Vids:
Which performance of "How Many Words" is your favorite?
We want YOU!
Latest Posts
- More on “Selfless”
- “Selfless” from Darude on iTunes. Tour Date Confirmations.
- New Bulletin
- New Chat Thread and Tour Dates!!!
- Vote for Lupe
- Weekly Chat, 8/10 - 8/16 + Pop Culture Video #4
- Pop Culture Video #3
- Pop Culture Video #2
- Blake’s Hollywood Pop Culture Video #1
- Sir Diddimus
- Weekly Chat, 8/3 - 8/9
- Weekly Chat, 7/27 - 8/2
- Happy Birthday, Blake!
- Weekly Chat, 7/20 - 7/26
- Weekly Chat, 7/13-19
No, you are looking in the right place for spins but you do seem to be putting too much stock in the idea of having 280 spins total on a dozen or so middle to small market stations. Being on the “taking off” chart really doesn’t mean much. I’ve been down this road before as a fan of another Idol. I personally think it’s over for Blake with HMW. I’d love to be proven wrong but so far there aren’t any factors that logically tell me otherwise.
EOTW
I’m totally not boring!!!
Hummus, is correct and makes some good points. I tried to say last week progress was poor. I’ve been following charts for years, long before Idols even started charting, and right now HMW is doing quite poorly. BA at this stage in the game had a better first showing. The amount of time the song has been out coupled with the amount of spins it has and how many stations are playing it isn’t good..especially since a lot of those spins are small markets and/or overnight spins.
Correct, and the label/management does look at these things.
Boy, reading this doom & gloom is a real downer. I just hope you guys are wrong.
I don’t read the gloom and doom, as I said I’m gonna always be a Balke fan and I’m gonna stay on the ride and enjoy it liek every second is the last!
ld,
OMFG I swear I almost got to talk to him *try to get thought outta my head*
Topic 1: I’m hoping you guys can help. I think at one time (while I had my old phone that didn’t allow music ringtones) that I found a site where you could buy a single Blake Lewis ringtone. Now all I can find is the subscription sites - that want to charge $10 a month! Does anyone know where to get single ring tones? And unless I overlooked them why in the heck aren’t they offered on Blake’s official site??
Topic 2: I’m surprised that no one has discussed the Happy Meals dolls that someone posted about earlier this week. If you want to see the “Blake” doll it is here
Here is a nice little article from the Miami Herald. It’s a short Q & A with Blake.
He’s All About The Electronic Scene
Oh, I personally don’t see it as doom and gloom. I think there is a good balance between realism and optimism. Realistically, HMW is NOT doing as well as I would have hoped. But, I remain optimstic that there will still be a small tour; Blake seems to thrive in that environment.
I think Blake is extremely talented, but in the end, I can’t force someone to like his type of music-it is a little different (which is why I love it so much!). Also, I think that some people have kind of forgotten about him and moved on; I’m still surprised that so many people don’t know that he has an album out. But then I remember that they don’t read TP everyday to find out new information. :D Blake mentioned in one of his interviews that he wanted to organize his fan base a little more, and I think that’s a great idea. Bulletins reminding his fans that the single is out, here’s where you can listen to it, etc. Actually Pam, you do a pretty good job of that!
Honestly, the recent string of events are unfortunate, and aren’t really the whole fault of anyone. Do I think BA was a risky first single-yes, but I loved it and thought it would be great on radio. Do I think major radio markets should have been pushed more for both singles-absolutely, but I have no clue why it wasn’t. Was the AI appearance unforunate due to the time slot-definitely, but Blake was probably the one that wanted his band there. Do I think that Blake could have handled his PR a little better-yeah, but sounds like he’s getting the hang of it now.
I think Blake will always be in the industry, and I feel in different capacities-production is such an obvious fit for him. He’s pretty lucky-he’s talented, seemingly charming, and good looking. Blake is going to be fine-and HMW is a beautiful song, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for it to be a success. All I know is that my musical world is infinately better since the introduction of Blake.
awwww Chrissy. I appreciate that. :) Fans do somewhat have to play a role in all of this and I guess I feel like I’m doing my part and I would even say the same for some of the others who post here daily as well who are working hard to promote Blake as much as they can.
I am well aware of how things look at the moment and this is coming from someone who keeps track of all the stats and numbers. So, basically nothing that was said last night was really anything new to me. Even though I do realize the seriousness of the situation, I still want to enjoy the CD that we have and it’s a CD I still want to listen to even 4 months later. That is not something you will hear everyday. :)
Blake put up his AI Extra performance on his page yesterday. :)
Well said, Chrissy! :)
Chrissy, I agree 100% with everything you said above.
I am not at all bothered by what others say about HMW and its progression. It just gives me a little bit more perspective on things as a whole. That way while I hope for the best for Blake and the album, I also realize the risks. The music business is very tough and I’m just happy that Blake has had so many doors opened to him. As for the future, it will take care of itself. I’m just enjoying this thrilling ride. I have no doubt Blake will be around in some musical capacity for a long time and I’ll be there to support him.
NBNN, you can buy single Blake ringtones at this site.
Thanks for putting everything into prospective everyone, it’s a tough biz to be in and I know it seems to be kind of glooming now for Blake. I hope this doesn’t mean it is it.
Dang that was a great post Chrissy, bravo. That pretty much sums up how I feel right now about his situation. Blake even tells the interview in one of the radio interviews that it is tough making it in this biz. I just can’t believe why there isn’t much support for Blake anymore? Oh well, it sucks but hey at least I got a great first cd from Blake and maybe another one in the future. I hope A.D.D. does well in Europe, I really hope it takes off.
I do appreciate what Hummus and Lisa are saying in regards to future expectations, but right now I am just trying to appreciate the Positives, and hope for the best.
I read that Miami article, and I thought the tone was rather callous.I wonder at the hater attitude some industry people have. Idol has proven to produce legitimate talent, so why the hating you know? It’s almost like he’s suffering from the DonnyOsmond syndrome, where people dismiss him as the past flavor of the month/kid fav.
Mmm. All I know is, the potential he has for remix and freestyle has me looking towards the future for more. Even if this deal ends at Arista, it won;t be the end of his talent. He’s not an empty envelope, he’s only getting started. There’s more.
It’s a shame that musical instruments were NOT allowed last season on Idol, because I think Blake could have dispelled a lot of negative stereotypes people may have about him (”he’s only a beat boxer” crap). But, hey, that’s the way the show is, they love pigeon holing people into categories and shoving them into boxes. Look how much grief Michael got for singing rock and not just blues (were they looking for a cuter, better singing version of Taylor?), and Carly has been ripped to bits by them for daring to sing any rock and not doing the screaming pop diva impersonation every week.
As for this information about focus groups and testing singles out ahead of time, why did the label go for “Break Anotha” if it tested so badly ahead of time? And why would the big markets not even play the song once in some cases? I think there’s more going on than just focus groups, but that’s my opinion.
I’ve already said before that I kind of wanted KNOW MY NAME as the second single since it’s radio-friendly and has the Lupe Fiasco collaboration; I cannot believe THAT song would test poorly with focus groups when it sounds like a lot of other songs on the radio and has a respected rapper featured. If the stations refused to play that, I’d know it’s strictly a payola issue (or lack thereof).
I have no idea if the label did any testing at all. I do know Clear Channel stations look at a variety of statistics to determine if a song from a new artist should be added, including call outs. Basically if the song got a spin on a medium market station and the station didn’t get much feedback from average listeners or if the song didn’t test well or did poorly on a “Pick it or Kick it” type segment, there is no reason to increase spins on that station and no reason for the major markets to pick it up. In fact when the major markets don’t pick up a song it makes it less likely for a smaller market station to pick it up in regular rotation because 1) they take it as a sign Clear Channel hasn’t given its blessing and 2) they take their cues from the major markets as far as heavy rotation. Most smaller stations that are conglomerate affiliated (Clear Channel stations) won’t put a song in regular rotation until it cracks the top 40. How does a song crack the Top 40? They get heavy rotation in major markets where the spins = large impression numbers.
I don’t see it as a conspiracy. As far as WalMart, well unless you are a major name with a major release, it’s always a struggle to find the CD simply because of how disorganized they seem to be nationwide. I’ve had problems finding CDs of many artists. This isn’t a Blake specific thing. It’s not good for Blake but somebody who really wants the CD will either go to another store or go to iTunes (or Amazon). He’s been seen by millions on AI, at least a million on GMA, Regis&Kelly, etc. He’s been exposed a great deal on TV. While I’m sure there are people who don’t know the cd is out, there also doesn’t seem to be a groundswell of people out there desperately looking for a Blake Lewis CD. He may well have been “flavor of the month” for most AI viewers.
Hummus,
Well, his label wanted to go with the small markets first and ignored the larger markets even with “Break Anotha”. Right then I figured they weren’t going to promote him the way I’d like him to, and it’s a half-assed strategy. It makes no sense to not push larger cities to play the song, since way more people will get exposed to the single that way (audience impression). So, yes, his song will be ‘doomed’ if the label persists in this method because that method would doom almost EVERY song there is.
For those of you who have very closely followed the Mediabase charts all this time, how are the current markets for HMW comparing to BA?
Your comment also just reinforces my view that the music industry is a monopolizing corporation that is producing a subpar product IMO.
Hummus– I could easily go into the CD aisle right now, and locate with an outstretched fingertip an album of Leona Lewis, Jordin Sparks, or several others. They have, still, multiple displays, and are well-spotted. Lewis, being an “L”, can get shoved placed and buried any number of places. The silly thing of an alphabetizer hasn’;t be utilized at all, nor is it helpful in actually LOCATING it, if I wanted one. I knew it was there, and it was difficult for ME to find! LOL.
(That is worse than poor marketing, it’s sabotage. It was so even when he was on the Top10 list.)
If I was a ciustomer, leisurely shopping to buy Blake’s album as seen on Regis and KellyZOMG!11!! while grocery shopping, I would not see it,despair, and move on. I would forget all about it on my way to purchase Milk or socks.
I unfortunately do agree with your Flavor of the Month comparison. Some people have moved on to S7, or a fav therein. *sigh* Your ideas have been very well expressed today, and I do appreciate your candor.
Aww Pam– yeah. I feel too, like I’m doing what i can every week to help Blake. Little things, that I just try to do daily, I hope somehow it helps him is all. That’s one thing we can say, and that is, we have tried to support him from the start.:-)