CANCELLED: Van Halen - Live at the Soundwave Revolution - Australia 2011

[chefcraig]

The pisser is they really don't have to do anything. Think about it...AC/DC, The Eagles, KISS, hell even the limp-dicks in Journey figured out you could sell shitloads of albums by simply signing a distribution deal with Walmart. Walk into the store and there it is, all over the place: At the check-out counters, at the end of each aisle, in stand-alone displays (with all the band's other albums for 5 bucks a piece), on posters in the music section right next to the garden supplies, in newspaper ads, crap, you name it-it's everywhere.

Or you could go the Axl Rose/Chickenfood way and sell it at Best Buy. The Sunday insert ad will have the album cover plastered all over flat screen tv sets you can't afford to purchase, offering so-called bonus tracks or DVDs tacked onto it. Of course the downside to this is the album could stiff and the store is so stocked with copies that it winds up remaindering them out for an embarrassing price (last week you could purchase Chickenfart's album for 49 cents, now it's up to $2.99) or worse yet, refusing to admit they ever sold it in the first place. I'm not kidding, go to the Best Buy site and try to find a reference to Chinese Democracy. The album (plus any mention of it) has been purged from the site.

A family wanders into the store to buy some underwear, some charcoal briquettes and a garden hose, then walks out with a new VH CD bought on impulse (along with some other dopey "values") in addition to what the came for. So Van Halen could sell tons of albums by accident. Why do you think they always put the magazines, candy and toenail clippers right next to the check-out conveyor belt? Stick a handful of VH CDs there and you could sell a couple million in an afternoon.

[bang 2 rites]

Well, IF the queen had balls, she'd be the king... I'm not so much ragging directly on brad, just saying the position is a fucking joke.... Webmaster implies actually mastering a website. I mean, the fucking graphic they put up doesn't even link out to festival info

The Van Halen camp is about 15 years out of date on how they operate.

On his radio show Roth admitted never going on the internet and he's the best of them.

They totally don't get how the modern media works instantly, how you promote, nurture and build fan bases and hype cross platforms.

The thing is that this could only happen in an environment where a band member has an incompetent wife doing the PR because no even semi respectable company they hired would stay in business being so clueless.

On the plus side though her star charts are very pretty.

Even if this album was the best thing they had ever recorded, it won't sell very many copies because they simply don't know what they're doing.

A quick look at the Van Halen IT Department at work:

[GennyVH]

At last!!! The update on the official site...

[Etienne]

No matter how I wish there would be more information. As long as we are talking (rumours included) all is good in VH promotion land. The Tour 2007/8 was a success as far as I know.

[Jagermeister]

I agree.

Roth knew what to do with promotion in the 70s and 80s -- but he really is out of touch with what you can do with media these days. Which, while it is an assumption, is suprising considering how intelligent Dave is.

I have been thinking about this also. I think it’s arrogance. WE ARE THE MIGHTY VAN HALEN. ANYTHING WE DO WILL BE GREAT. I fear this may bite them in the ass again because of the state of the music biz in the states. It’s going to be pretty damn hard for them to make a big splash sitting on their ass. In fact I will go so far as to say this tour won’t come close to grossing what AC/DC’s last tour did. Which was one of the top 5 highest grossing if I recall correctly. That’s my opinion.

[Vinnie Velvet]

The Van Halen camp is about 15 years out of date on how they operate.

On his radio show Roth admitted never going on the internet and he's the best of them.

I agree.

Roth knew what to do with promotion in the 70s and 80s -- but he really is out of touch with what you can do with media these days. Which, while it is an assumption, is suprising considering how intelligent Dave is.

[Vinnie Velvet]

That's only because he owes you money. Face it, if he paid back the eight bucks or so he bummed off you over a decade ago for a Slurpee, some rolling papers and a pack of Marlboros outside of that LA 7/11, you'd be just as nasty as the rest of us.

Come to think of it, you are right.

Fucker owes me WAY MORE than the eight bucks!

[Jagermeister]

While continuing to wonder why the hell VH would do this I have decided it must be because of the poor state of the concert biz in the states. Based on that theory it sound like a good decision. And only for that reason IMO.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

** Resisting urge to jump back on the "VH social media" soapbox **

[Seshmeister]

The Van Halen camp is about 15 years out of date on how they operate.

On his radio show Roth admitted never going on the internet and he's the best of them.

They totally don't get how the modern media works instantly, how you promote, nurture and build fan bases and hype cross platforms.

The thing is that this could only happen in an environment where a band member has an incompetent wife doing the PR because no even semi respectable company they hired would stay in business being so clueless.

On the plus side though her star charts are very pretty.

Even if this album was the best thing they had ever recorded, it won't sell very many copies because they simply don't know what they're doing.

[VAiN]

Let's give Bradman the benefit of the doubt here....

At least I will, I'm sure IF he had free reign he would've revamped that entire website....

Well, IF the queen had balls, she'd be the king... I'm not so much ragging directly on brad, just saying the position is a fucking joke.... Webmaster implies actually mastering a website. I mean, the fucking graphic they put up doesn't even link out to festival info

[bang 2 rites]

Refreshing tweet from one of the Soundwave Revolution organizers... As John McClain said, "Welcome to the party, pal"......

http://twitter.com/#!/iamnotshouting/status/88965093152395264

I must say, for one of the world's biggest bands, Van Halen are surrounded by idiots.

http://twitter.com/#!/iamnotshouting/status/88967931110752256

2 months after announcement stll can't get the dates on their site despite daily promises...

Let's not forget the ever-so-astute marketing plan that had the site offering merchandise for the 2007/08 tour...about three months after it had started. In addition to a bumper sticker and some t-shirts you could purchase at JC Pennys, you could also buy a coffee mug and a book bag.

And did anyone notice now that the Australian show banner is up, you can not access any other part of the site? Damn, just when I was thinking of ordering some official Van Halen flip-flops.

I'm gonna be nice to Mushroom Boy and say that it is possible the site is being updated for a re-launch.

Noting the speed to which the site got updated after the Soundwave Revolution Organizers tweet, I'd say someone really has had an arse kicking over this cock up

And at this rate if the official Van Halen site is going to be relaunched, its going to be way after the tours started.

Absolutely fucking useless.

[chefcraig]

And oh yeah, a message board that doesn't charge karma points....

Five stars please? (Don't mind me, I always get this stuff mixed up. )

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Let's give Bradman the benefit of the doubt here....

At least I will, I'm sure IF he had free reign he would've revamped that entire website....

Not just for plain old VH news, but the whole nine yards: Videos, interviews, VH history, etc.....

And oh yeah, a message board that doesn't charge karma points....

[chefcraig]

I'm gonna be nice to Mushroom Boy...

That's only because he owes you money. Face it, if he paid back the eight bucks or so he bummed off you over a decade ago for a Slurpee, some rolling papers and a pack of Marlboros outside of that LA 7/11, you'd be just as nasty as the rest of us.