April 28, 2006
The NYT Reviews MercyMe
The New York Times reviews Christian band MercyMe, which shouldn't be as surprising as it sounds, considering they moved two million copies of the album Almost There, thanks to the hit song "I Can Only Imagine."
But what is surprising is this statement about the genre of Christian rock:
In an overwhelmingly Christian country, it may seem strange that Christian rock even exists as a niche genre; if rock better reflected American demographics, then secular rock would be the niche.
I'm not sure what planet the reviewer lives on, but the fervent brand of Christianity expressed in the niche genre of Christian rock doesn't quite match up with the watered-down brand of Christianity weakly embraced by this "overwhelmingly Christian country." That's the reason Christian rock is such a niche, and, interestingly enough, it's the same reason bands like MxPx, P.O.D., Switchfoot, dc Talk and more are branded as sellouts by some in the fervent Christian niche who see mainstream success as an embracing of a watered-down Christianity.
Posted by kevin at 9:23 AM | TrackBack
August 17, 2005
The Flood of Greatest Hits Collections
Interesting story on the greatest hits collections that seem to flood the market, even if an artist has few hits, few years in the business, or few albums. Hilary Duff released has released two albums, the first in 2003, has no hits, and now has her own best of.
Mainly greatest hits collections are a chance for record companies to make more money. Often it's about putting the best songs on one CD, even if they're not all hits. It makes it more likely the casual shopper will pick up a disc, and more likely crowded store shelves will have room for one CD, as opposed to two or three CDs from a single artist.
Posted by kevin at 9:20 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Bono Explains the Commercial Connection with Apple
U2 received a lot of flak last year when they appeared in an Apple iPod commercial playing "Vertigo," the single from their new album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Greg Kot with the Chicago Tribune became especially frustrated with what he saw as the band's continual missteps. U2 front man Bono heard his complaints and said, "We need to talk" (registration required). The result was a candid sit-down interview where Kot was able to get his questions answered. Here's a bit of the conversation...
Continue reading "Bono Explains the Commercial Connection with Apple"
Posted by kevin at 10:37 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 2, 2005
Cake Talks Tours, Downloads & New Albums
Alt-rock favorite Cake is enjoying the buzz from their latest album, Pressure Chief, touring the country twice and releasing a country-fueled EP on iTunes.
Some have wondered about the sponsorship deal on Cake's current tour, but frontman Josh McCrea dismisses it as part of doing business and points the finger at illegal downloaders, theorizing about the direction of the music industry:
"I think more and more with the way the music industry is, bands are gonna start taking cues from NASCAR racers and wear ads on their outfits. That's given the fact that people want music for free, yet they might not realize in order for it to be made that artists have to pay for studio time, food and rent. It's basically a case of spoiled children wanting free candy, and though it's easy to want things for free, it's hard for musicians to convince landlords that rent should be free."
McCrea goes on to talk about Cake on tour and how they rarely use a set list, often playing what they feel like:
"We're not a fancy jukebox or the dancing bears at Chucky Cheese, so sometimes we forget to play something people want to hear. But we're definitely very comfortable with the concept that we’re in a service occupation where we have to balance wanting to do the right thing musically with being there to entertain people and give them what they want."
Posted by kevin at 10:24 AM | TrackBack
