Recently Spin Magazine published an article called One Way Ticket to the Cutout Bin. Here is a piece of that article.
SPIN Magazine, April 2006 – One-Way Ticket to the Cutout Bin
Why are so many highly anticipated albums landing with a thud?
By David Sprague
“Less than 24 months after The Darkness’ near platinum debut, the campy Brit rockers’ anxiously awaited follow-up, One Way Ticket to Hell…and Back, entered the charts at a tepid no. 58 – only to fall off the Billboard 200 after two weeks. More than a million folks picked up Franz Ferdinand’s first album, but only 298,000 have done the same for You Could Have It So Much Better. What happened?
‘Franz Ferdinand was probably our biggest record of 2004’, says Chris Vanderloo, co-owner of New York Other Music record shop. ‘For a part of the audience, the band got overexposed. Other people seemed to think that the new one was just the same album all over again and got tired of them.’ The Darkness, by contrast, may have suffered from severe underexposure around the time of their album’s release last November, which left many unaware that it was even on the way. The band spent little time in the States for publicity, played no promo gigs, and didn’t even perform the first single when they appeared on Late Show With David Letterman.”
To many this wouldn’t alarm you, but then again if you live in the UK, Continental Europe, and Australia and Japan you have no need to worry. Why is this an issue, then? To the thousands of North American fans this article sums up what many of us fear, never seeing The Darkness Live on our shores again.
During the summer of ’05 fans worried about ever getting a new album. That moved on to worrying over the need of perhaps importing the new album. The publicity train seemed to be upon us. Besides the numerous UK interviews and Classic Rock’s deeming the album “Album of the Year”, the US magazines started to buzz with interviews as well and there it was (pardon the Para-phrasing) “We plan on touring the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan and the US.” *gasp* THE US. (Side note: I believe Canadian dates would have been included in that tour.)
I was pleased as punch. I have been waiting for another US Darkness tour since June ’04 and I am still waiting. An inside source let a few of us in on the possibility of a tour May, then it was June and finally we were told that a tour of One Way Ticket to Hell…And Back (OWTT…AB) would not happen. The reasoning behind no tour is Atlantic simply will not fund a tour due to OWTTH…AB poor ticket sales and the likelihood that the album would not sell any more if they did tour. Umm…..excuse me!
Let’s look at the figures first. They sold nearly 500,000 with PTL and OWTTH…AB is around 200,000. So 5 nights in the US and maybe 2 over in Canada at venues holding around 1,000 people is not doable? You’ve got to be kidding me Atlantic.
Let’s tell the real reason why no promotion and tour are happening over here. I’m not scared to say it, but Atlantic got overrun by Warner Brothers. Yes, folks it has happened again. Big corporation takes over and screws everything over in the end. There hasn’t been any promotion here because Atlantic has idiots working for them on TD’s account. It is bad, Atlantic, when fans do more in the ways of getting people to buy a group’s album then you do. It is unforgivable that fans in today’s modern age of internet were not made aware of the two promotional things TD did over here. (Void this comment Atlantic if you’re still utilizing the typewriter.) It is inexcusable that do to your Label’s mistake fans should have to suffer.
What do we fans do? How can we get TD over here? Not that traveling to foreign countries is not fun. It is a ball. I love the UK and Europe girls and guys I have met in doing that. However, I understand that only adults are able to do that. It is the kids who suffer with no tour. It is the thousands of fans in a market who are gnawing themselves to just savor seeing The Darkness live. Many have heard the stories or live them and if you’ve lived them you know, THERE IS NO OTHER NEW BAND ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET WHO CAN BEAT TD LIVE. Fact! If you need more proof go gander at TD’s Myspace page of countless comments begging for a North American tour.
Fans here want it and to get it we have to work for it. I am starting by sending a letter in response to Spin’s article. Explain why you feel Atlantic dropped the ball with TD and explain how they have dropped the US tour. Please don’t contain your anger, but remain respectful as Spin might choose one of the letters to place in the comments section of an upcoming episode. (I do hope one makes it.) If every fan who reads this send them a letter asking them look into why the North America is not getting a tour, they would take notice. Why Spin? Unlike other music magazines they have always talked about TD as a genuine band. Regardless of personal opinions on the band they have treated them well.
Secondly, send a letter to Atlantic themselves and demand a tour. Now that may take numerous letters, but here is the thing. Just make copies of the same letter and get a book of stamps, send one a week. The letter doesn’t have to be long. Just get the basics in- We, the fans, want The Darkness to tour North America.
It is time fans took control again. Surely Atlantic could find the money to let TD tour North America for a small tour. That is if they get their lips off of James Blunt’s ass. I know it is wishful thinking, but if we all did this we could get a tour. At least we may get some press for it. Let’s fight so we can all rock out together.
Send it here for Atlantic Records-
People you can send the letter to- • Chairman and CEO: Craig Kallman
• President: Julie Greenwald
• EVP National Promotion: Andrea Ganis
Atlantic Record Company Contact Information:
Address: 1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104
Phone: 212-707-2000
Fax: 212-405-547
Spin Magazine send here (Make sure to place One Way Ticket to the Cutout Bin in the letter as they will need to know what it is in response to) –
Spin Magazine
205 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Spin Magazine (you can leave a comment via the internet)-
http://www.spinmagazine.com/about/contact/
Much love,
Dre