on the agenda

HOW DO WE EXPAND HIS FAN BASE???to get his song played it has to be a “HIT”

I had email the radio station..their response

can’t play your song because first off, we don’t have it in our system. But secondly… 99.9% of stations all over the country only play “hits”.

Granted…what you and I think might be a hit-the BIG WIGS in the record industry don’t like.

Long story short… Yes.. unfortunately, Radio is RUN by how much money a record company can dump into an artist. EVEN THEN, that doesn’t guarantee airplay. For instance… Leona Lewis has been on stations for a good couple of months, but because it JUST became a hit on the AC/Hot AC (AC stands for Adult Contemporary) charts.. we JUST added it.

Radio plays it safe. They play the ‘hits’. And if a record company doesn’t promote their artist - unfortunately what may be a HUGE hit..may never ever make it on radio. And PAYOLA and PLUGOLA is illegal. I could totally lose my job..and the station would lose their license!! It’s THAT serious. =)

I agree..sometimes artists do need a break.. But unfortunately, my job isn’t to ‘break artists’. It’s to ‘play the hits’.

=) I hope this gives you a little insight into how the radio business is. If you are such a fan, send letters to Blake’s record company telling them how they need to get him out there!! =)

I totally appreciate someone with your passion…

end

so as Bshorty2 yesterdayso passionately stated.. we have to promote him

1. use BLake’s myspace

2. all who have myspace page..plug him..

3. I know there’s a street team..but who knows aobut this outside of teamplaid?

4. leave comments on Youtube his songs HMW and BA are picking up “hits” so weekly leave a msg to call in for him to bring this song to fruition

5. ?? Hummus mentioned swapping favors with other fans to plug their fan as well as Blakes

6. How did Kelly Pickler, Ellitt get air time without getting a deal with a biggy such as Arista? I see Phil’s ad popping up on Youtube when I search for Blake . is Blake’s CD popping up on Phil’s space…How about Chris SLigh…they were good friends, etc.

some of you are so adept at the computer. ..PJ, Pam new duck, chrissy, even Dani the Walt Disney crowd, bully, EOTW and Hummus and Crsytal J.the regulars that I see..where is greeneyes? she lives in New York ..

need ideas…

HMW has to be seen as a “HIT” so we need to join and brainstorm together to expand his fan base..team plaid is wonderful and known to his fans but we have to expand our boundaries…

or are you content to let things go as it may be…I don’t know..

I believe we do need to keep fighting to get Blake recognition. However, given the loss of spins for HMW over the last few days I’m not sure that spending time making requests to large Top 40 radio stations is the way to go. I have a feeling (not that I LIKE the feeling) that without a kick start of some type that we fans can’t provide HMW is going the way of BA.

Having said that some targeted requests might help - for instance, contacting all the stations that are sponsoring the events where he is appearing. With a little push they might play it a few times. And I keep wondering about the indepedent stations, such as college stations - shouldn’t they be easier to break through to?

I think what we are really trying to do now is keep Blake’s music in the public eye and try to keep selling at least some level of CD’s until a combination of events provide a breakthrough.

I think the hits on YouTube and MySpace can’t hurt. Maybe we organize a “everyone go to X” day - where we all try to hit the same place the same day. And I don’t mean each of us hit a site an outrageous number of times (because I do believe that can work against us) but we try to organize a lot of people to hit the same site the same day. For instance, if all of us went to his AOL sessions on the same day it might be enough to bump him up in the AOL listing, and have a few new folks notice.

I’m glad folks still care - it’s a funny thing, isn’t it, how we all care so much because we appreciate the talent.

I have a few others…My friend Sam and I have been posting flyers at our colleges…her in MI and me in IN. I’ve also got a liscense plate made trying to promote everywhere I drive=0) Get shirts made…you know little things help a lot. Yes, promote promote promote…Myspace, Facebook, whatever websites has loads of people. Maybe even in the “let it out” section of the newspaper.

If anyone else has other ideas…please, I’d love to know those too!!!

They did not play HMW overnight OR during the day at XM. I have been requesting, and keeping track. I figure every time even we pull up the XMfan page they have to track that hit, you know? But as we know, without airplay, the thing will sink fast. I was counting on XM to be the thing to perhaps catch the single on fire. I heard month in advance songs of artists before the songs got “big”, when I worked in retail(esp overnights). If XM does not support our requests, i fear we will be sunk.

dI have been requesting at Disney, theRiver station, XM and doing some mediabase requests. I really begin to wonder at Blake’s MS numbers, and supposed fans when album sales and support is so needed. Sure, the guy is attractive(I think) but he really is more than that. I grow weary of all the ILYs, and talk of how hottZOMG! he is, because its not real.
Who has been impressing the sh*t out of me fanwise, is that Kristen who posts at his MS all the time. She has gotten DJs to play his record in the clubs, and got them to try it for themselves! The ecstatic response of a club-full of people is worth a ton in word-of-mouth!:-D So WAY TO GO Kristen! *applauds*

Rickey mentions something he calls “super-fans”, and I guess we are part of that core group for Blake. We are the diehards that are peddling and trying to get other people to call and vote and nagging friends and family. My Spouse has gotten some feedback from people on his musak system, who have heard Transmission and loved it. I don’t know what the answer is, besides continuing on the word of mouth, and doing what we can. The problem seems MUCH higher up, than fanbase.

I feel good about what I and others here at Teamplaid have done to help Blake in his career. The next time I ever see him, I feel like I can smile and feel like I was a good and loyal friend. He’s in a tough business to crack, he knows it. He won’t give up, because it’s the music that he wants to be a part of.

I see Phil’s ad popping up on Youtube when I search for Blake . is Blake’s CD popping up on Phil’s space…How about Chris SLigh…they were good friends, etc.

I don;t know about the pop-up ad, or if they are out there anymore. The last place I saw Blake’s was at Rickey’s, to be honest. But the fanbases are so different…
ChrisSligh has spoken up for Blake, but his fans are loyal to him, and some have an anti-Blake mentality. One really hurt my feelings over Grammy Weekend with her comments, and it’s that sort of thing that makes you shun a different artist i think. Too, he’s christian, and that’s a different kettle of fish from Blake’s pop album.

I don’t like Phil much. Melinda seems to err to the christian music side. That leaves Jordin fans to be sympathetic, and Some are Blordin inspired. I sent Haley an XM Vote banner in comments, for her site as there should still be some love there. IDK.

you’ve done extremely well..but to continue Blake’s road to success, we need to step it up to the next level or I’m afraid he might go by the wayside and stay in WA..it is a tough business BUT other fans have brought their favorites to the limelight SO we can too ..that’s why we are brainstorming..

Of all the things that TPTB haven’t done merchandise is one of them. And I think that the merchandise should sell ADD. Not sure what we can do …

By the way, kudo’s to all of you who have incorporated action steps into your postings on Blake’s myspace. That can’t hurt.

I really like what NBNN said. I think I agree with almost all of it.
The College market, albeit it’s almost over for the season, is an important consideration. Here in KY we have a nice arena that some artists come and play in, and gosh– wouldn;t THAT be something???It’s even close enough I could have Blake come by the house for BBQ…heh! Sorry, a tangent there…but what I mean is, lots of starting artists do the college circuit to build a following and gain exposure. In Blake’s case, he definitely needs to rope in the younger cooler, angsty, music-driven 20 somethings who have actually BEEN to a rave, know about electronic music, know who FionaApple is(and Bjork) and can appreciate the layers of feeling and color he presents.

One thing needed tho, is a united front, a thing for him to Sell.Is he M5 and crooning and sultry cool guy? or is he RHCP and adrenalin and edgy? or is he electronic and moody and eclectic, even SKA-driven? People do need to be able to associate him with a GENRE. I think Identity might be a huge problem for him, right now. That might even be why he isn;t getting the sales and play he deserves, because people are off-balance.

I did hear HMW on XM 20 on 20 yesterday morning at 8:23 AM..and I called in 5 times requesting his song…went to XMfan.com this morning and again typed in my requests…so we still have to vote there

licensed plates? good promotion but expense? similar to magnetic logos on cars…I have one for the SPCA (big animal lover here) a magnetic BL/ADD logo might be cheaper..

How about getting Blake tapping into the animal scene? % of animal lovers is what 1 out of 3 homes have pets? best way for a guy to pick up a girl is to walk a dog (so the last survey I saw)

“LOVE MY DOG, LOVE BLAKE” something stupid like that..

BUT

thinking again

as the radio station said:

organize a SEND A LETTER campaign to Arista…”telling them how they need to get him out there!!”….make a master for fans to copy and forward on…

I think to some extent groundwork might be what will help in continuing to keep Blake’s music alive until there is a breakthrough. Maybe efforts to spread his music to college radios might not be a bad idea. They seem to be less influenced by the general market. Also, spreading information about the concerts that he will be in May and June and maybe others might help in promoting Blake as well. Look at his appearance in Seattle today, how much work it took to find out that he is going to be in. I wonder if there is an easier way of getting similar information ahead of the time about his appearances, so people can learn about it. Blake does not always list all the appearances on MS. Does his management have information about his appearances first?

I like the idea of really trying to organize things even more. I have thought about it for some time. I think the problem with getting more concentrated efforts, thus far, was fragmentation of the fans sites. That is, too many Blake fans sites, in my opinion, to get through to find out information. Maybe people do not mind going to a lot of blogs or sites, but I personally prefer to have one place to find out what is going on. It saves me time and allows to do other things.

I think Blaker Girls played that central fans site role during AI but now Kristi is there less often. It is just my opiniion but I think there has to be a central fans place with information how to support Blake, and if possible endorsed by Blake. People need motivation and reminders. If the information is accessible, I think there is a higher chance that fans will do something including going to see him in concerts. I wonder how many people will miss his appearance today because they did not find out about it in time.

I am bringing the points becasuse we are still learning and trying out things. So I am hopeful that we will find out the best medium to support Blake by discussing things and testing ideas.

How about getting Blake tapping into the animal scene? % of animal lovers is what 1 out of 3 homes have pets? best way for a guy to pick up a girl is to walk a dog (so the last survey I saw)

“LOVE MY DOG, LOVE BLAKE” something stupid like that..

If he were to embrace a cause, that might be something. He seems to have chosen the EARTHDAY think-green theme, but I dunno how significant that is for groundswell numbers. It would definitely be a “bump” tho, and if he got behind a Green campaign, that could be harnessed.

The animal people are voracious, passionate, and buy stuff to support. It is apt when it’s real, celebrity support. I don;t see that in Blake’s case, but I do think that if there were somethings to sell, people/fans would buy it. Too bad this Earthday thing caught us by surprise, we could have pushed the environmentally-friendly message he’s behind to lots and lots of sectors. Like wildlife groups, this is a motif people like to put stickers up for.

We may not all agree on a course of action, ie contacting Arista. I think people who want to, should. They don’t have a contact button I don;t think, because I remember fudging an addy one time to prompt them once for site updating–but maybe there is a person who would know a better way to be heard at a company like that. I think it was Lisa who warned us tho, that a course of action like that may backfire on Blake, and make it a Claymate crazy-fans situation, but people do what they feel they need to, to be heard.

Your mic is working fine, newduck. ;-)

Blake does not always list all the appearances on MS. Does his management have information about his appearances first?

Of course they do, however Blake chose to keep management and Arista far away from his MySpace, he fought for complete control. The lack of MS updates are Blake’s fault, not management. IMO he made a huge mistake in not letting someone at least help him out. Jordin found a happy medium with her page, she still accesses it and adds her own personal touch to it, posts blogs, leaves comments for people BUT Jive also accesses it and updates it when necessary. The fact that his official Arista page hasn’t been updated in ages, plus HMW not being added to the official site jukebox I see as not much investment on their part.

Here’s the problem about trying to communicate and/or rallying the troops through MySpace, I really think a lot of fans dropped off and no longer have any interest. Whether it be some of the 90,000 on Blake’s page or the ones on the Blaker Girls MySpace it’s really hard to say how many are still active. Looking at IDF where he did have a rather large fanbase interest has faded. I have one friend in particular who adored Blake, ADORED him up until last month when he gave one of the dozes of interviews that caused some problems. Now she’s fully off the Blake train and is obsessed with Jason Castro. This isn’t a fickle teen either, this is a 35 year old woman.

Please, no letter campaigns or e-mailing Arista. I can’t stress enough how much record labels hate that and I can assure you it does nothing for the artist, nothing.

One thing needed tho, is a united front, a thing for him to Sell.Is he M5 and crooning and sultry cool guy? or is he RHCP and adrenalin and edgy? or is he electronic and moody and eclectic, even SKA-driven? People do need to be able to associate him with a GENRE. I think Identity might be a huge problem for him, right now. That might even be why he isn;t getting the sales and play he deserves, because people are off-balance.

I agree with you, Bully. These days when trying to break into the scene it’s better to start off with one genre that people can stick with, then later once you’ve established a following you can branch out a little.

Requests will be useless now because the song is falling too far in spins. Maybe the occassional station will give it a spin or two but it won’t be enough to get it attention. The only way the song will get a surge is if Arista attempts a last ditch push, and right now there’s zero push.

Sorry if I’m coming off as harsh. If I knew of some surefire way to help boost everything for Blake I’d be all over it, but Blake himself needs to start doing his part and try getting back some of the fans he’s lost.

again.. how can we tap into those fan on YouTube that leave mostly positive feedbacks? if we unify a website..great place to advertise for free..like in the commnets ” go to www. blah, blah, blah…

The only thing I think that would hold it up, besides the lateness of it all, is if Arista has already decided that they want B available as a producer/behind-the-scenes guy, which is possible. If that’s what they see for him, then they aren’t going to promote the album any more than they already are. They do make these decisions without the artists imput and sort of corner them into the job they want them to do for the good of the label. If they think he is more valuable spread out among other’s music, his album will not get the backing it deserves.

I don’t think anything you said there was harsh. I can see why Blake wanted to keep full control of his page in some ways because I guess he didn’t want to think he was losing communication with his fans but on the other hand, letting Arista have that control would have emphasized the fact that the CD was out there and each time a song was released to i-Tunes or to radio, the fans would have had that advance notice and it would have gotten the word out much faster. I kind of thought it was a bad idea in that respect for Blake not to loosen some control of the page.

Of course, the MS site doesn’t matter if the label is going to promote the artist, it will be done on the radio front and that wasn’t done at all. It wasn’t done there so there’s no need to think that they would have done it on the net either.

Also, I really think Chris Daughtry is to blame for all this, if not B’s producing skills. TPTB couldn’t have another also-ran upstage the winner. It’s bad for business. If B gets another CD it will confirm this for me. They squashed the first one to give Jordin the lead and will back the second.

Also isn’t the official site under Arista’s control. Blake’s MS is under his and only his and yes that is a mistake, but I”m guessing that Arista has the other one.

That is exactly what I thought too. Blake always mentioned his music site as the one he manages. I thought the other one was under control of Arista. They listed events even less frequently than Blake.

Most of the regulars know that I sing the praises of Blake often. I think he is hard working and talented most importantly.

Recently I feel Blake has made some bad choices though. Blake is attractive, and he should embrace that. I personally like his funny side, but when I think about what my 16 year old niece would like, I realize that she would think the “BL is shitting in my bathroom” video, the Seventeen magazine article, and the umm…”energetic” performances of BA were terrible. And Blake really needs to appeal to that market with his good looks and charm; right now he isn’t.

I know Blake has fans of all ages, but this group can be really, really important to sales figures. The problem with the fans that aren’t teens; he turned a lot of them off with his brutal honesty and his disparaging remarks about Sanjaya. (I won’t discuss the David A comments; to me those were blown way out of proportion) I also know a lot of my friends are resistent to Blake simply because of the American Idol stigma-he simply isn’t “cool” enough for them.

I know Blake didn’t want to be an idol, but sometimes you have to play to the crowd. It’s admirable to say “hey, I want to run my own myspace”, but it’s also okay to say “Hey, I need some help with this even if it means giving up some control”. Compromising is just a part of life. I’ve also noticed that the number of friends is dropping a little each day.

OKAY, enough with the negativity, right? This all being said, I say that Joyce had some excellent ideas, and I have no problem promoting Blake where I can. I think Blake is just insanely talented, and that’s what has kept me a fan.

newduck– I am somewhat amazed and chewing on some of what you said. Maybe it’s because I’m not so clever, and don;t see the machinations possible, but my real-life experience is all a-twitter over your plausibles!:-)
Clive was all excited about Blake, Why? Because of the re-mixing of older songs, processing and “hearing” music. He’s a music guy. When you show a natural predisposition like that in the workplace, you are thrust into a mgmt position you maybe didn’t even angle for. In a time of Ryan Tedder being so hot– a working music guy– perhaps he sees that sort of processing/producing in Blake’s future. Hmm. That’s a trend right now, right?

Also, as much as it is a scarey concept, and something we even batted around back in Sept/Oct– another runner-up getting advantage over a Winner would be bad for the show. They needed another Carrie Underwood. They reeeeally are veering away this year from supporting the,”You don;t even have to win, to do well on Idol” mentality. Idol people were saying they want someone who WANTS to win, and they want to reward that effort.

What you said ran a shiver up my spine, as that is sort of how it’s played out in retrospect.

I thought I heard Blake say that he was definitely going to get a second album, but I wonder how Clive being demoted and label financial situations will affect the Plan.

No, it wasn’t very expensive…it was about $20. But if you know someone who airbrushes…its better…I did but my brother was too busy to do something special for me..blah! and No I haven’t found one that is actually made up? That would be very nice though!!!

There is almost always a behind-the-scenes thing going on before figureheads are demoted publically. They have all the ducks in the row and found the right time to announce it.

As for Blake saying he will definitely get a second album, there is no way for him to know that for sure. That will most likely be the label’s call, unless he has a “different” type of contract than normal, which I doubt. Even if he has a 2 record deal, that doesn’t necessarily mean we will get 2 CD’s full of new music from him or any other artist that has a “2 record deal”. Contracts aren’t a guarantee for that at all anymore.

Yeah, Blake started talking about a 2nd CD shortly after A.D.D. was released but the fact that the sales for this one hasn’t met expectations and plus the fact that BA and HMW (especially HMW) hasn’t done as well as expected, I don’t think anything is a guarantee. As the winner of season 6, Taylor Hicks got a 3-CD deal, someone correct me if I’m wrong about that, and as we all know, the announcement of him being dropped from Arista came back in December.

Chrissy,

I loved your entire post and I agree 100%. I’ve noticed the # of people dropping over there too and I don’t think keeping certain said vid on the page helped things either along with all the other stuff in recent weeks. If you ask for help, then that shows that you want to further your career and you are willing to do what it takes to do that. :)

I agree that Blake has some insane skills and I am certainly willing to do what it takes to help as long as we are doing something that will be considered helpful. :)

I do like Joyce’s idea as well. We do need to be unified and not going in 10 separate directions.

There is one thing I wish Blake would do and that is fix it where his friend requests can be approved. He’s got it set now where you have to enter in a last name or email request to be approved and if you enter in his last name, that doesn’t seem to work.

We were going to add him to the street team page, but because of that we can’t.

The MariahCarey ad on the front page, I clicked it. You know out of 100 top celebs where Jordin sits? Number 14. Her arrow button ain’t headed south, either. So that’s thing, where Jordin has gained public interest thru her promo work and being such a sweetheart, Blake has lost some by the same routes.:-/

Once teen fav Hilary Duff, whom my Youngest worships? Thru her wanting to be cool and a pop-tart, she is at 78 and sinking.

Also, I really think Chris Daughtry is to blame for all this, if not B’s producing skills. TPTB couldn’t have another also-ran upstage the winner. It’s bad for business. If B gets another CD it will confirm this for me. They squashed the first one to give Jordin the lead and will back the second.

Newduck,

I don’t know if that’s what happened but nothing would really surprise me at this rate. I know that Jordin’s label was going to promote the shit out of her to ensure she succeeded on some level, thus the massive amounts of airplay for both “Tattoo” and “No Air.” And it’s obvious Blake isn’t really getting any label support at the moment.

The irony is that if David Cook doesn’t win this season, I can see him outselling the winner if current trends continue, LOL. He has the best selling songs on iTunes and I heard his indie CD was one of the top sellers on Amazon.

I agree with those of you who say the Blake fan base isn’t very organized. It seems like it’s always been these splinter group fan sites and some of the sites perceive each other as rivals, so there was never a real “street team” where everyone could come together.

Contacting Arista and singing the praises of this album in a mature and friendly way would not be a bad thing at all. The more his name pops up, the more $ signs attached to it. This is all that matters to the label.

But e-mailing the label isn’t going to make them pony up money or show them Blake can bring in money. Absolutely all they care about is money, and the problem is Blake hasn’t made them any money even when he was given promotion. The sales of ADD are one thing and the excuse can be given that stock in stores are low or not there, but the poor downloads are a problem. Single downloads are an easy way for the label to make some quick money and even there it’s bad (and I was told his downloads are being seen as poor). If going on a show like Good Morning America, The View, Leno, or most importantly AI can’t give you a huge boost then that signals a problem. That means for whatever reason the viewing public isn’t being sold on the product. That will speak louder than letters saying ADD is a great album. As always, just my thoughts.

alright damage control…organize and move him up the chart…

I have to think this is one big reason Jordin is so high on that list:

JORDIN SPARKS No Air (f/Chris Brown) 9562 9118 444 60.240

Her airplay is the second most in the country on Top 40 radio, with over 9500 spins a week. You hear Jordin all over the radio all the time and that’s why people are liking her.

I also think it’s kinda hard for Blake to have good singles downloads when almost NO ONE hears his song. JMO.

I agree with those of you who say the Blake fan base isn’t very organized. It seems like it’s always been these splinter group fan sites and some of the sites perceive each other as rivals, so there was never a real “street team” where everyone could come together.

Speaking on behalf of TP, we have never been trying to compete with any of the other fansites to be the best or the most popular or whatever. Basically, we started this blog for fun…and then somewhere along the way, people started to depend on us for news, which is fine and all, but we’re not here to lead the fanbase. IMO, that is and should be The Blaker Girls, since it’s run by Blake’s friends and is the only fan group Blake officially endorses. Everyone who was ever a fan of B during AI knows of them, so I think any type of street teaming activities should be issued by them. They would have the best shot at unifying everyone and getting people to do things to help Blake. People listen to Kristi.

And to be completely blunt about it, you’re not going to see us telling people to call radio stations outside their listening area, or to bombard the label with emails, because we don’t agree with those methods. But if you do think those are good ideas, go for it. IMO people should just do whatever they feel comfortable with.

The only thing we’ve ever asked other sites not to do is post here for the sole purpose of pimping their own site. It’s just tacky, and yes it did happen in the past. But we add just about anyone to our blogroll (except all the myspace fansites, there’s just too many of them)…all people have to do is ask.

Speaking on behalf of TP, we have never been trying to compete with any of the other fansites to be the best or the most popular or whatever. Basically, we started this blog for fun…and then somewhere along the way, people started to depend on us for news, which is fine and all, but we’re not here to lead the fanbase. IMO, that is and should be The Blaker Girls, since it’s run by Blake’s friends and is the only fan group Blake officially endorses. Everyone who was ever a fan of B during AI knows of them, so I think any type of street teaming activities should be issued by them. They would have the best shot at unifying everyone and getting people to do things to help Blake. People listen to Kristi.

Star,

Oh, I totally understand that. I actually was NOT referring to Team Plaid when I made that comment, believe me. :) I appreciate the news you guys post and it helps me keep up to date on B.

I don’t think that’s a bad idea at all. I am up for the poll. :)

I do agree that in all honesty that any street teaming efforts should be done by Kristi. The fans respect her and they will listen to her when they won’t to anyone else. :)

That means for whatever reason the viewing public isn’t being sold on the product.

Well, I think that is because the viewing public is not hearing the “product”

In my opinion, part of the problem is that the “product” changes all the time. I know Blake likes to mix up his performances, but they are different all the time…and I mean really different from the album. If you are selling the album and want people to download HMW, then the version you hear on TV should sound like that, because that is the “product” you are selling. I think it is OK to mix it up when you are doing a concert or something, but if you are promoting a single on TV, it should sound pretty close to the version on the album. Jordin’s version on A.I sounded almost exact…complete with background tracks etc.

I guess what I am trying to say is I think it is confusing to people to hear all these different versions of the song because even if they like the version on AI Extra, in the long run they will be disappointed when they go to iTunes, because that is not the version they are going to buy. And if they don’t like that version on AI Extra, then they are not even going to go to iTunes and see that there is another version that they might like. So I don’t see what benefit it serves. Sell the product. And that product is the song as it sounds on the CD. JMHO

Personally,while I enjoy much of the music, its not what I wanted from Blake. I fell in love with “She Loves the Way”,”Jealousy”,”Dumpty Humpty”…interesting,more jammy,less commercial compositions. What Blake ended up making was an Erasure album (not that I don’t like Erasure). I find it suffers from over-thinking and over-production and it appears its not what people were into. It wasn’t the Blake they liked from YGLABN. Blake took a risk and it didn’t pay off, but I’m sure he’s glad he took it anyway. I have no idea what direction he’ll go in now, but I hope he goes back to something more organic and less polished. Even the back cover of ADD suggests he was aiming to outdo Timberlake which was maybe misguided.

The other thought is that,while entertained by him on the tv show,people just weren’t excited about buying a cd of his singing. Taylor was entertaining too but I think suffered the same fate.

There may have been a better single on ADD to lure the public but frankly it seems like radio was against him from the start and I don’t know why. We may never know why.

Lastly….His post-Idol arrogance has been repellant. First he slogs off Daughtry’s band,Taylor’s rejection of mainstream success,then the Sanjaya debacle(why didn’t he just say “I don’t want to talk about him”) and the trashing of contestants this season. He has show little grace and he comes across bitter and resentful now. Time(and future discretion)should heal wounds.

No real new info, but we find out what cologne Blake wears. :) He also mentions he would want to do a Disney pixar movie, which I think would be perfect for him. I could totally imagine him in one. And the little beatboxing bit at the end is cute.

He also mentions he would want to do a Disney pixar movie, which I think would be perfect for him.

Me too Nikki…just perfect! Think of all the noises he could get to make!

Okay, we were talking about Blake having an Identity? Yeah, he has one. Listen to the Part2 of the above Vids, starting esp at 3:20. He talks about being a Producer, and being able to mix and hear music, esp in the world of electronic music. He tells what he is, what he wants, who he is, right there.

He can do lots of other things of course, and be awesome(and FWIW? I totally LOVE the idea that he can hear a rap version in GarthBrooks). I think tho, there’s something in the way he says that that is Full-circle. It’s a base line truth, no matter how tremendous a performer he is. His way of “hearing” music I think makes him the producer.

He can do lots of other things of course, and be awesome(and FWIW? I totally LOVE the idea that he can hear a rap version in GarthBrooks). I think tho, there’s something in the way he says that that is Full-circle. It’s a base line truth, no matter how tremendous a performer he is. His way of “hearing” music I think makes him the producer.

Bully,

That part of the interview really was intriguing. Blake definitely has producer skills I believe and along with talking about wanting to do the voice over work too, I think this is what sets him apart from everyone else we have seen on Idol. :)

If all that bought a CD purchased another, we could give him the gold. I believe it only takes 500,000 to get gold. Wouldn’t that get things moving????

some fans already bought multiple copies of his cd.

People listen to Kristi…hey, I’m all for that! but support has to spread..so let’s get her input, lets see what direction she feels Blake would want..maybe he is confortable at where he is..who knows….

I was actually thinking of building a website to help Blake sell A.D.D. Something along the lines of “A.D.D.’s Countdown to Gold” and have people purchase it from the site though amazon or wherever and have a count to see if we could actually reach a goal online, since A.D.D is half way there already.

Sue,
That sounds like a great idea!

*in a whispery voice* “Build it and they will come” LOL

ditto…great idea!

If Sue made a site she could have a really good graphic person make every 1000th customer could get a specialy made blake Lewis graphic!!!

Also, since I was kind of down in my last post, I decided to think of a few things I think are terrific about Blake!

1. His pure genuis take on sound; he really transcends what I think of as conventional.
2. His loyalty to his friends/ the Seattle scene in general.
3. His love of hoodies and all things fashionable. ESPECIALLY plaid!
4. His relationship with his parents. Anyone who calls their father “daddy” is okay with me. :D
5. His honesty; sometimes I love it and other times it makes me cringe, but it’s always constant.
6. His hard working attitude.
7. His voice, or more specifically the tone of it.
8. His love of comedy, and also my introduction of Ethan, who is freakin’ hilarious.
9. His love of music-its obvious he lives for it.
10.His smile. Yes, I am allowed one physical attribute to drool over, and it was between that and the hair.

for me it’s the eyes that get me!!!

Those interviews Nikki linked earlier were really terrific. If you haven;t had a chance to hear them yet, you should. Hearing him talk about himself, and what he thinks about music was really reassuring.
I don’t know if I came across that way when I spoke of Identity, but I felt it. He reassures me, when he speaks like that.*sigh*

Oh, and in other Idol related news? I want to kiss DCook on the mouth tonite, for that beautifully annunciated song. That is all.

Jill, I think an ADD day or HMW day would be a great idea. We just have to decide when and organize it.

Bully, DC has mad vocal skills. He has power, range, and tonight his phrasing was quite pretty too.

But, I’ve yet to vote or really get invested in anyone this year. Which, I must admit, after last year, is NICE. :D

It has been disheartening that the tide has been turning toward finding fault with what he says and does and trying to rationalize the disappointment that who he is might not match what we wanted him to be. Chrissy, your “10 teriffic things” post is a great reminder of the many reasons to like him. I enjoy his musical expression (including his voice), admire his work ethic, and appreciate his honesty and sense of humor. (And it is hard to choose whether the eyes, the smile, or the hair is most likely to induce fangirly adoration!)

I mean no offense to anyone, but it is not up to us to determine what his future direction should be; it is his journey to take. He will make decisions that some will not agree with.

This quote and in fact your entire post is right on the money. Some artists would choose to go in direction that the public or fans want them to go to fit in. I personally like and admire the fact that Blake stays true to his musical identity, regardless of pressure or possible setbacks that he might face with that decision. This quality speaks volumes about him and his integrity as an artist. I hope he will continue creating music, which as he said in the video is still in the first place for him, while he tries other projects.

I personally like and admire the fact that Blake stays true to his musical identity, regardless of pressure or possible setbacks that he might face with that decision. This quality speaks volumes about him and his integrity as an artist.

Kasia– I SO agree with this. Listen, if I didn’t like him so much in these ways, I would not be so invested. His integrity makes me keep falling for him, because whenever you hear him in an interview like those MurphySam and Jodi ones? You just can’t help but admire him all over again. I can’t, anyway. :-)

HMW Today!