SickthingsUK

In order for an album to go gold, it has to move 500,000 units. Let's look at the facts:
- The ridiculous amount of promotion
- CD
- Vinyl
- iTunes (bonus tracks business)
- The amazon sales ranking (for preorders alone)
- The release on myspace
- Word of mouth
- His accompanying tour
- Possible deluxe "Tour Edition" of the album, including the bonus tracks

It doesn't seem like it will be too difficult to move 500 units. A Gold certified record is just the attention Alice deserves.

>- The ridiculous amount of promotion

That's an exaggeration.

TeresofBlood wrote:- Possible deluxe "Tour Edition" of the album, including the bonus tracks

Is there anybody on this planet that will only start listening to ACAS after the release of this final edition ?

No, it couldn't, I think

What I meant by the tour edition comment is that it will likely sell many copies from people who
a) already own it and want the live stuff / bonus tracks
b) people who heard of it, but never purchased
c) people who downloaded it and now see enough incentive to purchase it

There are any number of reasons. I think most of us here will admit that if a tour edition was released the likes of the deluxe edition of Billion Dollar Babies, we'd go for it.

Judging by the sales of Alice's last few albums, I think it highly unlikely.

People may be missing the point. I would never have expected this to go gold, based on the sales of Alice's previous few albums, but those were relatively quiet releases compared to this. When is the last time an Alice album had so much buzz and incentive around it?

Fans of Slash's guitar work might be interested. Fans of Ozzy Osbourne might be tempted. Three different releases simultaneously (vinyl, CD, iTunes + bonus - each counts separately) could triple sales.

I don't recall this much hooha over Dirty Diamonds. Plus, if he really goes all-out on the tour, with a show equally as theatrical as Welcome to My Nightmare, that is sure to boost sales as well.

I can remeber Eyes having a great review in Classic Rock, propbably the best mag to get a rave review, in this country at least, and I don`t think it made too much difference.

I think the days of Gold albums have long gone, especially as now illegal downloads are so readilly available. Damn the WWW.

TeresofBlood,
it sounds like you and I are the only people who still believe that Alice could actually do this. Get ready, because people get mad if you are "too fanatical" about Alice.

Funny, huh?

i did buy 3 copys 1 signed 1 digipack and 1 vinyl,where all most there

Trouble is, being `fanatical` tends to cloud a persons judgement of what is realistic.

If you think selling 500,000 albums is a possibilty when previous albums sold only a fration of that, I would say its more a case of being dillusional.

Whenever I go to Newbury Comics, they have signed copies of stuff in-store. I called them a couple days ago to make sure a) they were getting the vinyl and b) to make sure they were getting the signed copies. They said they won't know until the night before the release. AHHHHHH!

GailsFriend wrote:TeresofBlood,
it sounds like you and I are the only people who still believe that Alice could actually do this. Get ready, because people get mad if you are "too fanatical" about Alice.

Funny, huh?

Are you sure that "fanatical" is really the word you wanted?

Fanatical
adj. Possessed with or motivated by excessive, irrational zeal.

With 3 versions available, it can do triple the business of Dirty Diamonds. It must be selling well to be so highly ranked on Amazon, also.

And if there is a theatrical tour to back it up, there will be concert reviews in every major music magazine. People who notice such reviews may then consider taking a look at the album (hopefully in a legal fashion).

I wouldn't call myself fanatical, but this is sure as hell going to outsell that last few albums three fold. Maybe that isn't gold material, but it sure kicks ass.

TeresofBlood wrote:With 3 versions available, it can do triple the business of Dirty Diamonds. It must be selling well to be so highly ranked on Amazon, also.

What would that prove? So sales for this album would be higher than the last couple....so what? It wouldn't be due to more people buying it. I would be because the fans are buying multiple copies.

GailsFriend wrote:TeresofBlood,
it sounds like you and I are the only people who still believe that Alice could actually do this. Get ready, because people get mad if you are "too fanatical" about Alice.

Funny, huh?

This is an inaccurate statement.

It's when being too fanatical leads to inaccurate information sharing, coming to conclusions that seem far-fetched out of excitement or passion-overload... and these are just two examples out of many I could use. A person can be fanatical, just don't expect other fanatics to share the same opinions all the time, that's all.

Multiple copies or not, they'll all still count towards sales.

I think more people will be buying it for other reasons too. I have let my friends (none of which are Alice fans) listen to parts of it and they really dug it. I've shown them the promo videos and they are very intrigued. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has done this.

Plus, there are many cases where a great tour can revitalize album sales. A casual fan of Alice may figure the new stuff will never beat the 70s heyday, until they hear a review of his tour, calling it his most theatrical show since WTMN. That could be enough to peak the interests of a lot of casual fans.

Also, the album is heavy enough to get played on hard rock stations, but because it is Alice Cooper, it can be played on classic rock stations. More sales from that? Who knows.

It is VERY doubtful it will go gold anytime soon. There are major bands who have a ton more promotion and hype to go on that haven't even gone gold (or if they did it took them a while.) Alice would be EXTREMELY lucky if this thing got to 100,000, which is why promotion and all the things you mention is everything these days. It's the nature of the business is all.

It would great if he did, but unfortunately, that may only happen in another time or another world.

TeresofBlood wrote:Also, the album is heavy enough to get played on hard rock stations, but because it is Alice Cooper, it can be played on classic rock stations. More sales from that? Who knows.

The key is they have to have a single first though (to which they may not play it anyway,) Eddie Trunk's radio show still say they say SPV never sent them a single yet.

I just did a quick search of a U.S. Radio playlist database for Alice, and the stuff that's being played is "School's Out," "I'm Eighteen," and "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Nothing else that I could see.

I know at least one college radio station will be playing it (mine hahahaha).