Who's going to say it if it ain't me, right? LOL.
Showing posts with label Barry Manilow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Manilow. Show all posts
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Jane Austen And Her "15 Minutes" of Fame
If you've been reading my blog for a while, I posted on April 30th about the books I had bought and the book I've been reading. I haven't finished it yet, I'm at the point where she is writing Emma.
Link: The Aroma of Books
I'm still finishing up with the biography of Jane Austen, but as I read through the chapters of the publication of Sense & Sensibility and later Pride & Prejudice, I was struck by something. As you've noticed, Barry Manilow has come out with a timely CD that talks about what happens when you become famous. The CD is called "15 Minutes". It's a CD (and a story) worth looking into.
Jane Austen's biographer, through letters and journals of Jane Austen, her family and friends, gives the reader a glimpse into what transpired during the publication of these now-famous novels. I do need to dispel a few myths, though, before I do.
Myth #1: Females were not allowed to be published authors during Jane Austen's time.
Fact: This is not true. There were a lot of female authors during that time period, with Jane reading books from both male and female authors.
Myth #2: Jane Austen was not credited with authoring Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice until after her death.
Fact: This was also not true. Her book, Sense & Sensibility was published "By A Lady" in order to protect her from the harsh criticism Jane and her family feared she would get from the novel. Instead it met with much praise (although not all critics liked it) and word got out with a few select people that Jane had authored the novel.
When Pride & Prejudice came out, it became a huge hit. Although it was also said to be authored "By A Lady" and the author of Sense & Sensibility, at this point, even the family members were bragging about who had authored the book, so it was pretty much no longer a secret, not only in the village of Chawton where they lived, but in London also.
Due to this, Jane was confronted with fame, as well as more money than she had ever had in her possession. How did she handle it?
Based on the biographer, Jane was very concerned about both. She was in her late 30's when Pride & Prejudice came out and her identity exposed to the world. Her brother, Henry, lived in London and had been the one handling her publishing affairs. When she went to see him, she found herself with money, and with people calling on her. Some she admired, some she didn't.
She found herself having to be very cautious as to how she handled things. She was no longer someone who could sit anonymously in a room, she was a part of the crowd, who was expecting her to give her opinion on all manner of topics.
She found that she could keep her feelings on things in the world reserved herself, but allow her characters in her stories to speak for her. After all, it was simply a fictional story.
As for the fame, she enjoyed it at first, but quickly tired of it and actually longed to be back home in the peace of Chawton. She did, however, enjoy the card parties, the balls and the conversations with some of the authors she had been admiring in print. She even had an episode of frivolity, bought a new gown, hat, had her hair curled and rode through the London streets in an open barouche.
She was close to her family, her father was deceased, but her Mother, brothers and older sister Cassandra (whom she considered to be upright and perfect in all she thought and did) were her confidantes. Namely Cassandra. This was her greatest asset. They kept her grounded, and were her first priority, as shown when Henry became ill and she cancelled engagements to nurse him.
She was also weary of being too extravagant with the money, she would not want to be seen as a rich snob, not only within the family, but also with the people in Chawton. She didn't seek to make a new home in London, given her age and experience, she had witnessed enough of the pride of others to keep her humble and desire a quieter atmosphere.
Who knows, if she were alive today, she would probably identify with some of the songs on the "15 Minutes" CD.
Link: The Aroma of Books
I'm still finishing up with the biography of Jane Austen, but as I read through the chapters of the publication of Sense & Sensibility and later Pride & Prejudice, I was struck by something. As you've noticed, Barry Manilow has come out with a timely CD that talks about what happens when you become famous. The CD is called "15 Minutes". It's a CD (and a story) worth looking into.
Jane Austen's biographer, through letters and journals of Jane Austen, her family and friends, gives the reader a glimpse into what transpired during the publication of these now-famous novels. I do need to dispel a few myths, though, before I do.
Myth #1: Females were not allowed to be published authors during Jane Austen's time.
Fact: This is not true. There were a lot of female authors during that time period, with Jane reading books from both male and female authors.
Myth #2: Jane Austen was not credited with authoring Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice until after her death.
Fact: This was also not true. Her book, Sense & Sensibility was published "By A Lady" in order to protect her from the harsh criticism Jane and her family feared she would get from the novel. Instead it met with much praise (although not all critics liked it) and word got out with a few select people that Jane had authored the novel.
When Pride & Prejudice came out, it became a huge hit. Although it was also said to be authored "By A Lady" and the author of Sense & Sensibility, at this point, even the family members were bragging about who had authored the book, so it was pretty much no longer a secret, not only in the village of Chawton where they lived, but in London also.
Due to this, Jane was confronted with fame, as well as more money than she had ever had in her possession. How did she handle it?
Based on the biographer, Jane was very concerned about both. She was in her late 30's when Pride & Prejudice came out and her identity exposed to the world. Her brother, Henry, lived in London and had been the one handling her publishing affairs. When she went to see him, she found herself with money, and with people calling on her. Some she admired, some she didn't.
She found herself having to be very cautious as to how she handled things. She was no longer someone who could sit anonymously in a room, she was a part of the crowd, who was expecting her to give her opinion on all manner of topics.
She found that she could keep her feelings on things in the world reserved herself, but allow her characters in her stories to speak for her. After all, it was simply a fictional story.
As for the fame, she enjoyed it at first, but quickly tired of it and actually longed to be back home in the peace of Chawton. She did, however, enjoy the card parties, the balls and the conversations with some of the authors she had been admiring in print. She even had an episode of frivolity, bought a new gown, hat, had her hair curled and rode through the London streets in an open barouche.
She was close to her family, her father was deceased, but her Mother, brothers and older sister Cassandra (whom she considered to be upright and perfect in all she thought and did) were her confidantes. Namely Cassandra. This was her greatest asset. They kept her grounded, and were her first priority, as shown when Henry became ill and she cancelled engagements to nurse him.
She was also weary of being too extravagant with the money, she would not want to be seen as a rich snob, not only within the family, but also with the people in Chawton. She didn't seek to make a new home in London, given her age and experience, she had witnessed enough of the pride of others to keep her humble and desire a quieter atmosphere.
Who knows, if she were alive today, she would probably identify with some of the songs on the "15 Minutes" CD.
15 Minutes Videos From QVC
I posted this a week or so ago, and am re-posting it now. It's a great CD!
If you haven't heard this album yet, it's not your typical ballad album.
Many thanks to QVC for uploading the videos from Barry's show on your YouTube account.
I don't know if I'll have these in the correct order, so please forgive me if I don't.
Behind The Scenes:
The Show:
Here's the link to QVC: QVC
To order directly from Starz.bz (Barry's Merchandiser): Barry Manilow
If you haven't heard this album yet, it's not your typical ballad album.
Many thanks to QVC for uploading the videos from Barry's show on your YouTube account.
I don't know if I'll have these in the correct order, so please forgive me if I don't.
Behind The Scenes:
The Show:
Here's the link to QVC: QVC
To order directly from Starz.bz (Barry's Merchandiser): Barry Manilow
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
They Write The Songs
This is a series Barry Manilow is doing for the BBC in the UK, featuring the lives and works of some of the great American songwriters. If you love music (I do), it's definitely something you'll enjoy. It's only up via their web site for a limited time, so be sure to check it out quickly. Tuesday night's show was the first of what is 10 shows.
They Write The Songs On BBC
One of the interesting parts he points out in the first episode - George Gershwin - is the introduction to the song. You don't see this too much anymore in music. When I play the hymns at Church, a brief introduction is played to give everyone the key and tempo of the hymn, but this is different. It's a section of the song that sometimes doesn't even sound like the song itself.
I first learned about this when I was much younger, and saw, for the first time, the actual sheet music to Someday My Prince Will Come from the Disney movie Snow White. There was this first section that never made it into the movie I never knew about!
Most versions of the song have also cut it out, with one exception. It was moved to after the 2nd verse of the song for added effect in the arrangement recorded by Barbra Streisand. I was really happy it actually made it into a recording because it's a brief, but sweet part of the song. On the video below, the introduction is 2:25 into the song.
They Write The Songs On BBC
One of the interesting parts he points out in the first episode - George Gershwin - is the introduction to the song. You don't see this too much anymore in music. When I play the hymns at Church, a brief introduction is played to give everyone the key and tempo of the hymn, but this is different. It's a section of the song that sometimes doesn't even sound like the song itself.
I first learned about this when I was much younger, and saw, for the first time, the actual sheet music to Someday My Prince Will Come from the Disney movie Snow White. There was this first section that never made it into the movie I never knew about!
Most versions of the song have also cut it out, with one exception. It was moved to after the 2nd verse of the song for added effect in the arrangement recorded by Barbra Streisand. I was really happy it actually made it into a recording because it's a brief, but sweet part of the song. On the video below, the introduction is 2:25 into the song.
Friday, December 31, 2010
One Last Message
I posted this on the Manilow UK Message Board:
Just to let my friends here know, I'm not planning on coming back to this message board. I've enjoyed cyber-meeting those of you who have been kind enough to include me as one of your friends. It's time for me to move on with my life, and letting go of some of the things that have kept me progressing this year.
My best wishes to everyone, including Barry and the Stiletto family.
Jessica DiCorleone aka Dawn Bushman
Just to let my friends here know, I'm not planning on coming back to this message board. I've enjoyed cyber-meeting those of you who have been kind enough to include me as one of your friends. It's time for me to move on with my life, and letting go of some of the things that have kept me progressing this year.
My best wishes to everyone, including Barry and the Stiletto family.
Jessica DiCorleone aka Dawn Bushman
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas, Barry
I doubt he reads my blog, but if Barry Manilow happens upon it, this one's for him.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Barry Merry Christmas
One of Barry's fans made this, I think it's very cute and well done. I know, I know, my Mother calls him Woodstock and my family thinks I'm nuts, but I just can't help melting from the baby blues he's got.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Congratulations - Updated
To Barry Manilow. Now that I'm on Winter Break, I'm finally catching up on a few things and saw some of the video from his performance in Oslo. He was invited to be a part of the festivities surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded in absence to Liu Xiaobo, who is imprisoned in China. I'm sure performing for this was a goose-bump moment for him, it would have been for me.
Here's the link to the video, it's not embed-friendly. UPDATE: I would like to update this with a new link. Just prior to Barry's performance, the two co-hosts read the words of Liu Xiaobo. To me, it gives an even deeper meaning to Barry's first song he performed, Could It Be Magic.
http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/241860/
Here's the link to the video, it's not embed-friendly. UPDATE: I would like to update this with a new link. Just prior to Barry's performance, the two co-hosts read the words of Liu Xiaobo. To me, it gives an even deeper meaning to Barry's first song he performed, Could It Be Magic.
http://www.nrk.no/nett-tv/indeks/241860/
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Because It's Christmas
Of all of the Christmas songs from the Christmas CD's Barry Manilow has done, this has always been my favorite song.
Incidentally, one of the long term subs at my school yesterday told me she would be going to Vegas in March and was hoping to see Barry perform while she's there. I had, in the past, shown her the picture of Barry and I from the Platinum I did last Christmas, so she's wanting to see him perform. I hope he's performing during the time she's there, I'm sure she'll enjoy his show.
Incidentally, one of the long term subs at my school yesterday told me she would be going to Vegas in March and was hoping to see Barry perform while she's there. I had, in the past, shown her the picture of Barry and I from the Platinum I did last Christmas, so she's wanting to see him perform. I hope he's performing during the time she's there, I'm sure she'll enjoy his show.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Newest Fanilow
Now that Barry Manilow's Fan Club has weeded those of us willing to speak the truth about things off of his official site, I guess he's figured it's safe to test the waters.
http://twitter.com/barrymanilow/status/24712746544
I wonder if he'll join the groups with the porn writings about him?
http://twitter.com/barrymanilow/status/24712746544
I wonder if he'll join the groups with the porn writings about him?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Hmmm.
I guess that guitar I played in middle school could use a good home... at my school. (Sorry, Barry)
Official Statement
Manilow Music Project
Official Statement
Manilow Music Project
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Meet John Doe
Link for this photo: Flight Attendant Meets Barry Manilow
I've been away from blogging, Facebook, even my FarmVille lately simply because I'm really busy right now. I did, however, think I should post this because it seems like history (even if it's fictional history) seems to be repeating itself.
The guy on the right (if you haven't watched tv or read any online news stories lately) is Steven Slater who blew up and left his job as a flight attendant rather abruptly after what has been an alleged argument with a passenger who wasn't following the rules. I say alleged, because now people who were on the flight are speaking up and saying the argument never happened. I have no feelings about that part of the story because I wasn't there and don't know the real details.
The past few weeks (which have been the first two weeks of school with the students) has been really crazy for me. There is usually some amount of "tweaking" with the computers needed at the beginning of the year, plus training and meetings to attend. This year has reached a new level of craziness due to a staff member's abrupt departure from my school. I don't know all of the details, I just know that my workload has doubled with a lot of the responsibilities I am handling being things I was never trained in. I feel bad for this staff member, I really do, but now I feel like I'm barely treading water due to someone else's decisions.
Then I read this on Tuesday:
http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/16/reality-show-offers-pour-in-for-steven-slater/?hpt=T2
While I really don't care about this guy, what struck me is that he has a publicist, but is using a court appointed lawyer for the charges against him. In other words, he's out getting photo ops and going on a cruise, but his lawyer is being paid for by the taxpayers. I don't know about you, but I'm not interested in paying for this guy's attorney if he's got a publicist.
The other issue here, though, is surrounding all of the publicity this guy is getting right now. He seems to be all over the place getting all of these pictures taken, some people referring to him as a hero while others refer to him as a villain. Personally, I wonder if this is the first time he's lost his temper, or just the one time his temper tantrum made news. All I know is if I were a business owner, I wouldn't be hiring this guy to interact with my customer base given what has happened.
This does remind me of an old movie I know and love. I love the Frank Capra classic movies, as there was a moral to the story. These were movies made during the depression and while they aren't the action packed thrillers you see millions spent on making today, these shows have had staying power because of the stories and the morals.
And if you'd like to watch the full movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZEHV1T5B6g
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
An Opportunity of A Lifetime
This is so nice of Barry to spend some time with the students. I would have loved to have gone to something like this when I was in high school:
Barry Manilow Invites Local Music Students Behind The Scenes
Barry Manilow Invites Local Music Students Behind The Scenes
Tonight's The Night
This is a show on BBC1 in England, apparently where wishes are granted... after a serving of humiliation. It's kind of like a surprise Harpo Hookup if you've ever watched Oprah. On this show, a man who dreams of performing in front of millions of people gets a little help... from Barry.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Marketing 102
If you missed my blog on Marketing 101 (for Barry Manilow), here's the link: Marketing 101
It was recently brought to my attention that the prices for the tickets are perhaps not driven by Camp Manilow, but rather driven by the promoters. In other words, Camp Manilow may not determining the prices of tickets, particularly with the upcoming Atlantic City and O2 (in England) shows.
So, what do you do when you can't control the price of your end product? How do you market for that? Well, you can play the victim, but that will only get you so far for so long. The trick is, you get creative.
In this economy, more and more people are looking for value for the money they are spending. If you can't lower the ticket prices, offer gift incentives for purchasing the higher priced tickets.
The Paris L.V. has a start with the marketing by trying to turn their concert to see Barry into an "experience". They are including a hotel room, tickets to the show and perhaps a meal at one of their restaurants to entice people to spend the money and come.
Perhaps, for those not purchasing that particular experience, Camp Manilow could look to how they could "plus" the experience for people purchasing the more expensive tickets.
There is already a package deal, for the balcony seats, that includes champagne. How well is that selling? I guess people who don't drink alcohol are out of luck with that marketing strategy. LOL.
In case you are wondering where the term "plus" comes from, it was a term used by Walt Disney when making his animated movies, later live action movies and later still Disneyland. He always looked for a way to "plus" something to give it that extra wow factor. And make it a wow factor that will appeal to everyone in the audience (in other words, no b-strings, please. :) ).
A few ideas:
For those in the bottom $200 + rows they receive, in their seat, a gift bag with a few items that are actually useful at home and not just something that will collect dust. I know, some of you love ANYTHING Barry, but I have enough baubles to last a lifetime. It doesn't have to have a lot in it but here are a few items I came up with:
1. A reusable flash drive with pictures and music from Barry's vault.
2. A certificate redeemable at the M store for a free shirt of their choice, up to a $50 value.
3. A certificate redeemable online for a free 1 year membership to BMIFC, or free renewal for those who are already members.
4. A note from Barry, thanking people for sticking with him during the rough economy.
For those in the champagne seating, a gift bag, like above, containing:
1. A reusable flash drive with pictures, music from Barry's vault..
2. A certificate redeemable at the M store for a free shirt of their choice, no limit on the value.
3. A certificate redeemable online for a free 2 year membership to BMIFC, or free 2 year renewal for those who are already members.
4. A note from Barry, thanking people for sticking with him during the rough economy.
5. An LED keychain light with Manilow on one side and a champagne flute on the other.
And just to really "plus" it, both seating areas will remain in the theater after the show (they will be advised this by the theater ushers) and once everyone else has cleared the room, Barry will come out in his tux and perform one last song for his special "experience" audience members. Perhaps even take a few questions from the audience, if he's feeling up to it.
This is just an idea of what could be done, I'm sure Barry has more clever minds than this to come up with something better.
It was recently brought to my attention that the prices for the tickets are perhaps not driven by Camp Manilow, but rather driven by the promoters. In other words, Camp Manilow may not determining the prices of tickets, particularly with the upcoming Atlantic City and O2 (in England) shows.
So, what do you do when you can't control the price of your end product? How do you market for that? Well, you can play the victim, but that will only get you so far for so long. The trick is, you get creative.
In this economy, more and more people are looking for value for the money they are spending. If you can't lower the ticket prices, offer gift incentives for purchasing the higher priced tickets.
The Paris L.V. has a start with the marketing by trying to turn their concert to see Barry into an "experience". They are including a hotel room, tickets to the show and perhaps a meal at one of their restaurants to entice people to spend the money and come.
Perhaps, for those not purchasing that particular experience, Camp Manilow could look to how they could "plus" the experience for people purchasing the more expensive tickets.
There is already a package deal, for the balcony seats, that includes champagne. How well is that selling? I guess people who don't drink alcohol are out of luck with that marketing strategy. LOL.
In case you are wondering where the term "plus" comes from, it was a term used by Walt Disney when making his animated movies, later live action movies and later still Disneyland. He always looked for a way to "plus" something to give it that extra wow factor. And make it a wow factor that will appeal to everyone in the audience (in other words, no b-strings, please. :) ).
A few ideas:
For those in the bottom $200 + rows they receive, in their seat, a gift bag with a few items that are actually useful at home and not just something that will collect dust. I know, some of you love ANYTHING Barry, but I have enough baubles to last a lifetime. It doesn't have to have a lot in it but here are a few items I came up with:
1. A reusable flash drive with pictures and music from Barry's vault.
2. A certificate redeemable at the M store for a free shirt of their choice, up to a $50 value.
3. A certificate redeemable online for a free 1 year membership to BMIFC, or free renewal for those who are already members.
4. A note from Barry, thanking people for sticking with him during the rough economy.
For those in the champagne seating, a gift bag, like above, containing:
1. A reusable flash drive with pictures, music from Barry's vault..
2. A certificate redeemable at the M store for a free shirt of their choice, no limit on the value.
3. A certificate redeemable online for a free 2 year membership to BMIFC, or free 2 year renewal for those who are already members.
4. A note from Barry, thanking people for sticking with him during the rough economy.
5. An LED keychain light with Manilow on one side and a champagne flute on the other.
And just to really "plus" it, both seating areas will remain in the theater after the show (they will be advised this by the theater ushers) and once everyone else has cleared the room, Barry will come out in his tux and perform one last song for his special "experience" audience members. Perhaps even take a few questions from the audience, if he's feeling up to it.
This is just an idea of what could be done, I'm sure Barry has more clever minds than this to come up with something better.
This also only covers shows at The Paris L.V., but as I just said, I'm sure something could be worked out for the shows in Atlantic City and O2.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Marketing 101
At the BMIFC Convention this past weekend, Barry Manilow’s manager mentioned something about not being sure as to how to market Barry in the U.S. Sales for Greatest Love Songs of All Time were not at the levels they achieved in the UK.
I will first say that Barry needs to put out original material. Desperately. It’s been a while since he’s released something that didn’t start with the word “Greatest…”. You get the idea, and from the sounds of the three CD’s he’s working on, it sounds like he will be releasing some new material soon.
The next question is: who is the intended audience for this music? Who, besides Barry’s hard core fans, will this music resonate with the most?
I’ve heard the CD “15 Minutes” is supposed to contain more guitar (I’m assuming this is electric guitar). Is the music upbeat or is it slower and mellow? This can help to decide which demographics to go after with this CD. Instead of just releasing it out to the world, have multiple plans of action for marketing the CD, according to the demographic.
Which demographic is more likely to buy a CD vs. a digital copy from iTunes? What added perks could be made with purchasing a CD or likewise with purchasing from iTunes? They did a nice job with extra cuts with the last album to purchase with iTunes, how about the CD sales? In the past they’ve done CD’s where there was a video included that showed the behind the scenes look at how the CD was made.
Here’s an idea: since “15 Minutes” is supposed to contain stories of people seeking their 15 minutes of fame (at least that’s what I’ve heard), perhaps a portion of the money from the CD could go towards the Manilow Music Project or a scholarship to help Julliard graduates get that shot of 15 minutes of fame. Something along those lines. A special cut could be added to the iTunes purchases to go for the same purpose.
The symphonic album and the jazz album will also need their own ideas to separate them from the rest of the releases coming out on a constant basis from other artists.
There are other ways of also promoting new CD releases, as Barry and Co. well know, such as appearing on the talk show circuit. While this provides great television coverage, I don’t know that the ratings are there to generate enough sales. Barry needs to be out and about more, especially when a new album is being released.
A few ideas:
Discounts on the show and CD’s through AARP. Now that Baby Boomers are retiring, more are joining AARP. Does AARP have any type of convention? Be sure to perform there and/or time a performance in the same area at the same time. Be sure to put print ads in their magazine for the Paris show and the CD’s. Try to get a cover interview with them.
Coachella. Ever hear of it? HUGE weekend of concerts not too far from where Barry lives, if I understand correctly. GREAT coverage and publicity if you can get booked there. This is a younger crowd, make sure you plan and arrange the music accordingly.
Are there any jazz festivals Barry could sign up for? Do some cuts from Paradise Café, some of the other Johnny Mercer songs he’s put music to, and DO A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW JAZZ ALBUM, BEFORE IT COMES OUT!!!! Try to time the release of the album to closely follow the jazz festivals so that Barry will still be on listener’s minds when they shop for new jazz music.
Also do some promotional visits to jazz radio stations, try to get Barry’s music on there. While a radio show (like the ones Barry's done for UK stations) may not work on mainstream radio stations, would it work on the jazz radio stations? Look into it.
Contact some of the different symphonies around the U.S. to make guest appearances at their concerts when his album, backed by a symphony orchestra, comes out, and even afterwards. Barry might find he has an audience there he wasn’t reaching. I know symphonies have also been hurting for money, appearing with some of these orchestras might be the boost they also need.
This Christmas, perhaps Barry could get with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra At Temple Square for their annual Christmas program. It would provide fantastic coverage of Barry, especially if he does the Gift of Love shows again in Palm Springs.
With all of this, make sure Barry and Co. give advance notice of these appearances on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to post videos to be shared on YouTube. Plan the internet appearances like you do everything else, but make sure Barry DOES have a presence, and a current one at that, on YouTube where people can share the videos. The latest music video of Barry on the "official" channel is from two albums ago.
I will first say that Barry needs to put out original material. Desperately. It’s been a while since he’s released something that didn’t start with the word “Greatest…”. You get the idea, and from the sounds of the three CD’s he’s working on, it sounds like he will be releasing some new material soon.
The next question is: who is the intended audience for this music? Who, besides Barry’s hard core fans, will this music resonate with the most?
I’ve heard the CD “15 Minutes” is supposed to contain more guitar (I’m assuming this is electric guitar). Is the music upbeat or is it slower and mellow? This can help to decide which demographics to go after with this CD. Instead of just releasing it out to the world, have multiple plans of action for marketing the CD, according to the demographic.
Which demographic is more likely to buy a CD vs. a digital copy from iTunes? What added perks could be made with purchasing a CD or likewise with purchasing from iTunes? They did a nice job with extra cuts with the last album to purchase with iTunes, how about the CD sales? In the past they’ve done CD’s where there was a video included that showed the behind the scenes look at how the CD was made.
Here’s an idea: since “15 Minutes” is supposed to contain stories of people seeking their 15 minutes of fame (at least that’s what I’ve heard), perhaps a portion of the money from the CD could go towards the Manilow Music Project or a scholarship to help Julliard graduates get that shot of 15 minutes of fame. Something along those lines. A special cut could be added to the iTunes purchases to go for the same purpose.
The symphonic album and the jazz album will also need their own ideas to separate them from the rest of the releases coming out on a constant basis from other artists.
There are other ways of also promoting new CD releases, as Barry and Co. well know, such as appearing on the talk show circuit. While this provides great television coverage, I don’t know that the ratings are there to generate enough sales. Barry needs to be out and about more, especially when a new album is being released.
A few ideas:
Discounts on the show and CD’s through AARP. Now that Baby Boomers are retiring, more are joining AARP. Does AARP have any type of convention? Be sure to perform there and/or time a performance in the same area at the same time. Be sure to put print ads in their magazine for the Paris show and the CD’s. Try to get a cover interview with them.
Coachella. Ever hear of it? HUGE weekend of concerts not too far from where Barry lives, if I understand correctly. GREAT coverage and publicity if you can get booked there. This is a younger crowd, make sure you plan and arrange the music accordingly.
Are there any jazz festivals Barry could sign up for? Do some cuts from Paradise Café, some of the other Johnny Mercer songs he’s put music to, and DO A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEW JAZZ ALBUM, BEFORE IT COMES OUT!!!! Try to time the release of the album to closely follow the jazz festivals so that Barry will still be on listener’s minds when they shop for new jazz music.
Also do some promotional visits to jazz radio stations, try to get Barry’s music on there. While a radio show (like the ones Barry's done for UK stations) may not work on mainstream radio stations, would it work on the jazz radio stations? Look into it.
Contact some of the different symphonies around the U.S. to make guest appearances at their concerts when his album, backed by a symphony orchestra, comes out, and even afterwards. Barry might find he has an audience there he wasn’t reaching. I know symphonies have also been hurting for money, appearing with some of these orchestras might be the boost they also need.
This Christmas, perhaps Barry could get with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra At Temple Square for their annual Christmas program. It would provide fantastic coverage of Barry, especially if he does the Gift of Love shows again in Palm Springs.
With all of this, make sure Barry and Co. give advance notice of these appearances on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to post videos to be shared on YouTube. Plan the internet appearances like you do everything else, but make sure Barry DOES have a presence, and a current one at that, on YouTube where people can share the videos. The latest music video of Barry on the "official" channel is from two albums ago.
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