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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: vansmack on August 31, 2004, 01:49:00 pm
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I don't care for Taking Back Sunday, but I met the guys at this label when my buddy was working there promoting Thursday. They deserve their success.
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Major Victory for Indie (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story?id=6465056&pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single1)
How a little label and a little-known emo band hit the Top Ten
Who are Taking Back Sunday, and how the hell did they manage to sell 260,000 albums in three weeks, without any major-label support? Behind the success of the punk-pop band's second album, Where You Want to Be -- which debuted at Number Three earlier this month and remains in the Top Thirty -- is tiny Victory Records, an independent that has found big success championing music that the majors miss.
"We're like Castro when he had the revolution," says Tony Brummel, 33, who launched the punk label in his Chicago apartment in 1993. "He was in the mountains fighting with sticks, and he won! He may not be the most liked guy in the world, but people are loyal to him."
Victory employs just thirty-two full-time staffers and has a roster of twenty bands, all of whom Brummel personally signed. Punk-metal act Atreyu recently landed in the Top Forty with their second album, The Curse, despite little video or radio airplay.
A grass-roots marketing plan, combining heavy investment in touring with volunteer street teams who pass out fliers and sampler CDs, has paid off. "Tony is a great business dude," says Taking Back Sunday lead singer Adam Lazzara. "The way the label gets so many copies of the albums into stores is unheard of in the indie world."
Alan Becker, an executive at Victory's longtime distributor RED Distribution, points to the label's willingness to promote albums for years as the key to its success. "Tony's relentless," Becker says. "He worked with us on the first Hatebreed record for four years. He worked closely with retail, made new videos, kept the band on the road. And they were selling better four years later. Same thing with Taking Back Sunday. He worked their first record for two years."
Brummel's cost-effective ways and aggressive business strategies have earned him detractors. Some of his biggest artists, including Hatebreed and New Jersey hardcore act Thursday, have left the label with less than kind words for him. Nonetheless, several majors have reportedly attempted to buy Victory. "Tony knows how to build brands," says Warner Music Group chairman Lyor Cohen, who was running Island Def Jam when that label picked up Thursday. "His hard-charging indie attitude is something I admire."
Victory actually sold a twenty-five percent equity stake to MCA/Universal in 2002, but less than a year later Brummel canceled the deal and returned the money. "When you're in bed with someone, you learn some things you don't like," he says. "Like that I'm not a fucking team player."
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They sounded just like any other HFS band at the festival.
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That's like three times as much as the major-label Rhett Miller album has sold.
Originally posted by vansmack:
Who are Taking Back Sunday, and how the hell did they manage to sell 260,000 albums in three weeks, without any major-label support?
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It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
That's like three times as much as the major-label Rhett Miller album has sold.
Originally posted by vansmack:
Who are Taking Back Sunday, and how the hell did they manage to sell 260,000 albums in three weeks, without any major-label support?
[/b]
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The Byrds Greatest Hits went Platinum. Surely there were some tracks from Sweetheart of the Rodeo on that.
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
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Apparently, Miller doesn't think of himself as alt-country.
http://www.thedailypage.com/going-out/music/news/managedit.php?intmusicnewsid=324 (http://www.thedailypage.com/going-out/music/news/managedit.php?intmusicnewsid=324)
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
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The Daily Page got a hot tip exclusive. Damn.
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
That's like three times as much as the major-label Rhett Miller album has sold.
Originally posted by vansmack:
Who are Taking Back Sunday, and how the hell did they manage to sell 260,000 albums in three weeks, without any major-label support?
[/b]
[/b]
does it make you feel "cool" that a lot of the artists you like dont sell many records. like you know a scret or something?
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That's the way I felt when I was in my 20's.
Now, I don't care how popular artists I like are, as long as they don't change their sound in order to achieve more mainstream popularity.
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
That's like three times as much as the major-label Rhett Miller album has sold.
Originally posted by vansmack:
Who are Taking Back Sunday, and how the hell did they manage to sell 260,000 albums in three weeks, without any major-label support?
[/b]
[/b]
does it make you feel "cool" that a lot of the artists you like dont sell many records. like you know a scret or something? [/b]
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The Byrds wouldn't sell more than 100K copies of an album if they were a new band today. Neither would Neil Young or Tom Petty. All would be branded as "Americana" or "alt-country" and thus marginalized to a niche audience.
Originally posted by econo:
The Byrds Greatest Hits went Platinum. Surely there were some tracks from Sweetheart of the Rodeo on that.
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
It's probably three times as many albums as ANY alt-country artist has ever sold.
[/b]
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Clearly album sales reflect quality. I have been digging the new Ashley Simpson release.
It is somewhat curmudgeonly to chastise someone for liking moderately obscure music on this forum when most of the bands we like are rare visitors to the billboard hot 100.
If it were not for Rhett, I mean Randy, and the board I would never have heard of so many bands, including the old 97's.
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
The Byrds wouldn't sell more than 100K copies of an album if they were a new band today.
I dunno, early in they wrote some pretty catchy pop songs....
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You mean like Rhett Miller?
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Now, I don't care how popular artists I like are, as long as they don't change their sound in order to achieve more mainstream popularity.
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I've never said that Rhett's solo album was anything more than a pretty decent pop album.
It's becoming more apparent to me that Rhett is the one with rockstar ambition, and the rest of the 97's are the ones with good taste....
As it evidenced by Murry's comment to Rhett when Rhett made the rest of the band listen to Ziggy Stardust: "You're not going to make us sound like David Bowie are you?"
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
You mean like Rhett Miller?
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Now, I don't care how popular artists I like are, as long as they don't change their sound in order to achieve more mainstream popularity.
[/b]
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I just wasted my weekly bowie insult without Mankie even being online today...
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
It is somewhat curmudgeonly to chastise someone for liking moderately obscure music on this forum
rhett is the most curmudgeonous person i have ever encountered. he can deal with it.
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When have we ever encountered each other? Was that you asking me for a blow job in the bathroom at the Black Cat last weekend, a request to which I curmudgenly refused?
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
It is somewhat curmudgeonly to chastise someone for liking moderately obscure music on this forum
rhett is the most curmudgeonous person i have ever encountered. he can deal with it. [/b]
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Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
[qb]
curmudgeonous [/b]
Or even: curmudgeonly.
I thought Rhett had been a reformed character recently. Although he cannot spell either.
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I've been working on my spelling by double reading all your posts!
Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
[qb]
curmudgeonous [/b]
Or even: curmudgeonly.
I thought Rhett had been a reformed character recently. Although he cannot spell either. [/b]
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
I've been working on my spelling by double reading all your posts!
At least I have not been making words up.....
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Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
When have we ever encountered each other?
on this board! encounter does not have to be in person does it? i encounter you on this board every day.
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Perhaps you wouldn't find me to be as much as a curmudger in person. I know the people I've met off of this board and the Fulks board have all been at least a little bit different in person.
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
When have we ever encountered each other?
on this board! encounter does not have to be in person does it? i encounter you on this board every day. [/b]
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I've met Rhett (Randy). He's pretty much the same in person, except he's much shorter and geekier looking than one would expect.
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
he's much shorter and geekier looking than one would expect.
i doubt thats possible. :)
i am the same in person, a loud Canadian asshole.
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I heard you were fat.
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
he's much shorter and geekier looking than one would expect.
i doubt thats possible. :)
i am the same in person, a loud Canadian asshole. [/b]
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I heard you were fat.
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
he's much shorter and geekier looking than one would expect.
i doubt thats possible. :)
i am the same in person, a loud Canadian asshole. [/b]
[/b]
i heard you were tall
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I've met GGW (Geoffrey). He's pretty much the same in person, except he's much taller and geekier looking than one would expect.
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I've met mark e. smith (mark) in person. He seems really cool except you can't understand what he's saying. He sounds kind of like Ozzy on meth.
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I heard you were fat.
yes, i am very overweight, but do not make fun of me please. i am working on it!
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I've met mark e. smith (mark) in person. He seems really cool except you can't understand what he's saying. He sounds kind of like Ozzy on meth.
he looks like a cross between Thom Yorke and the singer from the Music.
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i've meet kosmo vinyl(kosmo) and he's a putz
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Originally posted by sonickteam2:
he looks like a cross between Thom Yorke and the singer from the Music.
Thanks......
http://www.theantiher0.com/radioheadsucks.htm (http://www.theantiher0.com/radioheadsucks.htm)
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
you can't understand what he's saying
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible?
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
you can't understand what he's saying
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible? [/b]
as the evening goes on, incomprehensible is an understatement :) but i find it amusing, and just pretend you are insulting radiohead.
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I'm willing to wager none of us were part of the "popular" crowd in high school.
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
you can't understand what he's saying
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible? [/b]
what?
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Originally posted by sonickteam2:
but i find it amusing, and just pretend you are insulting radiohead.
I probably am. Either that or calling your girlfriend random girls names.
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
but i find it amusing, and just pretend you are insulting radiohead.
I probably am. Either that or calling your girlfriend random girls names. [/b]
she loves that. especially names of girls i was talking to earlier that night
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This is too freakin' funny!!!!!!!
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I guess I'm proof that short(er) people can be assholes too. harhahar
And who here would possibly think that I was anything other than a geek? Christ, I'm a statistician who listens to country music and lives in the burbs.
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I've met Rhett (Randy). He's pretty much the same in person, except he's much shorter and geekier looking than one would expect.
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible?
I used to get frustrated that when I couldn't understand you, so I used to buy Lulu drinks to translate. Then I realized that I didn't want to hear what you had to say most of the time, so I just bought Lulu drinks to pretend like she was translating. She would get very drunk. Maybe that's why Lulu is afraid to drink with me?
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I saw Guiny in the pit at the Sex Pistols show. He moshes like a 12-year old girl at an Avril Lavigne show at the mall.
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible?
I used to get frustrated that when I couldn't understand you, so I used to buy Lulu drinks to translate. Then I realized that I didn't want to hear what you had to say most of the time, so I just bought Lulu drinks to pretend like she was translating. She would get very drunk. Maybe that's why Lulu is afraid to drink with me? [/b]
I used to think I was the only one who couldn't understand you. I felt bad about it, like i was just an American loser who couldn't understand someone with an English accent. Now it appears that lot's of other folks just pretend to understand what you're talking about.
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When is your birthday, Mark?
We will all pitch in and buy this (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764173693/americanaccenttr/002-0133848-9387210) for you.
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God, would you guys quit picking on Mark's grasp of English? Give him a break, he's a foreigner.
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Originally posted by redsock:
Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible?
I used to get frustrated that when I couldn't understand you, so I used to buy Lulu drinks to translate. Then I realized that I didn't want to hear what you had to say most of the time, so I just bought Lulu drinks to pretend like she was translating. She would get very drunk. Maybe that's why Lulu is afraid to drink with me? [/b]
I used to think I was the only one who couldn't understand you. I felt bad about it, like i was just an American loser who couldn't understand someone with an English accent. Now it appears that lot's of other folks just pretend to understand what you're talking about. [/b]
I just nodded my head in agreement.
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Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I saw Guiny in the pit at the Sex Pistols show. He moshes like a 12-year old girl at an Avril Lavigne show at the mall.
Actually, I think you got that wrong, I was in the mosh pit for the Avril Lavigne concert and moshed like a 34 year old at a Sex Pistols show.
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Originally posted by Rob_Gee:
I was in the mosh pit for the Avril Lavigne concert and moshed like a 34 year old at a Sex Pistols show.
Me too.
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You mean you grab underage mosh pit ass in the same way you would a bunch of old geezers?
Originally posted by Rob_Gee:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
I saw Guiny in the pit at the Sex Pistols show. He moshes like a 12-year old girl at an Avril Lavigne show at the mall.
Actually, I think you got that wrong, I was in the mosh pit for the Avril Lavigne concert and moshed like a 34 year old at a Sex Pistols show. [/b]
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I share mmy B'day with Ronald Reagan, or I did. Its not for ages.
thanks for all the kind words though. I am sure to be extra insulting next time I meet any of you, which is fine as I guess none of you will ever know it.
As for Lulu, Vansmack, she said that you were like an octupus.
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Well as I have said before, I have little trouble understanding Mark E., so not sure what is wrong with everybody else
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Originally posted by mark e smith:
As for Lulu, Vansmack, she said that you were like an octupus.
Dare I even ask for the punch line?
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Originally posted by vansmack:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
As for Lulu, Vansmack, she said that you were like an octupus.
Dare I even ask for the punch line? [/b]
i'm glad you did..........i'm sitting here in antici...............................................................pation
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Originally posted by vansmack:
octupus.
She said you were all grabby and that your tentacles were everywhere.....
Actually, I think she liked that, but every time she drinks with you she makes vomitus.
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yes markie is little hard to understand especially in loud enviroments... i still luv him to bits regardless :D
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Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
you can't understand what he's saying
Is GGW the only one? Or am I generally incomprehesible? [/b]
what? [/b]
I dunno what he said either, ask LuLu.
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Originally posted by sonickteam2:
Originally posted by mark e smith:
Originally posted by sonickteam2:
but i find it amusing, and just pretend you are insulting radiohead.
I probably am. Either that or calling your girlfriend random girls names. [/b]
she loves that. especially names of girls i was talking to earlier that night [/b]
sonick, what have you done to make her so jumpy & sensitive?!? 'Cuz really, Markie's just making an honest mistake....
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Originally posted by pollard:
Well as I have said before, I have little trouble understanding Mark E., so not sure what is wrong with everybody else
Same here.
My only problem is during shows or loud music. But that could be said about almost anyone as I'm always straining to hear others around the noise. And it doesn't help that I'm somewhat hard of hearing.