New Release Date for SFBM Options

[Soxwsc]

Songs From Black Mountain has been pushed back again!
The new release date for the US is May 9th.
I've just about given up!

[jaybb]

I work for Sony Pictures here in Los Angeles, and I can tell you that the release dates for almost all of our DVD titles change 3-4 times over the course of amping up for a release. This is the same for our music division. Any number of things could affect this release date, and usually, the marketing manager has to weigh whatever the change is, against how it would impact first-week sales. So, for example, if LIVE's management may have booked them for an appearance on Ellen the week before their release, but then the Tonight Show couldn't fit them in for another month, it might warrant a change. Or if LIVE is touring out of the country, and Epic wants them here when it is released for a media tour, this also would warrant a move. The same could happen if another label announces a bigger relase, in the same genre, that same day.

What's unusual in this case, is this change is after the final press release went out, which was a week or two ago, where Ed talks about the making of the album, women as his muse, etc. Generally, it is this final press release that sets the release date in stone, so that all the media outlets can kinda start covering it. In this case, it got picked up on MTV and sites.

Odds are, in my opinion, the album has been moved due to the fact LIVE is booked to do a few shows internationally around the release date, which would promote the album significantly over there. Thus, if their biggest following is over there, it makes sense to not move the date over there, but rather to postpone the date until they can be here for some decent publicity leading up to the release. They might have only postponed it a week, but there were other inhibiting factors for eaxh week until they could settle on the 9th. If they do it right, they'll do a "satellite media tour" and have the boys around for the media to interview, etc.

Seems to me that there is a lot of miscommunication between their management and their label. They're completely separate. Tours are still booked through Kurfist-Blackwell and promotional dates are here for Epic.

In any event, lets hope this is the last change...


Justin.