I Am Not A Dog On A Chain: 2 years on

[marred]

Yeah, seems like a combination of bad timing (at least as far as touring it) as it came out right at the start of the pandemic, and BMG had probably already made the decision to drop him. Kind of seemed like it was handled like a non-event.

It's the best non event he's released in years
Hmm, Non Event? Could be a song title?

 

[Eldritch]

Yeah, seems like a combination of bad timing (at least as far as touring it) as it came out right at the start of the pandemic, and BMG had probably already made the decision to drop him. Kind of seemed like it was handled like a non-event.

Yep, BMG had a contractual obligation to fulfill, and they did that, they put the album out. And that was the full extent of their album "campaign".

 

[Anonymous]

To be fair to BMG, I think it's understandable to cut your losses and not splash out big on an artist you know (or strongly suspect) is heading towards the exit and not going to resign. They've probably already got their projected sales figures based on how well 'Low in High School' and 'California Son' did. It's unfortunate, but at that stage, there's little point in spending hundreds of thousands on ad campaigns, promo videos etc.

 

[sweetness522]

Didn't love it at first, but now it's one of my favorites. Same thing as what happened to me with Ringleader.
Favorites are River Clean, Knockabout World, and What Kind of People.

 

[Trenton Quarantino]

To be fair to BMG, I think it's understandable to cut your losses and not splash out big on an artist you know (or strongly suspect) is heading towards the exit and not going to resign. They've probably already got their projected sales figures based on how well 'Low in High School' and 'California Son' did. It's unfortunate, but at that stage, there's little point in spending hundreds of thousands on ad campaigns, promo videos etc.

I don't think Morrissey was thinking of leaving BMG at all. I think he was surprised and dismayed that he was dropped - his message on Central seemed to convey that. Then he tried to blame being dropped on some kind of diversity push by BMG. He was either told that or he simply surmised it, only to have BMG sign such "diverse" acts as Louis Tomlinson and Johnny Marr.

We have seen the publicity blitz BMG put behind Johnny's new album - a Sky Arts documentary, interviews on mainstream tv, radio airplay, dozens of podcasts and interviews, album signings, several magazine cover stories and opening slots on 2 major tours. Those are the kinds of things that Morrissey probably didn't want to do and that would frustrate a label.

BMG dropping Morrissey and signing Johnny Marr was probably one of the motivating forces behind his open letter.

 

[Amy]

We have seen the publicity blitz BMG put behind Johnny's new album - a Sky Arts documentary, interviews on mainstream tv, radio airplay, dozens of podcasts and interviews, album signings, several magazine cover stories and opening slots on 2 major tours. Those are the kinds of things that Morrissey probably didn't want to do and that would frustrate a label.

Exactly, and it's a strange attitude for any artist to have - completely refusing to 'play the game'. It sometimes seems like Moz wants to get signed, get paid, and then sit back whilst the label does the promo legwork for him. Then he blames them when it goes wrong, of course. Maybe there was a time when he could do that stuff and still sell well but it doesn't cut it anymore.

 

[Anonymous]

I totally agree that if Moz wants 'Bonfire' to do well (presuming it's coming out), he really needs to come out of hiding, buckle down, and work like hell to promote it. As well as playing live he needs to do a media blitz, loads of press and radio interviews, appear on whatever TV spots he can get (even if they are not 'prestige' shows), do some in person record signings, and use his social media presence to spread some decent content (such as the lockdown acoustic live sessions Alain posted, or the 'in studio' session Marr did - rather than posting endless obituaries and Sam's photoshop monstrosities).

I get that he's frustrated by what he sees as the media making up stories about him, but his refusal to do interviews hasn't stopped that - people are still calling him a right-wing racist all over the place anyway, so he might as well ignore the haters and get back out there. I still think there is some measure of success to be had - if he wants it hard enough to work for it, and his views aren't now so extreme that he goes full Tommy Robinson/David Ike in public.

Certainly as any prospective label head, my attitude would be "Hey this record sounds great, but if we sign you are you going to do anything to try and sell it?"

 

[marred]

I don't think Morrissey was thinking of leaving BMG at all. I think he was surprised and dismayed that he was dropped - his message on Central seemed to convey that. Then he tried to blame being dropped on some kind of diversity push by BMG. He was either told that or he simply surmised it, only to have BMG sign such "diverse" acts as Louis Tomlinson and Johnny Marr.

We have seen the publicity blitz BMG put behind Johnny's new album - a Sky Arts documentary, interviews on mainstream tv, radio airplay, dozens of podcasts and interviews, album signings, several magazine cover stories and opening slots on 2 major tours. Those are the kinds of things that Morrissey probably didn't want to do and that would frustrate a label.

BMG dropping Morrissey and signing Johnny Marr was probably one of the motivating forces behind his open letter.

Marr tows the diversity line so that's all they need to keep you on.

 

[Trenton Quarantino]

Marr tows the diversity line so that's all they need to keep you on.

That doesn't make any sense. He is a white man just like Morrissey. If anything, Morrissey is gay and that should give him a diversity point. I meant that dropping Morrissey ultimately had nothing to do with diversity and everything to do with profit. People (and Morrissey) can blame the label for not pushing his album, but what was Morrissey willing to do for the label? It's a two-way street.

 

[SuedeMoz]

Exactly, and it's a strange attitude for any artist to have - completely refusing to 'play the game'. It sometimes seems like Moz wants to get signed, get paid, and then sit back whilst the label does the promo legwork for him. Then he blames them when it goes wrong, of course. Maybe there was a time when he could do that stuff and still sell well but it doesn't cut it anymore.

I sincerely hope Morrissey gets another record deal as it seems like the only way he'll release new music. But honestly, from the record company's perspective, it does not seem like there are many pluses to signing him now. Fair or not, he's become somewhat toxic. His difficult reputation precedes him. He won't do much to promote his own music. Instead of talking about his music, he'd rather make controversial and contrarian statements. Then he'll publicly bash the record company when he doesn't get the results he wanted. Did I miss anything?

 

[Deleted member 30524]

I sincerely hope Morrissey gets another record deal as it seems like the only way he'll release new music. But honestly, from the record company's perspective, it does not seem like there are many pluses to signing him now. Fair or not, he's become somewhat toxic. His difficult reputation precedes him. He won't do much to promote his own music. Instead of talking about his music, he'd rather make controversial and contrarian statements. Then he'll publicly bash the record company when he doesn't get the results he wanted. Did I miss anything?

A fair assessment really .

 

[yep]

Marr tows the diversity line so that's all they need to keep you on.

Do you believe that shit?
That was a great post by Trenton, only to get a wally remark like yours
Marr , Sparks, and Suede will all have big pushes. They are as white as you can get

They were gonna do that with M, the rollout for Low was great, then Moz just started f***ing it up, from his first BBC studio gig, mentioning UKIP, onwards.

The sad thing is , all that anti-woke stuff, is now as strained as the woke stuff. It was pure cliche

 

[ZOOM FROM GLOOM]

That doesn't make any sense. He is a white man just like Morrissey. If anything, Morrissey is gay and that should give him a diversity point. I meant that dropping Morrissey ultimately had nothing to do with diversity and everything to do with profit. People (and Morrissey) can blame the label for not pushing his album,

but what was Morrissey willing to do for the label? It's a two-way street.

He’s an artist. He writes and pours his heart out into song, does shows.

That’s all that should be required.

 

[Amy]

He’s an artist. He writes and pours his heart out into song, does shows.

That’s all that should be required.

If he wants to be without a label indefinitely, yeah. There are plenty of artists doing that stuff and self-releasing albums but he wants the traditional deal and arrangement, and that involves playing his part with the promo.

 

[Redacted]

Marr tows the diversity line so that's all they need to keep you on.

I completely agree

 

[Amy]

I sincerely hope Morrissey gets another record deal as it seems like the only way he'll release new music. But honestly, from the record company's perspective, it does not seem like there are many pluses to signing him now. Fair or not, he's become somewhat toxic. His difficult reputation precedes him. He won't do much to promote his own music. Instead of talking about his music, he'd rather make controversial and contrarian statements. Then he'll publicly bash the record company when he doesn't get the results he wanted. Did I miss anything?

No, we're in agreement. I think this is where he does the real damage too - trashing a record label publicly looks terrible and will make others wary of what he'll say about them.

 

[bhops]

If he wants to be without a label indefinitely, yeah. There are plenty of artists doing that stuff and self-releasing albums but he wants the traditional deal and arrangement, and that involves playing his part with the promo.

Correct. Look at the leg work he pout into YATQ and it was the biggest hit of his entire career. Having said that I do believe he is insecure about his looks these days and vanity plays a part in him not wanting to do all media with it's photo shoots and TV appearances. Just a theory.

 

[Deleted member 30524]

Correct. Look at the leg work he pout into YATQ and it was the biggest hit of his entire career. Having said that I do believe he is insecure about his looks these days and vanity plays a part in him not wanting to do all media with it's photo shoots and TV appearances. Just a theory.

Mmmm .... interesting thoughts.
He’s not to fussed about standing in front of 20 thousand people singing his heart out.
He did put the leg work in for Quarry didn’t he.
It’s the only time I remember being
Every where for a while, and with Ringleader.

 

[bhops]

Mmmm .... interesting thoughts.
He’s not to fussed about standing in front of 20 thousand people singing his heart out.
He did put the leg work in for Quarry didn’t he.
It’s the only time I remember being
Every where for a while, and with Ringleader.

I think the live show is for Morrissey direct communication with his audience without the media. It's a different vibe.

 

[Redacted]

M does not need a media blitz like Marr does (which is just a lot of overkill, but a lot of people do not know who he is) and a lot of advertising is done on social media. There was no advance notice for the Vegas shows, just a few social media posts and tickets are selling. The bigger artists do not need as much promotion. People are flying to Vegas and booking hotels to see him, some are going all 5 nights.
M's FB page has 1.4 mil followers.