A single for rock radio... Options

[SJN1279]

I wouldn't say that Simple Creed was "rejected" by rock/alternative radio. It charted very well, even higher then their 2 previous singles before that (Run To The Water and TSUFL). Live should have released "Like I Do" as their first single off of BOP. By releasing "Heaven", they pretty much killed themselves in the rock/alternative formats.
I don't think Epic is to blame. I just think the public isn't really liking the singles that were put out. Small bands get played on radio all the time without a label behind them to "push" the songs. If the single is good and people like it, then they will continue to request it and it will get added to more and more stations; if the single is subpar and people don't like it, they won't request it all, and it will quickly fall off radio playists (or not get added at all). As for a new single in the rock format, I'm pretty sure there's no chance of that happening. Epic is done with this album. They have lost too much money on the album already. I don't see them sinking more money into releasing a new single that most likely won't even get added to stations.

I love ya Dan, but if you think Epic did a good job promoting SFBM and its singles, your out of your mind. Requests don't mean much when it comes to adding songs on stations anymore. They go more by online music tests that they send to registered listeners. The River didn't even get a chance in a lot of markets because it was never added, so how could it be requested, or added to stations surveys? It had mostly positive feedback from the markets that did add it(Chicago, Vegas, Reno) Epic failed to get the song play in NYC and LA, if you don't get a chance to be heard in those markets, your single will die.

That said, Hot A/C is a struggling market right now. It takes a lot of money and promotion to even get your song considered for airplay. I was talking to Mark from allaccess and he said that format isn't very good right now and it is shunning a lot of artists.

Run Away was a top 20 single for Hot A/C just two years ago. The River and Mystery are much better songs. Geffen is a better label to get your song on radio.

[tiger]

I love ya Dan, but if you think Epic did a good job promoting SFBM and its singles, your out of your mind. Requests don't mean much when it comes to adding songs on stations anymore. They go more by online music tests that they send to registered listeners. The River didn't even get a chance in a lot of markets because it was never added, so how could it be requested, or added to stations surveys? It had mostly positive feedback from the markets that did add it(Chicago, Vegas, Reno) Epic failed to get the song play in NYC and LA, if you don't get a chance to be heard in those markets, your single will die.

That said, Hot A/C is a struggling market right now. It takes a lot of money and promotion to even get your song considered for airplay. I was talking to Mark from allaccess and he said that format isn't very good right now and it is shunning a lot of artists.

Run Away was a top 20 single for Hot A/C just two years ago. The River and Mystery are much better songs. Geffen is a better label to get your song on radio.

SFBM was pretty much dead way before it came out. The River tanked. It got plenty of promotion to do much better than it did. It was a bad choice as a single to begin with. There are way better radio songs on SFBM. And yes, they could have gone in more of a rock direction with the singles and possibly done much better. They should have at least gone with Mystery first. Things started going south with the release date changing, no promotion, etc. after the river got a cold reception. Then the AI thing happened there was not enough time to react. It doesn't even look like they (Epic) tried really. SFBM is far from Live's best but with a little better management of the recording, release, singles, promotion it could have done better but not (that) much better. Unless, they would have gone for the rock audience and who knows what would have happened then.

This post has been edited by tiger: Jun 15 2006, 9:36 am

[Rodman91]

^Exactly!
Simple Creed did ok,I still hear it on the radio today. V lost it's momentum when they released Overcome,it should of been Deep Enough. That is the first very bad move that was made. V died in the ass after that after a pretty strong start here.
Then BOP,why oh why Like I Do wasn't released is almost a bigger mystery than why Dean Jones was omitted from the one day squad in the 90s. All the talk before the album was how Live were going back to there roots,and they promoting this album as rocking so hard! So what do they do, release heaven?? Alright,heaven did well on the single charts here for the teeny bopper audience,but teeny boppers don't buy albums. Then they follow up with Sweet Release and Run Away,worst single choices ever!! Like I Do and Lighthouse would of had that album top 20 for 3-4 months. Even my casual live fan friends who bought the album were dismayed they weren't released.

As for SFBM,Dan is right here again I think. If they wanted to go a rock single,which they won't,you'd go Show,thats the only one on there that might do ok.The rest would get dismissed immediatly.

It's an interesting time for the band.They are so fucking good on stage at the moment,but they seem to be missing the edge in the studio. I am stealing Eamon's thunder here,but Jim Wirt has to go! Mystery was murdered in the studio.Every other version of that song is so fucking good,except the studio version is almost bad. I have never seen a song at such different quality levels from performed live,to the studio recording. Hearing it in concert I'd almost say it's one of there best songs ever,but on the album,I almost skip it. The final production just seems to be watering down the songs,taking the edge off them,they have lost there character.I like most of the songs,but they all don't have to be so clean. I don't know the answer.....get angry again!

great post...agree with all of it except the part about Mystery being one of their best songs ever...easy, easy...it's a quality song in concert, but let's not get carried away...

anyways,

This post has been edited by Rodman91: Jun 15 2006, 7:44 pm

[Rodman91]

It's not only bad choices for singles released, which it is, but it's also the ORDER in which they're released...

If Like I Do is released first, then Runaway, as relatively bad as it is, had a good chance to be a decent follow up hit (plus if they released Like I Do to rock, they would have never made that awful Shelby version)

You have to release GREAT songs first, not good songs...songs that have a chance to be a smash...then whatever you follow it with, regardless of quality, has a chance to be a hit...

Similarly, they should have released Night of Nights first, their only chance for a rock hit, and then went from there...The River is a quality song and if they had their heart set on releasing it, it may have done well as a follow up...you know, if LIVE were "cool" again by having a rock hit...then maybe "La Da Da Da" is "cool" again...

I'll never understand two things as a LIVE fan (I want to get Ed stoned and ask him about both): 1) their Lift Me Up mistake and 2) their Like I Do mistake

This post has been edited by Rodman91: Jun 15 2006, 8:02 pm

[tswart1]

I agree with whoever said they should have released Deep Enough. They could have had a video of Ed in some club making a bunch of humping motions in slow motion. Then all the high schoolers would have been on the wagon. They could have then transitioned over the next yr or so into Like I Do and then we wouldnt be in this position.

[NectarDan]

They need to add Deep Enough back into their set.

[sandkind]

They need to add Deep Enough back into their set.

[beau99]

They need to add Deep Enough back into their set.

Yes.

[SJN1279]

Yes.

I wonder how Deep Enough would have done....we'll never know. It would be cool back in the set though.

[sandkind]

yeah but i think dan is right, they really need to focus on the studio. i could see a couple of the songs from SFBM really being better with more attention and a better producer. the 5 songs from SFBM i have heard live all sounded better in concert.

[Lively Chick]

the 5 songs from SFBM i have heard live all sounded better in concert.

I agree. They really do sound so much better in concert.