you think.
Comments
The next step is to go back in time and release an album in the past.
Does anyone else think it's strange how this seems to be as much about potential bad press as it is piracy?
I wouldn't say it's strange at all--makes perfect sense, in fact. If the rumor I saw at [www.rollingstone.com] is true, and White really did go in and demand his shit come out in a week, it's a pretty good piece of muscle-flexing on his part. But even as a critic whose income derives largely from writing about records before they come out, I don't have that much of a problem with this--letting the chips fall where they may usually makes for a better story anyhow.
@blackmailismylife: I'm not seeing that, but maybe its just a Rorschach Test on how one feels about Jack White. I think he's great, so I think this is awesome -- record an album and get it to the people right away. Maybe you just think he's overhyped, so you think its about avoiding bad press.
(Just a guess, maybe you're the biggest Jack White fan in the world and I'm a presumptuous douche. Always a possibility.)
Plus, I love that he doesn't wait 3+ years between albums like most bands these days. I have 80 gigs on this iPod dammit and they demand to be filled with good music.
OK, just as someone who works in the manufacturing aspect of this business: there is no freaking way they can turn the vinyl around that fast. Seriously. I don't know what plant they're using, but having vinyl to a distributor two weeks after the master is done is insane. CD, maybe. But vinyl?! I'm tempted to call shenanigans.
It must be nice to have guaranteed sales.
Judging from the band's first album, it'll be nice to have a mediocre product in multiple formats as quickly as possible.
Summing up:
"This way the fans can buy it before the reviews tell them not to"
at least the way the press release is written is mildly hilarious in that it kinda pokes fun at all this new model hoo-ha, nah mean?
I think this is a good idea. At the very least there are mainstream artists trying new methods of distributing their work because a system is obviously needed. As much as anything else, this plan, as well as the Radiohead and NIN plan, essentially makes it so everyone is essentially forced to hear the album at the same time. Something that has been lost in the digital age is the shared experience of hearing an album for the first time.
Plus, I'm psyched for a new Raconteurs album.
/Jack White fanboy
@futurehorse: Isn't RTI the only game in the States anymore? And, though I've been out of the manufacturing side for years, I think it could be done. I'm assuming WB has the muscle to make it happen (and they are doing boutique pressings of back catalog on a fairly regular basis.)
I'm with Matos, and the "bad press" crowd clearly have not been paying enough attention to Jack White's M.O. That's not to say the new Raconteurs record will be great or anything, but his motivations are actually pretty simple:
1. He likes physical product, especially vinyl. If he's going to do a Radiohead or NIN-style insta-release, it's got to include physical. I would imagine, like Apple preparing for the release of a new iPod or something, they secretly went into pressing the vinyl, like, a week ago. Tough but not impossible.
2. The thing that pisses him off most about the digital economy is prerelease leaking. Remember the radio-DJ chew-out incident last year? He gets apoplectic at the thought of people hearing his new music before it's officially released. This aligns him, ethically, with the record-company stooges releasing his product, but really, it's more a function of Jack's control-freakness than anything business-related.
So basically, this is a post-In Rainbows release, Jack White style. Unfortunately for him, he probably won't be able to pull off this level of surprise twice.
I want to go back in time and fix every "it's" in that release.
imitate a cat puking
@futurehorse: I am going to assume that Mr. White pressed this record, like all his previous records, at United Record Pressing in Nashville, which would mean a one week turn around is completely doable. If you live in town and can stop by the plant, the folks at United will turn your product around faster than a Spitzer resignation - and I'm sure they do it even quicker when you are one of the world's best known vinyl entusiasts. He may have used another plant but Chris and the other folks at URP are the only ones I think could pull it off so quick.
We might be able to get 1910 Fruitgum Company back together? SWEET.
So? The only thing left is winning the coveted Idolator worst album cover. Good luck, and wishing the band the very best on a clean sweep.
I guess the part about 'someone defining it FOR YOU' is what rang an alarm.
Maxim rated it two and a half stars before they even recorded it.
@Hiphopopotamus: Hahah, well played.
And I agree with Chris and Matos in that I didn't get a sense that this was done to avoid bad press. I didn't care much for the first album, and I have a feeling it's probably more of the same, so at this point you're either on board or you're not.
In any case, I'm all for avoiding the awful two month lag between when an album leaks and when it's actually available for purhcase because there's nothing worse than already being fatigued over something before even getting a chance to hear a note of music.
@michaelpop: And is there really such a thing as bad press for an artist like Jack White? Modest Mouse, Wilco, and the Shins turned in albums widely regarded as letdowns last year (that Modest Mouse album was doggy doo) by pretty much everybody, and I saw them all over top ten lists with loads of feature press (aka positive press). Jack White has entered the Wenner Seal of Approval Club, so how can he get less than four stars, quality be damned?
Good idea, I hope it goes well for them. One of the best things about the In Rainbows release was the genuine event-ness of everybody getting the album at the same time. If its a success we'll be talking of a 'new model' for the press soon, a model than involves reviewing albums that are already out in physical form rather than leaks of albums that you'll be bored of by the time they're out.
@BawstonSean:
Just got off the phone with United and they didn't press it, for whatever that's worth.
Indie retail seems pretty happy about this.
sky blue sky is seriously underrated
If everyone listens to this release ALL AT THE SAME TIME I fear that we're headed for a disaster of biblical proportions! Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies, rivers and seas boiling, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Sounds to me like Jack White is kinda pissed that Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor beat him to the creative punch, so now he's just scrambling to find something to make him cutting-edge and trend-setting or whatever. I don't care how the product is released. I just want it to be good. As soon as someone realizes THAT'S the priority, I'll start getting excited about these new forms of release.
==TJ==
PS I say this as a fan of Jack White's work in The White Stripes, and a satisfied customer of In Rainbows.
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