Cavalier (Lost Version)
Group: Members
Posts: 598
Joined: Nov. 2010 |
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Posted: Oct. 22 2011, 11:21 |
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Have you bought Adele's second album, 21, yet? Well, if not, why not? It's an exceptionally well-received work with cross-generational appeal. If you didn't see her performing at the Brits this year, you'll have had the chance to YouTube it and be won over by her heartfelt performance of deeply personal and beautiful lyrics. Don't you want to hear more of the same by purchasing the whole album - maybe her debut 19 too? Okay, okay... Why not download one of her tracks then? There's every chance you've heard all the official singles released, and more besides, several times. Wouldn't you like a decent digital copy of your favourite; to place in your music player of choice?
So far this week, hundreds of UK music buyers at least have considered these options and acted on them. By the time the various charts are locked down and compiled tomorrow, thousands will have helped keep both albums and several tunes in them. It's a phenomenon that never fails to surprise me: selling several months on, far past the point at which you might assume that everyone who would be interested would already have handed money over. It'll happen again in the future of course, in slightly different way as the retail landscape evolves, and if it hadn't happened in the past to one young man's release of the largely instrumental music that he wanted to hear, then I wouldn't be blundering about Tubular Net today [Literally! Who knows what Tim Berners-Lee or any equivlent would have decided to develop?]
Tubular Bells epic stay in the UK's charts has come to mind a couple of times this year. Adele's membership of this exclusive club is one - she was hogging the Amazon sales ranks when Incantations was on the cards and still is today - and the fate of another club was another. In the past, as I've looked on and asked similar questions - such as "Who exactly is still buying Oasis' (What's The Story) Morning Glory or Robbie Williams' Life thru a Lens?" and so on, and wondering how previous giants liked TB, Dark Side... and Bat Out of Hell managed it - I've wondered how businesses like the Britannia Music Club affected matters.
The ignominious closure of the News of the World brought them back to mind. Of course they didn't advertise exclusively there but the readership would have been a key target and a significant part of their userbase, as we might say now. It occured, as I wondered where regular advertisers might turn to, that I'd not seen a Britannia ad for a while. There's no Wikipedia entry to record a version of their fate, but from some consumer rights and welfare sites, it seems they ceased trading a few years back - some aggrieved former customers celebrating, others paying tribute.
Wherever you are in the world, you'll likely recognise what their business model was. The Britannia Music (and Video, latterly) Club used loss leaders to attact you into buying a certain number of full-priced releases across the course of your membership. The full-priced music or video would automatically be their recommendation for the month, unless you indicated 'NO' or chose otherwise. Now - attempting not to libel anyone... - they had a reputation for difficult customer service when it came to matters such as whether that 'NO' box got ticked, or continuing to send and charge for goods after recieving letters or phone calls cancelling membership; and threatening court orders and bailiffs to people who already had associated money worries. Satisfied customers were also available  , but internally, one presumes they took hard lines against some to balance out the practised fraudsters, who would acquire 5 top albums for next to nothing using false names and addresses.
I was on their mailing list for a while and in the mid-nineties, I narrowly avoided the pleasures or pitfalls by getting one of the product codes wrong by a letter or digit. My mindset at the time was that it wasn't that hard to work out what I'd asked for and I elected not to re-apply! On their side, as I later realised, bear in mind that they had rock,pop, jazz and classical sub-divisions - anyone working in their customer service department couldn't be expected to recognise one code out of thousands. Anyway, not sure what all my selections were now but no cassettes of TB or War of the Worlds for me - although I concede that helps prove the point of some albums' longevity!
Anyway, as they were they are no more - the problems of digital sales likely did for them. But when they bestrode the music business in their heyday - the UK's Brit Awards retain the memory of their sponsorship in the name - they must have had a bit of influence on extended chart runs. I guess ( as ever! ) at how they and any equivalent businesses tallied sales figures but can imagine that every month or quarter, they would be on the line to Virgin or a distributor, and asking for another 1000, 5000 or whatever, LPs of Tubular Bells and a few hundred cassettes for good measure!
It usually turns out that I don't mind the mega-sellers if I eventually listen to or buy them but I can't remember ever buying one during its peak, and I have to imagine that would have been true of TB as well... My eventual point - sorry for the dissertation, thanks for coming folks  - is wondering what proof or theories the rest of you have for its 5-year residence here; or any extended run it may have enjoyed in charts in your own territories. I'm about to insult a proportion of Tubular Net's distinguished membership, but I've always pictured mustachioed high-fidelity enthusiasts frenziedly replacing copies after an ill-advised lending or playing at a party resulted in a scratch. Prove me wrong, guys and gals! 
I've yet to buy 21, by the way. Honestly, it's all been on the radio and TV for months now. Who on earth still needs to buy a copy...
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"Who was that?"
"That was Venger - the force of Evil! I am Dungeon Master - your guide in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons!"
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