darkmatter.pearljam.com

PJNB said:

It is kind of odd to set that all up just to give us a sneak peak at a song that was coming out shortly anyway. I am sure they have more planned with it but it really would have worked better with it happening more consecutively. 

kmcmanus said:

dwjmu84 said:

JKestle said:

To say that to date, what's been done has required no real effort, is a bit disingenuous don't you think?
2 singles releases, deals with NHL and March Madness, podcast interviews, private listening sessions, a custom mobile app, movie theatre release schedule... no real effort? Sorry, I don't buy it.

So yeah I don’t really see much effort there. What’s required to have cbs and the networks that carry nhl games play a few snippets here and there? A quick phone call and a couple signatures? I mean aside from 20 seconds of something special in one….one March madness promo, we’ve only heard/seen music that’s already released. So then it’s just a legal thing for the networks to get permission to use the songs. I promise you the sausage making is way less impressive once you see it from the inside. 

Podcast interviews : Jeff and Stone. Who else?
Stone’s with Pinfield was insanely underwhelming as I have noted (since I actually listened to it). Jeff’s was good. Stone’s interview with SPIN was maybe the single best piece of promotion yet. Loved that read! Btw no blame to the guys here so we are clear. We haven’t heard from Mike, Matt, or Ed via any widely available channel.

Listening Parties: I don’t know. I kind of see these as a little elitist for my taste. I really think the PJ of old would have absolutely admonished bands for something like this. I know Ed has fun with it and hey that’s cool, but it smacks of self indulgence. Since there are many, many die hards who’ve given blood sweat and tears to this band for 30 years or more who would never have a chance to attend something like this, maybe something more accessible would be preferable?

Actually, I like the early chance to hear the album through ONE (or two) times through the theatrical release. I think the timing is completely wrong. Do that a few weeks out (like now) instead of the listening parties. Meanwhile, you have the guys on multiple podcasts, making the rounds, and building the wave of hype slowly. 

 

Let me also add that 12 variants of vinyl is ridiculous in a way. How many PJ fans buy records, as a %? 2-3% MAYBE!

Now we learn of these variants a month after the handful of versions originally went up for sale? It seems like a $ grab. I mean come on. Aside from the odd collector who just wants these things lying around, who is buying multiple copies? I went out of my comfort zone to BUY even one copy of the record bc I can just listen to my paid streaming service haha.

Bottom line I guess is that what they’ve done so far has very very narrow appeal in most cases. 

I kind of liked calling a number on my cell phone through Verizon to get a clip of a new backspacer tune!!

The % of PJ fans buying vinyl is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than 3%, especially among the 10C. And a whole lot of people here are buying all 12. 

The part where the band makes “effort” is in composing & recording the music. They aren’t marketing execs. 

I’m thinking the reason the theatrical event is the 16th rather than, say, now, is to delay the album leaking for as long as possible, by the week of release it will most likely be out there either way..

dwjmu84 said:

kmcmanus said:

dwjmu84 said:

JKestle said:

To say that to date, what's been done has required no real effort, is a bit disingenuous don't you think?
2 singles releases, deals with NHL and March Madness, podcast interviews, private listening sessions, a custom mobile app, movie theatre release schedule... no real effort? Sorry, I don't buy it.

So yeah I don’t really see much effort there. What’s required to have cbs and the networks that carry nhl games play a few snippets here and there? A quick phone call and a couple signatures? I mean aside from 20 seconds of something special in one….one March madness promo, we’ve only heard/seen music that’s already released. So then it’s just a legal thing for the networks to get permission to use the songs. I promise you the sausage making is way less impressive once you see it from the inside. 

Podcast interviews : Jeff and Stone. Who else?
Stone’s with Pinfield was insanely underwhelming as I have noted (since I actually listened to it). Jeff’s was good. Stone’s interview with SPIN was maybe the single best piece of promotion yet. Loved that read! Btw no blame to the guys here so we are clear. We haven’t heard from Mike, Matt, or Ed via any widely available channel.

Listening Parties: I don’t know. I kind of see these as a little elitist for my taste. I really think the PJ of old would have absolutely admonished bands for something like this. I know Ed has fun with it and hey that’s cool, but it smacks of self indulgence. Since there are many, many die hards who’ve given blood sweat and tears to this band for 30 years or more who would never have a chance to attend something like this, maybe something more accessible would be preferable?

Actually, I like the early chance to hear the album through ONE (or two) times through the theatrical release. I think the timing is completely wrong. Do that a few weeks out (like now) instead of the listening parties. Meanwhile, you have the guys on multiple podcasts, making the rounds, and building the wave of hype slowly. 

 

Let me also add that 12 variants of vinyl is ridiculous in a way. How many PJ fans buy records, as a %? 2-3% MAYBE!

Now we learn of these variants a month after the handful of versions originally went up for sale? It seems like a $ grab. I mean come on. Aside from the odd collector who just wants these things lying around, who is buying multiple copies? I went out of my comfort zone to BUY even one copy of the record bc I can just listen to my paid streaming service haha.

Bottom line I guess is that what they’ve done so far has very very narrow appeal in most cases. 

I kind of liked calling a number on my cell phone through Verizon to get a clip of a new backspacer tune!!

The % of PJ fans buying vinyl is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than 3%, especially among the 10C. And a whole lot of people here are buying all 12. 

The part where the band makes “effort” is in composing & recording the music. They aren’t marketing execs. 

I’m thinking the reason the theatrical event is the 16th rather than, say, now, is to delay the album leaking for as long as possible, by the week of release it will most likely be out there either way..

Sure, if you narrow to 10c fans then obviously the % would be higher. But I’m talking all PJ fans (since they all have access to the vinyl variants or just the “normal” copies, in theory). I doubt it’s any more than 1-2% actually, of the wide audience. Also, I guess I’m just curious as to why one would buy 2,3,8, 12! Versions of the same record unless they were a SERIOUS collector (and these folks are prob a di minimus % ). Are people buying CDs too? Cassette tapes?

it’s always struck me as odd the PJ sells a CD still. The vinyl I get (and let’s be honest this is all driven by Ed’s fascination with it), so it doesn’t surprise me that they offer a couple variants to have some fun, but 12 sounds like a cash grab. Though, I doubt it will amount to much. 

Hey - doesn’t black vinyl sound the best anyway? Pretty sure that’s been the standard for decades. 

Like I said though, this will be my first vinyl purchase in 40 years of life. Making an exception for what could be the last record, but yeah I guess I don’t know anyone else going around buying records (in my peer group that is).

but hey - if you’re buying them all then enjoy it. Maybe there is some sort of Easter egg on each of them as a surprise?

mpedone said:

dwjmu84 said:

kmcmanus said:

dwjmu84 said:

JKestle said:

To say that to date, what's been done has required no real effort, is a bit disingenuous don't you think?
2 singles releases, deals with NHL and March Madness, podcast interviews, private listening sessions, a custom mobile app, movie theatre release schedule... no real effort? Sorry, I don't buy it.

So yeah I don’t really see much effort there. What’s required to have cbs and the networks that carry nhl games play a few snippets here and there? A quick phone call and a couple signatures? I mean aside from 20 seconds of something special in one….one March madness promo, we’ve only heard/seen music that’s already released. So then it’s just a legal thing for the networks to get permission to use the songs. I promise you the sausage making is way less impressive once you see it from the inside. 

Podcast interviews : Jeff and Stone. Who else?
Stone’s with Pinfield was insanely underwhelming as I have noted (since I actually listened to it). Jeff’s was good. Stone’s interview with SPIN was maybe the single best piece of promotion yet. Loved that read! Btw no blame to the guys here so we are clear. We haven’t heard from Mike, Matt, or Ed via any widely available channel.

Listening Parties: I don’t know. I kind of see these as a little elitist for my taste. I really think the PJ of old would have absolutely admonished bands for something like this. I know Ed has fun with it and hey that’s cool, but it smacks of self indulgence. Since there are many, many die hards who’ve given blood sweat and tears to this band for 30 years or more who would never have a chance to attend something like this, maybe something more accessible would be preferable?

Actually, I like the early chance to hear the album through ONE (or two) times through the theatrical release. I think the timing is completely wrong. Do that a few weeks out (like now) instead of the listening parties. Meanwhile, you have the guys on multiple podcasts, making the rounds, and building the wave of hype slowly. 

 

Let me also add that 12 variants of vinyl is ridiculous in a way. How many PJ fans buy records, as a %? 2-3% MAYBE!

Now we learn of these variants a month after the handful of versions originally went up for sale? It seems like a $ grab. I mean come on. Aside from the odd collector who just wants these things lying around, who is buying multiple copies? I went out of my comfort zone to BUY even one copy of the record bc I can just listen to my paid streaming service haha.

Bottom line I guess is that what they’ve done so far has very very narrow appeal in most cases. 

I kind of liked calling a number on my cell phone through Verizon to get a clip of a new backspacer tune!!

The % of PJ fans buying vinyl is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than 3%, especially among the 10C. And a whole lot of people here are buying all 12. 

The part where the band makes “effort” is in composing & recording the music. They aren’t marketing execs. 

I’m thinking the reason the theatrical event is the 16th rather than, say, now, is to delay the album leaking for as long as possible, by the week of release it will most likely be out there either way..

Sure, if you narrow to 10c fans then obviously the % would be higher. But I’m talking all PJ fans (since they all have access to the vinyl variants or just the “normal” copies, in theory). I doubt it’s any more than 1-2% actually, of the wide audience. Also, I guess I’m just curious as to why one would buy 2,3,8, 12! Versions of the same record unless they were a SERIOUS collector (and these folks are prob a di minimus % ). Are people buying CDs too? Cassette tapes?

it’s always struck me as odd the PJ sells a CD still. The vinyl I get (and let’s be honest this is all driven by Ed’s fascination with it), so it doesn’t surprise me that they offer a couple variants to have some fun, but 12 sounds like a cash grab. Though, I doubt it will amount to much. 

Hey - doesn’t black vinyl sound the best anyway? Pretty sure that’s been the standard for decades. 

Like I said though, this will be my first vinyl purchase in 40 years of life. Making an exception for what could be the last record, but yeah I guess I don’t know anyone else going around buying records (in my peer group that is).

but hey - if you’re buying them all then enjoy it. Maybe there is some sort of Easter egg on each of them as a surprise?

They better keep selling CDs! I still have a CD player in my car. It's more that I want to have a physical copy of my own. Digital download is fine, but not the same.

As for the variants, they are pretty limited quantities, so probably within the range of "serious PJ vinyl collector" tolerances. I think getting multiple variants is beyond being a fan of the music and about collecting. Gotta get the complete set! It's not my jam, but to each their own. Given how well variants sell just when they are 10C exclusives (and the troubles people are having pre-ordering some of these), I think the market for this type of thing is clearly there. I do think it's gimmicky, but again, it's not my jam. It is for many other people.

The cassette thing is the really wild one to me. I know it's not just Pearl Jam; it's been a growing trend for years now. My best guess is that it's a nostalgia thing, which I DO get, but I'm not seeking out a cassette player anytime soon, while I'm pretty sure I will always have a CD player and a turntable. Frankly, I think they should lean even more into the nostalgia and start releasing music on 8-track and concert films on LaserDisc and VHS.

dwjmu84 said:

BF25394 said:

You can get a kind of skewed view of the world from being in a club with a lot of people who are on the vinyl train. CD sales still account for nearly half of all physical album sales, and the total number of CDs sold in 2023 in the U.S. actually increased year-over-year from 2022. The CD is far from dead.

EDIT: And CDs are still the leading format in some other markets, like Japan.

Maybe the cd is far from dead in the context of physical medium sales (vinyl, cassette, cd). But, compare the sales #s to streams on various platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc). I’d be truly shocked if sales of physical music accounts for any more than the smallest drop in the bucket you could imagine. 

For instance…Taylor Swift’s most popular song on Spotify right now is approaching 2 Billion (yes billion) streams. It’s literally impossible for physical units of her music to represent anything meaningful relative to that #. 

kmcmanus said:

dwjmu84 said:

BF25394 said:

You can get a kind of skewed view of the world from being in a club with a lot of people who are on the vinyl train. CD sales still account for nearly half of all physical album sales, and the total number of CDs sold in 2023 in the U.S. actually increased year-over-year from 2022. The CD is far from dead.

EDIT: And CDs are still the leading format in some other markets, like Japan.

Maybe the cd is far from dead in the context of physical medium sales (vinyl, cassette, cd). But, compare the sales #s to streams on various platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc). I’d be truly shocked if sales of physical music accounts for any more than the smallest drop in the bucket you could imagine. 

For instance…Taylor Swift’s most popular song on Spotify right now is approaching 2 Billion (yes billion) streams. It’s literally impossible for physical units of her music to represent anything meaningful relative to that #. 

But that’s counting plays, not purchases. If we could somehow count every time someone played Alive from a cd tape or record they only bought once it could absolutely be that many. 

dwjmu84 said:

How is vinyl better than the best quality digital unless you want the auditory artifacts and the crackling etc?

JeBurkhardt said:

I like Cds because I can listen to them in my work computer. Our network blocks streaming services and the building I work in has no cell signal, so unless I download a bunch of music to my phone to listen to offline, I am pretty limited.