May 27th - 17:00 PDT - Tomorrow's Harvest Listening Party

[acroyear]

i'm usually pretty put off by marketing shit, especially the viral 'leaked' kind of fake stuff. Like how Red Bull Music Academy drives a stupid ass truck through SF made to look like a riot vehicle with giant subs being projected off of it for new shit like Clams Casino. It drives me mad because of how asinine it is. However I think what Warp and BOC managed to pull off is fucking excellent marketing.

There weren't any shitty brand tie-ins, it seemed very mysterious and the whole thing was extremely well executed and fairly simple.

 

I commend Warp for not falling prey to the all too common American corporatism that's infected 'indie' electronic music out here. There are so many goddam dumb corporate tieins to these type of events in San Francisco it makes me sick to my stomach.

 

If this was Ed Banger or Triangle records you damn well better believe there would have been a Scion rep and a Red Bull Music Academy cunt waiting there like vultures passing out 'free' shit

Well put.

[lumpenprol]

That was post Napster

 

And there were promos and other "regular" types of pre release hype... There was even a watmm contest for autographed swag

I know it was post napster but I don't think filesharing was so rampant and widespread at that point that cd sales had started to crash yet. Just my recollection, could be wrong.

[jules]

yea I don't remember there being much of an option in those days either. certainly not at your fingertips.

[Alzado]

Radiohead is a household name. BOC's sales are not really comparable.

 

Although I agree, that surprise drop certainly did generate buzz.

[jules]

yea I'm certainly not comparing them to rh, I just think that would have suited them and their fans better.

 

or at least me

 

 

heh

[fumi]

 

 

 

 

did something really bad happen in Yermo or just things closed down and folk fecked off?

i think i read that once air travel became ubiquitous and affordable, small towns that served essentially one purpose--providing fuel for travelers' cars-died.

ah ok i thought there was a radiation leak, looks the part though...well almost.

as far as being annoyed by the pr stuff, here is my take...

 

pr is to drum up publicity and get people excited to buy the album. in the old days, way back when, this served a purpose to gather momentum so that on release day, people would line up and hand over money because that was the only way to get the album.

 

after the whole numbers code craze (which was very unique) they got everyone's credit card purchase. so now instead of having the record, we are forced to sit through teases and more hype, when we all get it! it's boc, w've waited 8 years and we already gave you our money, just give me my download already, I don't want to hear a song on someone's phone recorded on a Tokyo street on a Wednesday afternoon and I don't want to hear anything from a cell phone transmission in a wind tunnel. to me, you are muddling what is ultimately going to be an experience ive waited eight years for, and paid you for 7 weeks ago. stop flaunting it in my face.

i would have to agree there

Wholeheartedly agree with this.

[noise]

palace posy is great

[Guest Gravity]

A recording of the whole thing has been uploaded to youtube, not going to listen though. Time to release the files, Warp. I'm dying here.

[fumi]

To be fair though, BoC must be one of the hardest bands to market for. Warp can't "go big" because they'd be accused of selling out their hardcore fanbase, and the music doesn't have widespread mass appeal anyway; but if they do the cryptic clue thing for the hardcore folks, it just pisses them off and doesn't increase the fanbase...directly. I think what they're hoping for is to add to the BoC mythos bit by bit through these viral things, which should in turn eventually draw in new fans who hear about the buzz. But it's a pretty roundabout way of getting new fans, and yet, their only viable option really.

I understand completely what you're saying and mostly agree with what you and others have said.

 

However, for me, the mythos is largely unravelling with this type of promotion campaign.

Let's not forget, a very large part of their appeal is their reclusiveness and silence.

 

I realise that I can always turn away and ignore it but I was surprised how relentless the campaign for TH was.

 

For me, David Bowie and MBV had much better campaigns. They just released new albums after years of silence. No fuss, no bother.

 

However, it's all a matter of opinions anyway. I'm glad BOC are still putting stuff out - I'm not do happy about how it's promoted compared to even TCH period.

 

First world problems. Lol.

[noise]

almost done listening to what's up on youtube, i think it cuts off in the middle of new seeds but whatever. sounds good, though, less 'dark' than what i'd expected.

[Guest Papillon]

 

 

 

did something really bad happen in Yermo or just things closed down and folk fecked off?

i think i read that once air travel became ubiquitous and affordable, small towns that served essentially one purpose--providing fuel for travelers' cars-died.

ah ok i thought there was a radiation leak, looks the part though...well almost.

as far as being annoyed by the pr stuff, here is my take...

pr is to drum up publicity and get people excited to buy the album. in the old days, way back when, this served a purpose to gather momentum so that on release day, people would line up and hand over money because that was the only way to get the album.

after the whole numbers code craze (which was very unique) they got everyone's credit card purchase. so now instead of having the record, we are forced to sit through teases and more hype, when we all get it! it's boc, w've waited 8 years and we already gave you our money, just give me my download already, I don't want to hear a song on someone's phone recorded on a Tokyo street on a Wednesday afternoon and I don't want to hear anything from a cell phone transmission in a wind tunnel. to me, you are muddling what is ultimately going to be an experience ive waited eight years for, and paid you for 7 weeks ago. stop flaunting it in my face.

i would have to agree there

Wholeheartedly agree with this.

Yeah I agree too.

 

I started to write about this several pages back but didn't want to be too negative so I checked myself. I think there is a fine line between a good marketing campaign and a cash grab, and maybe Warp has just crossed the line with this listening party in the desert. Look what ended up happening the guys on here that paid for the record who have been buying in to and supporting these bands for the last decade or longer have nothing to show for it, the entire album is probably circulating somewhere on YouTube etc probably in terrible quality and definetly not the way that many diehard fans would like to hear it, as an original vinyl copy they get to hold in their hands and play whenever and however they want to.

 

Part of me is bummed that I didn't get to go out in a field and hear the record and I have to admit that I was very interested and enjoyed the ARG portion of this, in terms of a selling tactic it was brilliant, but also it was good for other reasons.

 

I can't speak for anyone else but I guess at this point we are all practically dying to hear the fukcing record and that may be the single biggest point of contention.

 

I know in my heart of hearts that this album will be so good that none of this shit will matter once the record is in hand.

[delet...]

the marketing isn't so bad as much as it all seems pointless when they are just sitting on the album, already paid for and have had our full attention from the jump.

 

huge marketing campaigns are for products that are generally more hype than they are worth (cough daft punk cough). really good products sell themselves from word of mouth after they are being used. what music fan in 2013 who is on the fence of buying a $10 boc download is going to be swayed by some journalists review before its all over the Internet?

 

yes, but this campaign probably got a lot more zine pixel room than a word of mouth quiet release would have done, and our mouths aren't talking to teenagers who have never heard of BoC but will read about what's hot in the underground on their prefered blog. That's why you market, on the one hand to retain customers you already have and give the brand a halo, but in this case the music itself does that, but importantly, especially for a band that doesn't release much nor tour or do interviews yout need to reach new markets somehow.

 

 

I do find it silly though that they whole thing was devised by a marketing team, locations number sequences and everything. ;-p

[lumpenprol]

i don't think the whole thing was developed by a marketing team...

 

the embedded twoism code with the two files that needed to be combined, and the image of the...transistor? (or whatever it was). That seems like a BoC flourish. Of course could be wrong. I'm guessing the Bros signed off on almost everything, personally. They'd be stupid not to, unless they've stopped caring altogether, which I doubt.

[awepittance]

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

[lumpenprol]

I posted it on fb, for what it's worth...

 

Btw the album sounds well weird, with a few clear stand-out tracks.

[PlatrixECV]

I posted it on fb, for what it's worth...

 

Btw the album sounds well weird, with a few clear stand-out tracks.

 

Weird on the first listen or two can mean devastatingly good by the 30th listen. Distinct possibility here.

[pattern recognition]

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

this surprised me too, especially considering the proximity to LA. i figured there would be 500-1000 there.

[delet...]

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

 

hah, they would have been gutted, should have filmed their reactions as they came to the realisation of the enormity of what they'd missed. "but... i ... had .. that ... day off."

[Guest Dogboy73]

A recording of the whole thing has been uploaded to youtube, not going to listen though. Time to release the files, Warp. I'm dying here.

 

Same here. I had a quick look through some of the listening party vids. But it was more to see the event & share in the excitement of being there. How cool would it have been? Got the idea of some of the tracks but the audio quality is of course terrible so I'm going to hold off until the full album is released. We've waited 8 years. Less than 2 weeks to go now

[goDel]

 

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

 

this surprised me too, especially considering the proximity to LA. i figured there would be 500-1000 there.

Bad marketing? (Ironically?)

 

Personally, I was expecting warp would have gathered some actors to fill the crowd. Just to be certain there'd be a crowd of people which would match the crowd they're marketing to ( or better, which services the egos of the people who're being marketed to with showing their ideal self). arguably, the most important part of the event is what is happening now. Vids are put on youtube and people are talking about it (which was all part of the calculation). It wouldn't surprise me if they made a recording themselves as well. ( which would be posted after a number of vids from the public has been posted... So it doesnt feel like a sellout) These vids last longer than the actual event itself, so why not invest in some actors to make it look like a success.

 

I just find it hard to believe a marketing team organizes something like this without considering the possibility that no one would show up. Imo, they're basically experimenting with viral marketing in niche crowds (youtube/twitter/facebook...and a couple of forums). And it would generate more success if this event gathered a bigger crowd (enter the idea of actors).

 

My 2cents

[PlatrixECV]

 

 

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

this surprised me too, especially considering the proximity to LA. i figured there would be 500-1000 there.

Bad marketing? (Ironically?)

 

Personally, I was expecting warp would have gathered some actors to fill the crowd. Just to be certain there'd be a crowd of people which would match the crowd they're marketing to ( or better, which services the egos of the people who're being marketed to with showing their ideal self). arguably, the most important part of the event is what is happening now. Vids are put on youtube and people are talking about it (which was all part of the calculation). It wouldn't surprise me if they made a recording themselves as well. ( which would be posted after a number of vids from the public has been posted... So it doesnt feel like a sellout) These vids last longer than the actual event itself, so why not invest in some actors to make it look like a success.

 

I just find it hard to believe a marketing team organizes something like this without considering the possibility that no one would show up. Imo, they're basically experimenting with viral marketing in niche crowds (youtube/twitter/facebook...and a couple of forums). And it would generate more success if this event gathered a bigger crowd (enter the idea of actors).

 

My 2cents

 

 

I was going to outright disagree with you but then I recalled it was a bit of a sausagefest. A respectable marketing outfit can never go wrong importing several dozen hot chicks; in this instance hot hipster chicks with sleeves. Maybe a bro ho or two given the proximity to Havasu.

[eh Speedy]

 

 

i'm actually pretty surprised more people from california didn't show up for this. I know a lot of BOC fans here and none of them knew about it when I mentioned it to them after the fact

this surprised me too, especially considering the proximity to LA. i figured there would be 500-1000 there.

Bad marketing? (Ironically?)

 

Personally, I was expecting warp would have gathered some actors to fill the crowd. Just to be certain there'd be a crowd of people which would match the crowd they're marketing to ( or better, which services the egos of the people who're being marketed to with showing their ideal self). arguably, the most important part of the event is what is happening now. Vids are put on youtube and people are talking about it (which was all part of the calculation). It wouldn't surprise me if they made a recording themselves as well. ( which would be posted after a number of vids from the public has been posted... So it doesnt feel like a sellout) These vids last longer than the actual event itself, so why not invest in some actors to make it look like a success.

 

I just find it hard to believe a marketing team organizes something like this without considering the possibility that no one would show up. Imo, they're basically experimenting with viral marketing in niche crowds (youtube/twitter/facebook...and a couple of forums). And it would generate more success if this event gathered a bigger crowd (enter the idea of actors).

 

My 2cents

 

 

This is an imagination running wild. Actors, LOL!

[zlemflolia]

It's just fun there's no reason to make a huge deal out of it

 

Just to get people out of their houses and talking about it

 

Obviously people who aren't interested to begin with won't travel hundreds of miles to an abandoned amusement park - it's just a cool thing for people to do who are in the area, and for people who weren't there to wish they were able to have done

 

Unless BoC themselves have a problem with it I don't, and if they do then they're stuck up and take their music too seriously. It's great and that's why they are my favorite artists of all time, but they shouldn't be like "Oh no a few events are going to ruin our music and this isn't what we stand for" just fuck off lol calm down

[Atop]

as far as being annoyed by the pr stuff, here is my take...

 

pr is to drum up publicity and get people excited to buy the album. in the old days, way back when, this served a purpose to gather momentum so that on release day, people would line up and hand over money because that was the only way to get the album.

 

after the whole numbers code craze (which was very unique) they got everyone's credit card purchase. so now instead of having the record, we are forced to sit through teases and more hype, when we all get it! it's boc, w've waited 8 years and we already gave you our money, just give me my download already, I don't want to hear a song on someone's phone recorded on a Tokyo street on a Wednesday afternoon and I don't want to hear anything from a cell phone transmission in a wind tunnel. to me, you are muddling what is ultimately going to be an experience ive waited eight years for, and paid you for 7 weeks ago. stop flaunting it in my face.

 

 

to be clear, I'm not as pissed as I may sound about the campaign. thing is, the only people interested in these codes and such are the ones who already preordered, so i feel its more trolling than hype generating since we are just waiting for our orders to be filled having already been hyped enough to buy it blind.

 

 

Haha! I feel your pain mister.

 

but guess what?

 

we only have

 

TWO WEEKS!

 

[lumpenprol]

just give in and listen to the leak dooders. It's worth it, shite (BoC) quality and all.