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Re: After an album, what?



>Pete has said recently that he accepts the fact that his solo releases will 
>sell a few thousand.  The risk is a new WHO album that sells as poorly as 
>PSYCHODERELICT.  Rock, like other aspects of the entertainment industry, is 
>a popularity contest, too (I just wanna be popular.....).

It depends.  If Pete does idiosyncratic, off-the-wall stuff, then he can 
expect that there's a small market for it.  The more mainstream the work, 
the more likely there'll be big sales.  Whichever, if word that it's 
available doesn't reach the intended public, then it won't sell.

In a way, art is the easy part.  Marketing is harder for the artist than 
producing the product--especially considering that artists aren't always 
equipped with the accountant type brains that keep track of costs and 
strategies.  Pete does tend to off-the-wall stuff (and John's even worse), 
so the amazing thing is that The Who material has sold so well.  It has to 
do with the philosophy, I think--the undercurrents that run through Who 
music that TED's solo projects don't contain.  That's what sells.

I think PSYCHODERELICT should have sold.  It's true that it's something of a 
personal type project, and oddball, as usual, but it contains all the 
elements that should make it sell--it has a great edge to it, and it's got 
sex and intrigue, and a big sell out at the end.  Great stuff, but I totally 
missed the fact that it was released, myself.  What kind of promotion did it 
get?  Just Pete's tour?


>When it comes to a new WHO album, Pete has the weight of THE WHO &
>it's entire history on his shoulders.  It's pretty much *his* band & he 
>knows it.  But it also involves many other people as well.
>
>That's a lot a pressure for Pete.  Pete pressure.

Why should he let all that scare him into silence?  Nobody can accomplish 
anything if they let all the baggage of the past tie them down.  It's NOT 
just Pete's band and Pete's responsibility, and trying to make it that robs 
the other members of creative opportunity.  They had gotten into this corner 
back in 1982, when Pete was trying to do everything himself, and likely 
Roger was right that they should have just backed off and taken another look 
at the process.  If they all share the work, then they share the load for 
criticism as well.  It's not like Pete is going to lose any credit for 
sharing, either.  If it's good work, then it reflects the same way on 
everyone concerned.

keets
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