EDさんは止まらない

なんかEDさんエントリーがあっという間に増えておりまして。
ざーっと読んで、関係ありそうなこと、個人的に興味をもったことをアップしていきます。
かなりの割合で質問に答えた形になっているのですが、私は質問文を確認せず、Edさんの回答だけしか読んでないので、内容を誤解している可能性が更にアップしております。また間違い発見の際には、ご指摘お願いします!

こちら、EDさんのコメント一覧（DCO) 

↓この時、ファンでもオープンレターとして、EDさんあてのコメントをエントリーとして書き込んで、そこに他のファンからもコメント書いてOKよって、参加型にしちゃってたんですよね。
ちょっと一時期ウワーってなって。それからちょっとしてのEDさんの回答エントリーが下記になります。
3月30日　15：27エントリー　
・自分達は、DCはもちろん、所属してるアーティストのために出来ることはすべてする。
自分達は音楽が好きっていうだけでなく、音楽によって生計をたててるわけで、500以上のアルバム、年間何十とのライブに行き、何千何百という曲を聴いて、それを20年間続けてきたような連中の集まり。信頼して欲しい。
（ちゃんとやってねえよー、DCファンはよく音楽を知ってるっていう意見に一喝の意味かと）

・ＴＶ出演について
ＲＣＡは主要ＴＶ番組と信頼関係があり、アルバムがリリースされる所属アーティスト全員に対して出演できるよう尽力している。
ただし、それぞれのＴＶ番組の要望、人気、目的等（たとえばＳＮＬなどは競争率が激しい枠のひとつ。）があり、効率的なＰＲ戦略に当てはめながら、かつアーティストがこなしていけるバランスを考えたブッキングをしている。
これは、ＴＶ出演だけでなく、色々な面で同様なことが言える。
色々なアーティストを手がけているが（Avril,The Strokes,Foo Fighters等）、こちらの希望したからといって出演が出来るわけでもない。
トーク番組においても、たとえばUSで最も長寿な夜のトーク番組（夜のトークショーといえばジミーフォーリン、ジョーレノ、レターマン、Kimmelとかくらいが思い浮かぶかな。もっとも長くやってるのはどれか知りません。ラリー・キングがまだやってれば、あれが間違いなく最長寿だと思いますが）の平均視聴者は55歳以上。アルバムをPRするファン層とならない。
また、昼間のトーク番組（Ellenさんの番組とかそうじゃないですかね）も年齢層は低くはなるけれど、最大限の効果のあるターゲットとしてどうか疑問。
そうやって、事実に基づいた分析から、PR戦略は最も効果的な結果を出すのを目的に綿密に組まれていくもの。

・DCの意志にそぐわないことを押し付けることはない。自分達の役目は、DCが希望を達成するのに、専門家を含めたチームで彼のサポートをすること。
アーティストが頼れるエキスパートを提供し、アーティストが全てを自分で切り盛りするのは無理だからそれを助ける、言い換えればアーティストとしての部分に集中出来るよう、ビジネス的部分を担い、サポートするのが役目。

・シングルが決定するのは「リサーチ」によるもの。
コアファンに人気のある曲と、世間で人気のあるものというのは大きなギャップがある。
コアファンの希望にそっていないくとも、大部分を占めるカジュアルファンの満足度を優先的に考えて選択されることがしばしば。これは「DCの成功」という大きなスケールで見た場合、どれだけの人数を満足させることが出来るか考えての判断によるもの。
シングル決定に至るまでには、つっこんだリサーチが行われ、その結果によって決定される。　シングルに関しては色んな憶測・不満・反論があるけれども、リサーチ結果によってのものだということを理解して欲しい。
シングルがDC,DCのマネージメント、A&Rチームによって決定したあとは、こちらの好みなどの私情は一切ない部分で、決定したシングルを可能な限り効果的にPRするのが我々の仕事。（CBTMが彼の一番好きな曲っていってことについてブーブーされた反論？？）

3月30日　23：55エントリー
・RCAと19がPRする上でかぶる部分もあれば、完全に分かれている（セールス、ラジオ＝RCAのみ、テレビ、イベント等の出演、ツアー＝19＋ブッキングエイジェント）もある。

 

3月31日　11：09エントリー
・RCAを含める数多くのレーベルが、ラジオのTOP40にロックミュージックをなんとかくいこませようと努力をしているが、成功していないのが現状。
現実として、現在はPOPの需要が多いため難しい。ただしこの傾向は変わることがある。

（おそらくインターナショナル・ツアーをする可能性があるのか、っていう質問をしたと思われます）
・がっくりさせて申し訳ないけど、19（ツアー部分）とRCA（プロモーション部分）にとってインターナショナル・ツアーにかかる費用は、破格。　
だからファン層が薄い国には近いうちにDCが行くことはない。（ギャー）
現在、Google分析によるとDCファン層は80％がUS、残り20％が海外。（注：20％の内訳は今の段階では公表できない）
それなりの数のファンが海外にいることはわかっているから、希望は捨てないで。　

・・・・・どうせ日本は入ってないさ・・・・・・・・きいいいいいい
 

気分がかなりダウンしたところで、ちょっと長くなってしまいましたし、3月分としてひとくくり。
4月に入ってからのもまとめて引き続きアップします～

3月30日 15:27

Tell me about it. Having every last comment dissected, whether it's truly important or only a minor component to David's career plan, can be very frustrating for me. All of which means my goose will be COOKED after the ensuing answers get pored over. Sometimes I just feel like telling everyone to go buy the Donald Passman book about the music business and call me in the morning. But not even that book covers half the nuances or endless scenarios that affect an artist's career, and how we try to make the most of it. And if you haven't noticed already, I only really lose my patience when our commitment to David or ANY artist we sign is questioned. We're not goofing around here, this is our livelihood, so yes, we do EVERYTHING we can for ALL of our artists. Anyway, some more answers for you guys below, which took me about a year to write amid everything else going on here at the office:

- We have great contacts at every major TV show and pitch them on EVERY artist who's album we release, but not all of them will be interested in one artist or another, no matter how persuasive we can be, and others will demand certain exclusivity windows or first access that affects other shows we'd like to target. This forces us to choose and prioritize based on strategic importance, how many hours there are in the day, and the artist's own stamina for handling everything we can throw at him without damaging his health...we wouldn't want that. The same goes for every press, radio, sales, online, offline, U.S., global, and extra-terrestrial opportunity we can possibly conjure up. Some opportunities help more than others and target different demos, and we of course have stats, ratings and demographics for everything. SNL is no different than any other TV show, just more competitive to book. We've landed Avril and The Strokes there in recent weeks, and Foo Fighters are next, but we can't put a gun to their heads and force them to feature an artist - like any opportunity, they have to be into it as well. Here's one tasty tidbit: the average age of the longest running late night talk shows' viewers is 55 and older...hardly a wild and crazy and reactive consumer base! The daytime talk shows, somewhat lower, but even there, it all comes down to identifying the most impactful, meaningful or broadest reach to achieve the most effective results. So, apologies for repeating myself, but we do what we do based on information, not guesswork.

- David is a living, breathing human being and we can't force him to do anything, as you would a box of cereal. As such, he has a say in everything he does, and our role is simply to help him get what he wants while advising him how to get it with our extensive expertise. That's what record labels do: provide experts that artists can rely on, if they decide not to go it alone and do everything for their own careers. In a nutshell, that arrangement allows the artist to be a an artist instead of a businessman or bean-counter...it's impossible to do it all and achieve scale beyond a cult following. See American Idol, without which most of you might have never discovered David's talent.

- Singles are chosen based on...get ready now, it's a shocker: RESEARCH. Unfortunately, what a diehard fan typically feels is an artist's strongest material rarely equates with what appeals to 99% of the fan-base as would the most likable/accessible material. This isn't some kind of twisted fantasy, so please try not to react badly because I can't explain it any more clearly. Singles are tested extensively before being chosen. Here's a basic law of the Universe where artistic fandom is concerned: out of the 1.3MM buyers of David's first album, maybe 1% provide the bulk of the opinions heard on this site, so although we value those opinions much more than those of a fly-by-night fan, the odds are still significantly in the casual fan's favor if we are to maximize David's success. And so, when radio research narrows in on a track or two that to diehards may seem too obvious, that's because the other 99% actually need the obvious to get lured in. Sometimes the research and opinionated minority find common ground, but rarely. This is true for every artist, and we also have to take into account what KINDS of music are currently getting airplay at each major radio format, so this will factor into the single strategy as well. Did you see ANY rock records in the CHR top 10, 20, 30, or even 40 this week, by the way? I haven't checked this week, but I know there aren't many, if any.

- My personal tastes for music have no bearing on whether I like a certain single; it's apples and oranges to me. What I work is one thing, what I listen to as a fan to another, and the twain rarely intersect. You're not incorrect in saying that my favorite changes with each new single...would you want it any differently? Once that single is chosen by David, his management and our A&R team, it's my JOB to support and market it as though it's God's gift to mankind. Not for me the pleasures of being a fanboy; I have to do my best to make it work. At least until the next single/heavenly gift comes along.

- Thanks for the open letter. Some great points were made and I understand your desire to 'vent' or whatever you want to call it so thoroughly after waiting so long for a new album. Once again, let me assure you that we don't walk into a project like this - or any other - with narrow-minded prejudices, but rather strong data, the artist's vision, and our own understanding of music history and trends. I see some folks are still smarting over my suggestion that most of us label people may actually be bigger music fans than some of you, but I really meant no slight. There's no doubt in my mind that many DC fans are GIGANTIC music fans, and my stats prove as much (not least in comparison to fans of other ex-AI participants), but I'd like to know how many of you listen to upwards of 500 albums, tens of thousands of songs, and attend dozens of concerts EVERY year, and have been doing so for the past 20+ years like myself and most of my colleagues. There's no bragging rights being fought over here: it's just an observation that most of us label folk don't just LOVE music, we LIVE for it, and therefore I'd love it if you could TRUST US to have bottomless respect for the artform and endless reference points and historical evidence to support our work. I'm a big astronomy buff, but you won't see me challenging any NASA scientists for a game of space trivia. Again, I'm not trying to dismiss anyone's passion here, just trying to reassure you that we're here because we know music AND we care. The sex and drugs left this business a loooong time ago...those of us who remain do so because we absolutely LOVE and can't live without music. So even if our personal tastes don't always equate with the music we happen to be working, that doesn't mean we don't have the tools to promote said music - as professionals and fans of music.

Finally, I rarely underestimate my artists' fans, I've been doing this too long to do that; but then why do some of you underestimate us? No need for another open letter, it's a rhetorical question.

3月30日　23：55エントリー

Aw shucks, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I'm working late anyway and midnight approacheth, so time out over: everyone back in the pool!

I appreciate everyone's friendly comments and welcome all the lurkers (heck, I was a lurker too until recently, right?). I also want to insist that I welcome the questions and even the criticism, and it was only the rare displays of constant negativity that convinced me to take more dire action today. It'll happen again when needed, but not often, I'd wager.

Kattsu, I understand your frustration regarding contests not available to non-U.S. citizens. The reason for this is simple, though still rather unfair, and boils down to the need for distinct contest rules to be drafted for different countries, even for the same contest. And since most contests are sponsored by an entity particular to one country, we're not always able to have our B.A. department draft separate rules or separate countries, in any case, because the sponsor may simply not be willing to ship the prize or cope with ex-U.S. legalities. But I'll definitely be encouraging my international marketing colleagues to come up with localized promotions and contests for the various countries where David has a very solid fan base. This is no excuse, mind you, just an admission that I also think we should try to broaden our contesting horizons (as it were), and I do believe international B.A. barriers will keep on falling as the web pervades the globe. We'll do our best.

Annie702, although RCA has people handling each key area of promoting an artist, 19 also has in-house personnel that doubles up our efforts in some of them, including marketing and publicity, which means there are twice as many professionals chasing TV looks, among other things, and working our mutual contacts to feature the artists. Other areas don't cross over, such as sales and radio (RCA handles) and tour and personal appearances (19 handles, with the help of agents and other support personnel), for example. All this only adds to the collaborative effort behind David's career and upcoming album set-up.

Alright, time to turn in - good night everyone.

3月31日　エントリー
Hey KitKat, let me clarify: there are plenty of labels - RCA included - trying to work rock records at top 40 radio RIGHT NOW, and this has always been the case. The increasing absence of rock songs in the format over the past couple years only reflects the failure rate experienced by all these labels because the format's listener base just wants to hear pop songs. This may change, it's just reality right now. Blame GaGa and Bieber...I do.

Cookie4Tune: not trying to break your heart, but the costs of international touring (19) and promotion (RCA) are so high, that if certain countries only possess a small fan contingent, DC may not be visiting personally anytime soon. It's impossible for me to put a specific number on what that fanbase size is, because all it takes is a single invite to a concert at a Formula 1 race or other specific event to justify a trip, but for an extensive promo run or concert tour to make sense, the numbers will have to add up. My current Google Analytics show that DC's audience is 80% U.S. / 20% ex-U.S. (no, I can't share ex-U.S. numbers per country at this time), so there's a good number of you out there. Don't lose hope!

mainedcfan: I'M harsh? And some of you are not? Funny: my "friend" counts on DCO more than doubled within an hour of the temporary bans, so could it be there are tens of thousands of lurkers who take issue with a few self-appointed leaders/experts on this site? What's more important to David's career? Defending tens of thousands of fans or letting everyone be bullied by a handful of others? I've seen this same pattern before on numerous websites over the past decade of doing this job (the Creed board was the first - wild stuff), so please believe me that the odds are against you...and it has nothing to do with me. I have no personal beefs, just pointing out that a few clearly ill-intentioned comments are interrupting an otherwise very productive thread. But hey, I'm as tired of arguing about this as you are of listening to it, so let's table it until we can get to know each other better, cool?

Plus, Lisa is poking me behind the scenes, reminding me that my own thread is going off topic, and I'm not one to mess with her authority here - she's earned it! Ok, ok, Lisa, I'll get back on point of just answering the valid questions - sheesh!