Should Axl Play Hardball or Do What It Takes?....

[younggunner]

How would you like to see Axl and his mgmt handle the negotiations with the record company?

It appears that Axl and the record company are trying to find a way to get back the $13+ million spent after all of these years. I ask why? Is that even realistic for one album?
To the best of my knowledge CD alone did not cost $13mill to make. CD, along with 2 to 3 other albums cost Axl $13mill to make.

Im not saying this is the sole focus of negotiations, but if it is, why not spread it out? There are 3-4 albums that could be used to recoup the investment. Why should all the weight be put on Chin Dem from a financial standpoint?

I hate when I read journalists mock Axl for spending over 13 mill trying to make one album. The fact is he has made 3-4 albums with that money. Which isnt too bad.

So, with that being said, would you want to see Axl agree or disagree with the record company and put all their eggs in one basket with CD?

What if there is a halt in negotiations because Axl doesnt want to hand over the other albums and the record company tells Axl they arent releasing CD until they have the right or control over the other material. Should Axl play hardball or do whatever it takes, even if that means meeting any demands/requests by the record compay that he normally wouldnt agree to? What do you think?

Imo, if that scenario were to happen, it would be a tough call for Axl...and the record company for that matter. Its a game of chicken.
 

[GNRreunioneventually]

well, to make back some of the money they could pull a Gene Simmons. Put G'n'R or CHINESE DEMOCRACY on everything from condoms to caskets.

just market all they can until they can get a good chunk of change from it but with out looking like whores



as far as doing what it takes to get it out there just as long as its not sacrificing any musical influences meaning NOT changing anyhting on the album for there pleasure i would say go but if they have to change something i say no dice because CD (judging by the leaks) is just fine in itself.

[jarmo]

How much money did Greatest Hits make them?

What about the other albums?

GN'R must be one of the best selling artists on Geffen Records.





/jarmo

[Smoking Guns]

How much money did Greatest Hits make them?

What about the other albums?

GN'R must be one of the best selling artists on Geffen Records.





/jarmo

I agree.  They can't be in that big of a whole, if any, with GNR as of right now.

[JDA]

GN'R should do something that relates to music in the current times.  For example, release a new cd.  Although, they have been one of the best selling artists of all time they have not done anything that really relates to new music in 17yrs.  In the past they were a very successful band that released great cds.  That is not the case anymore. Would love to hear something new as I'm sure everyone one else would like also.

[jarmo]

Did you even bother reading the original post?



/jarmo

[Verasa]

axl should get what he wants or whats best for both sides.. it will work itself out with time..

i think they should just release CD for free as a digital download and tour the release.  or have it for free and sell the cd with the booklet and case candy at music stores. imo its the best way to get out there and takes  away alot of pressure for a immediate success and let word of mouth do its job.

you got 2 maybe 3 more albums worth of material sittin in the shop. take it slowly and let people and fans ease back into gnr rather than having it force fed down ur throat that they are back.  i think axl needs as less pressure as possible to keep himself in a somewhat decent mindframe 

[wadey]

axl should get what he wants or whats best for both sides.. it will work itself out with time..

i think they should just release CD for free as a digital download and tour the release.  or have it for free and sell the cd with the booklet and case candy at music stores. imo its the best way to get out there and takes  away alot of pressure for a immediate success and let word of mouth do its job.

i dont think that releasing the record for free would justify the $13+ spent on making it somehow...
"let the fans ease back into it"    been easing back long enough, think you find were all hungry than ever for the record

[Verasa]

axl should get what he wants or whats best for both sides.. it will work itself out with time..

i think they should just release CD for free as a digital download and tour the release.  or have it for free and sell the cd with the booklet and case candy at music stores. imo its the best way to get out there and takes  away alot of pressure for a immediate success and let word of mouth do its job.

i dont think that releasing the record for free would justify the $13+ spent on making it somehow...

record company doesnt need to  recoup everything w/ one release if there is 3 or 4 albums finished

[GeraldFord]

I'd rather see Axl on Countdown than on Hardball....

[marknroses]

How much money did Greatest Hits make them?

What about the other albums?

GN'R must be one of the best selling artists on Geffen Records.





/jarmo

I agree.  They can't be in that big of a whole, if any, with GNR as of right now.

Yes but it was a different lineup.
I don't deny for one minute that the albums are not great enough to have warranted such attention, financially, legally and emotionally over the years to warrant their release, though it needs to be done proper. I still think that the best songs are the ones that have not been played or demo'd yet. But if the first album does not do well, what chances will the 3rd or 4th album have? The momentum has to be there for everything to follow suit.

If I'm wrong and the record company is not convinced that they can proceed with this Crusade of Music or be committed to it for the next 5-6 years, then I'm afraid we won't be hearing any new GNR for a long while to come.

I'm just glad that GNR did not release the album in 2001 or 2002, they were not ready to do it. I think the timing is better than ever (assuming the whole Robin F. thing clears up).

MNW

[Fingers]

A record company is not going to care what GNR sold with a greatest hits album in negotiations, or marketing a record-ask Motley Crue what happened in 1997

[BodyCount]

Every contract has clauses, what if's, and or number of albums to be delivered....

My guess is, that time is now on Axl's side by now...

I recall-correct me if i'm wrong- that Bowie for instance, had a clause that after a particular period of years, all release rights, benefits etc. of his songs go straight back to him..
leaving the record company and being master of his own product, and releasing with a company of his choice..

Perhaps Axl's got a contract for 1 album, but in case of the alledged "trilogy" ,things are getting interesting for Geffen/Universal to get Axl to sign on for more...

I think that they (Geffen) are pulling everything out of their high hat to get Axl to roll over...

And..Axl is holding out on signing anything cause maybe, just maybe..there is a time of date in their conract that just passes by and all could be different...

Just speculation...

IMO Axl should do everything it takes to release whatever and however he thinks (knows) is best for the fans, and himself artistically, to get the best possible product that GNR are able to produce...

Even if that means we have to wait even longer for official product to hit the shelves...

[slashsbaconpit]

If snippets of it keep getting out there in cyberspace for free, all the negotiation in the world isn't going to make profitable, because everyone will have it already.

[mrbucketfoot]

Well we don't even really know what's going with Mr. Axl. I mean the negotiations could be over who-gets-what with legally downloaded material, promotion campaigns, or could be GN'R trying to rewrite or buy out their contract.

From what I know Mr. Azoff plays hardball and gets his clients what they want, maybe it will take awhile for Geffen/UMG to break, and thus explains the long wait for us?


And to make back any money they need to put out the album with proper promotion but also come out with a deluxe online-only version with an extra CD of demos and something along the lines of Live Era 2001-2007 with Video from the best performances from the band. Or maybe just House of Blues?? Just like NIN did awhile back. I know a ton of sadsaps like me would pay through the roof for stuff like that.
 

[Vicious Wishes]

I'm not sure it's a fact that there's 3 to 4 albums worth of material. I know we've heard this rumor from a few different sources, but there's more rumors about GnR(or Axl) than any band in history.

Even if there is, record execs always want to get as much as they can as soon as they can. So that first cd needs to be one hell of a cd(in their opinion), in order to get the audience for numbers 2, 3 and 4.

Us hardcore fans will buy them, I'm sure. But they're trying to get the casual fans money more than ours.

[mrbucketfoot]

I'm not sure it's a fact that there's 3 to 4 albums worth of material. I know we've heard this rumor from a few different sources, but there's more rumors about GnR(or Axl) than any band in history.

It was in a Japanese magazine that said Axl said he has 40-50 finished or near-finished songs in 2007. He talked about a "trilogy" in 2002 on what I think was a Detroit radio station. He talked about "the second record" in 2006 on Eddie Trunk. "We're working on thirty-two songs, and twenty-six are nearly done," he said in an interview with Rolling Stone in January 2006 (Axl Rose Breaks His Silence)....

The list goes on and on. So yes, we do know. Bare minimum of two.

[Vicious Wishes]

^^I should have been more clear. What I meant to say was that maybe some people(record execs) don't think he has that many good songs. And by good songs I mean songs that will make them a lot of money. Because thats all they really care about.

I have no doubt that they're good or great, but you never know what someone else is thinking.

[Axl4Prez2004]

I respect Axl's integrity.  The man could have long ago either:

A:  hired some lame-ass pop-rock music producer to coordinate a Nickelback-type album with the new band
...or
B:  gone the route of the easy, big money with a cliche' sell-out reunion.

Fuck the haters.  The man has a vision.  What we have heard so far is extremely promising.  

Give 'em hell Axl!  

[Duffio]

How would you like to see Axl and his mgmt handle the negotiations with the record company?

It appears that Axl and the record company are trying to find a way to get back the $13+ million spent after all of these years. I ask why? Is that even realistic for one album?
To the best of my knowledge CD alone did not cost $13mill to make. CD, along with 2 to 3 other albums cost Axl $13mill to make.

Im not saying this is the sole focus of negotiations, but if it is, why not spread it out? There are 3-4 albums that could be used to recoup the investment. Why should all the weight be put on Chin Dem from a financial standpoint?

I hate when I read journalists mock Axl for spending over 13 mill trying to make one album. The fact is he has made 3-4 albums with that money. Which isnt too bad.

So, with that being said, would you want to see Axl agree or disagree with the record company and put all their eggs in one basket with CD?

What if there is a halt in negotiations because Axl doesnt want to hand over the other albums and the record company tells Axl they arent releasing CD until they have the right or control over the other material. Should Axl play hardball or do whatever it takes, even if that means meeting any demands/requests by the record compay that he normally wouldnt agree to? What do you think?

Imo, if that scenario were to happen, it would be a tough call for Axl...and the record company for that matter. Its a game of chicken.
 

Just an estimate, but if you sold at least 1 million and your record label takes about 1/2 of what the retail price is sold (assuming it's even just 14 dollars), then 7 x 1mill = $7,000,000.00     
...it wouldn't take too much for the record label to make their money back?