The Raconteurs: Reinventing The Wheel
Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Yesterday I received an email from one of my record company contacts. Inside, it spoke about a brand new album due for release March 25th. It didn’t say who it was, it didn’t say the album’s title either. Just that something was coming. I admit, for a second I thought/hoped it might just be the long awaited “Chinese Democracy” from the Guns N Roses. Then I thought it might be the new Foxboro Hot Tubs, who is actually Green Day, and whose single “Mother Mary” has been moving up the Jack Nation Countdown.
Today, the cat’s out of the bag. The artist in question is The Raconteurs (featuring the White Stripes Jack White, in case you didn’t know). Having finished their second album “Consolers of the Lonely” just a few short weeks ago, the band didn’t want to wait it out for months before getting it out the world. Here’s what they said in their press release.
“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. 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 its first week sales, pre-release promotion or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it.”
What a great idea. No need to worry about leaks, or bad reviews, or any reviews for that matter. Just get the music to the people. “Salute Your Solution” will be the first single, with a video hitting the web next Tuesday along with the new album. The only question is…will you listen?
If you’re not familiar with the Raconteurs, check out the video to their 2006 single “Steady As She Goes” below.
Today’s bonus word is: RACONTEURS