SUNDAY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION TOPIC

[paclayfan]

Since his next pop album won't be coming out until the spring/summer of 2005 I am hoping he's being really choosy to its content.  I think he will have a lot more control over it. I agree , he needs a really big song to put him over the top.  

I'm wondering if "Proud Of Your Boy" (from Alladin) will be played on radio. What do you think?

[ACcountryFan]

well, to be honest. a person is hearing a "voice" on the radio or on the CD, right? what would make a difference how the artist was like in concert? shouldn't the person showing up be there for the "voice" which comes from the particular singer? if a singer goes into theatrics, it takes away from the vocal performance which traditionally is what sells a singer to the audience. i did NOT like the tomfoolery and nonsense that Garth Brooks would do at his shows. i saw only one of his NBC specials and i didn't see him the same way again. A good singer doesn't need that crap...that's what i call it. You, meaning the singer, should be able to entertain your audience with the "voice".

[LiftClayUp]

If we go back to last year, after the Clay - Bing Crosby duet, all Clay's fans were clamoring for a Christmas CD.  RCA  & Clay are just giving us what we asked for.  Personally, I am looking forward to it.  I wanted it then and I want it now.  

I really hope the duet will be on it.  It seems the Crosby family was willing to give their permission and all RCA had to do was to contact them for the OK.

There has not been much time in Clay's schedule to record another CD other than the Christmas one.  The selections of songs to record must be a difficult process and is not as easy as picking out which Christmas songs to record.  Hopefully, they are selecting a better choice than they picked for MOAM.

[ACcountryFan]

What's going to happen after the holidays? Are they going to go back to promoting Moam? or the holiday album? It doesn't make sense to promote a holiday album after the holidays. But it doesn't really make sense to promote the older album.  Unless they come out with a new single to promote?

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IWCY will be issued as a radio-only single in late July. According to the plans now...but you all know how "concrete" RCA's previous plans have been. anyway, RCA will give this song the typical 3-4 month chart life. 20 or more weeks is the standard life expectancy of a song on the charts before it peaks and becomes a radio recurrent. anyway, IWCY will be the song on the charts during the beginning of his solo tour and by the time the tour ends, his holiday CD will be what's being talked about in the media.

now, based on RCA's plan of release for the holiday CD, this will be popular from October through December as all stores pull their holiday music from display on December 26th. you could still purchase the CD through Amazon all year long if you wanted to.

anyway, after the holiday CD and all it's hype is over with by January 2005, this gives RCA, if they wanted to, some room to issue another single from MOAM and by the time the proposed single peaks and falls off the charts it'll be late spring/early summer 2005 and prest-o! out comes his new CD...just as promised!

if RCA feels they have hit songs on MOAM that'll do good on AC radio, they're gonna release them. They'd be stupid not to.

In today's era, two singles from a CD of 12 or 13 songs would be seen as a flop! this is another reason why RCA is releasing so many songs from it. today's climate dictates that a 12-13 song CD in order to be any kind of success has to have 4 or 5 hit[/u] songs on it.
And songs become hits through sales or airplay as everyone here knows. if the sales of a single or album aren't strong, that doesn't mean too much if airplay isn't heavy. However, if an artist gets heavy airplay but their sales don't match...big problems are on the horizon! Clay, despite the lack of top-40 airplay, gets his somewhat support from AC radio stations. Since he's not being supported by top-40 radio, it would be down-right insane for Clay to piss off what little support he has with AC radio and alter his entire appeal simply for top-40 airplay which he might not get.

In the recording business, money talks...well, in any business, money talks. There's no room for risk taking. MOAM is based on what brought Clay fame: his style and his sound. He didn't find his fame banging away to the sounds of KISS or Aerosmith...and so, MOAM is targeted to the audience AND RADIO FORMAT that is more likely to accept it...the ones who listen to AC radio...

RCA knew going into this {well, i hope they knew!!} that top-40 radio doesn't play what Clay became famous for on AI2: the power ballads and up-tempo love songs.

i find it funny that they actually had songs with cuss words and they were thinking a Christian would sing them :

as much as it's not discussed here:
#1. Clay has been type-cast as a smooth-crooner...and no matter if he'd record in a more 'rock' style, he wouldn't be taken seriously because it just wouldn't look real and it would backfire, in my opinion, big time.

#2. Clay has been type-cast so much that even a picture of him holding an electric guitar was offensive or shocking to some because his image doesn't allow for that...and it's the image and those songs that fit that image is what's made him popular and he has to follow this pattern/formula until he has the security to take a risk or a chance. See, Clay can't have an Anti-MOAM CD next year! His audience for the most part is wanting another MOAM {although one not so over-produced} but the sentiments of MOAM should be showcased on the follow-up. If, 3 or 4 albums down the road, RCA is secure enough to allow him to experiment with his sound or image, then that would be the time to do it...not so soon after MOAM.    

Britney Spears has been type-cast so much that even if she'd actually release a song that was good, nobody would buy it because it's not what they want to hear from her. {that was a joke, don't get offended!}