A roadmap for success for the next GNR album?

[Bono]

Releasing a single probably wouldn't mean a lot for GNR, anyway - 'Better' was released as a single and I've never heard it on the radio. I think the best way to go is put a song out beforehand in a movie, TV show, game, whatever (like ITW and Shackler's), skip the 'radio single' and put out an album.

The only time I ever heard Better on radio was in 2010 when I requested it on Z99(98.9) in Red Deer, Alberta while driving to the GnR concert in Calgary. That is the ONLY time I have ever heard it on radio. I was actually shocked they played it and honestly the longer it played the more I couldn't help but think it sounded like shit on the radio. Not a good fit at all. I haven't heard any song off CD on the radio since then.

What would help Axl for the next album is to document it the way Slash did World on Fire. It's not rocket science to drum up interest in a new album. Seriously having Axl talk about songs and show a few clips of the band in studio goes a LONG way. But nope Guns N Roses as an organization circa 2000-2015 are just complete fucking idiots.

The best way to gain interest and hype would be to announce Slash was in the band again. Thats really the only way to get the public interested. Truth.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Bono

[Słash]

Heard CD played once on Irish radio. Afterwards the DJ said that Axl's voice was gone. That was it. Never heard anything from CD on the radio again.

Never heard CD on the radio, I heard Paradise city, even that was edited, after the song the DJ/RJ said this was an amazing song by Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff Mckagan and Matt Sorum, I was like STEVEN ADLER NOT MATT SORUM YOU IDIOT

I heard Sweet Child on the radio too, but my family changed it, they dont like rock music, which is pretty sad

[Matt13]

The best roadmap for success for the next GNR album is for it to be a GNR album, not an Axl Rose and friends album masquerading as Guns N' Roses.

You put the top hat and the red head on the same album, and it'll top all of the charts, guaranteed.

That's the roadmap for success.

[tinyrobot]

The road to success is a great hit song produced by Skrillex.

[Mr. Dude]

I think just follow the blueprint of success for Chinese.

[Rodzilla72]

TroII thread?

Gotta be, right?? This Thread's First cousin is that Poll: Is Axl currently "seriously looking at what we're kinda sorta considering thinking about planning to do in that regard?" or whatever...

[Bobbo]

Cmon. A new nu album is as textbook pipedream as a reunion at this point. Don't do this to yourselves anymore. It's only gonna further butt-hurt

Edited March 24, 2015 by Bobbo

[IncitingChaos]

The roadmap for the next album should be simple. Release CD2, tour within 1 month, of the release, get a slot at the VMA's, when on tour Axl should drop all the classics. Only CD1 and CD2 will be played. Show is only 1 hour and 30 min. No solos.

After first leg of touring ends, the band records a Storytellers for VH1 or whoever where they play the album from start to finish and talk about the meaning behind each in between.

Now you have maximized your audience. If they like your material they are fans and if they don't then atleast you did everything you could to expose them to your material. but now you have a new fanbase. No more criticizing Sweet Child intros or any of that garbage. Now the band will build success from what it has accomplished and the reunion fans will go home, and NuGNR fans will step up.

It's the only way to make this band relevant again. It's not going to reinvent the past, and playing the old songs doesn't help! It makes it worse.

[tinyrobot]

Dropping the classics is IMPOSSIBLE. No one would ever attend those shows.

I do think though classics should be reduced to 5 or 6, no more.

[Tom2112]

I think a number of things outside of the music itself killed CDs momentum.

First they released the album on Myspace before the album officially hit stores, loads of people heard it and didn't listen to it fully, took in snippets but didn't feel the need to invest any major time in the record as they hadn't forked over any cash for it. Many of those people wrote the record off from there, and haven't returned to it since. Not all records are instant classics.

Another issue was that the singles that were released were either bad choices or released in the wrong orders. The clear leading track from CD was Better, followed by SOD depending on success another single could have been released. If I was releasing the title track, I would have made a radio cutting the entrance.

There was no promotion after the record dropped, no videos, no interviews, no performances.

As for the next record, I think GnRs best bet for having a successful (at least critically) is to make a solid album, take on board some of the criticisms levelled at CD (over produced, too much layering of guitars, Vocals were a little over processed, some songs meandered). As far as surprising people with a new record, it wouldn't work in my opinion. I believe that the GnR cat is firmly out of the bag, people aren't as intrigued by GnR, they've had a rough couple of years between poor performances that were streamed, as well as an album that didn't gel with the old guns fans OR the general public for the most part.

A solid album, led by a strong single, which has a video, followed directly by a mini Euro tour with appearances on Jools holland, Jonathan Ross, etc. then to the U.S in the winter, promoted with more interviews, Rolling Stone, Jimmy Kimmel, That metal Show, Howard Stern and another single or two. Axl needs to do an 'Oprah' type interview where he comes across charming, fun and misunderstood. Even TB should be able to see the next steps for GnR, really 2015 should have a new album by the end of the year and then the rest should just fall in to place. Even Axl, as reportedly unreasonably as he may be, would agree to a plan that had a clear projectory.

I really don't know why he nixed his interview obligations for CD but I don't think he'd do it agin in a hurry if he could do a do over.

Dropping the classics is IMPOSSIBLE. No one would ever attend those shows.

I do think though classics should be reduced to 5 or 6, no more.

A little more than 6, maybe 10 minimum. There's just certain songs that people want to hear (the hits) as well as the crowd favourites (brownstone, It's so easy) and CD material is not popular enough to replace AFD or UYI material, in a perfect world that would be the case but in reality, the live shows would drag. I think playing half of a new record when it comes out is reasonable but dropping all the old material is a sure way to kill ticket sales.

[tinyrobot]

This happened here...

Axl I would like to know why you avoid the press so much. I think it's definitely hurting album sales, I mean, you haven't even done one interview. I know for sure you'd be able to get a few magazine covers. So why don't you? Why be such a hermit/recluse?

Dexter wrote:

That's ur opinion and it very well could be true.

What I have to say a lot of people have no desire to hear.

With our team we were able to negotiate thru a mountain of issues to be able to release the album. Within' those negotiations I believed I had secured agreements, commitments and assurances that would have allowed a promotional strategy to be implemented that obviously I've had a fair amount of time to consider. Unfortunately those things never happened and once the record was closer to release the biz went about things in their standard business as usual mode.

http://www.gnrevolution.com/viewtopic.php?id=5578

I never understand what he means... so frustrated

[Mysteron]

Seems like the current trend by top-tier music artists is to ditch the single and release an album all at once. Here's an article that outlines how artists like Drake and Beyonce have had success by forgoing the single:

http://qz.com/367586/urban-artists-like-kendrick-lamar-are-saving-the-album-format/

This strikes me as the way to go with the next GNR album. Or maybe, this would have been the better approach when Chinese Democracy was released. Everyone and their grandmothers knew about GNR's long lost next album. I'd argue that releasing the song Chinese Democracy as a single (and the first single at that) sucked all excitement out of the release and dampened first week sales. Had people been forced to listen to the entire album, and hence expose themselves to the albums' better songs (Better, TWAT, Madagascar, Catcher), the album would have been better received.

So my question is whether GNR should forgo the single when it comes time to release their next album? Assuming the material is strong, would such an approach help endear the album to more fans?

I think there has to be something visual and online, earlier than the release of the new album.

I am enjoying the lead up to FNM's new album. I have listened and watched the new songs online. I am enjoying the trip there

[Apollo]

I thought CD was the best hard rock album of the last decade.

I've got no worry that the follow up won't be just as great.

The only thing he really needs to do is make sure there is a really catchy pop-radio friendly opening single. Bands used to be forced to do that all the time. They'd finish an album and the label would say "there is no hit single on there, go record one and then we'll release the album." So they go back and write one more song that is geared toward chart success. Laugh at the comparison, but Warrant was like that with t heir most popular song - Cherry Pie. The label said they needed a hit single, so Jani Lane went and wrote Cherry Pie in like an hour, and that song allowed the entire album to blow up.

Great songs - we know they are going to be on the album

Hit single - make sure they have one. It's not that hard to hit number one on the billboard Rock chart.

Publicity - Axl needs to do 3-4 major interviews. Rolling Stone, Playboy, etc.

Play a talk show or major music awards show - play hit single and a classic song.

Release a video for singles.

That's all GnR needs to do. It really is that easy. And it's that easy because of three things. Axl Rose is involved. The brand name Guns n Roses is involved. And you know that the album is going to be full of great songs.

[Randy Jesus]

Anytime you here the term road map... and you are not on a trip... It is bound to be a failure.... Like a road map to peace... So lets not use the term road map...

Edited March 26, 2015 by Randy Jesus

[wasted]

No promo. 2020 release. Just the fact that it's CDII will be enough.