why are random songs promoted on old albums?

rhythmic5 · 16th November 2007

never understood how this worked -- I know label's seem to push a single before an album release to create hype, that makes sense

but sometimes months (or even years) after the album release, another random song from the album appears on the charts (accompanied by a music video perhaps)

example would be how "Glamorous" was pushed before the release of Fergie's "The Dutchess", and now a year after the album release (orig. date was Sep 19, 2006), the song "Clumsy" from her album has appeared on the iTunes charts, and is making its rounds on MTV and such

any ideas?

freestyle tromb · 16th November 2007

i guess it's just another way to breathe life into the release- remind the public that, yes, "Fergie is still out there!"
uhh... make more money!
bridge the gap til her next release.
makes sense to me.
they don't waste all their pushing power the first time around.

Ironklad Audio · 16th November 2007

i've noticed that labels tend to use around a 4-month shelf life for each single...the 1st usually drops 1-2 months before the release...4 months later from then would be 2-3 months after. next single at the 6-7 month mark...and if the 3rd single held up alright, they'll go for the 4th, which would stretch up to around 10-11 months.

this same pattern went over for the fergie album...1st she dropped that "london bridge" song, or whatever the hell it was called. then came the one after that...i forget what it was already, but i know i was sick of hearing it all the time. after that started to taper off, they dropped the glamorous single. after that peaked, they dropped whatever the hell that slow, ballady song is. now that it's been out for a while, they're coming with another...

now that i think of it, that's pretty solid for an artist in today's market...you don't see many people scoring 5 top singles off of a single album all that often. too bad fergie sucks big-time.

Alex Niedt · 16th November 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhythmic5

example would be how "Glamorous" was pushed before the release of Fergie's "The Dutchess", and now a year after the album release (orig. date was Sep 19, 2006), the song "Clumsy" from her album has appeared on the iTunes charts, and is making its rounds on MTV and such

any ideas?

In Fergie's case (and probably the case of everyone else you're thinking of), it is because her singles continue to garner great success, thus bringing in continued album sales in addition to single and ringtone sales. If Fergie's second and third singles hadn't charted/sold well, the label would have already stopped promotion and "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Clumsy" would have never seen the light of day as singles. Right now, the way "Clumsy" is progressing, I'd say you can expect yet another single after that!

Grumblefoot · 16th November 2007

Hate her music, but she is F'in HOT!!

Eric Greedy · 16th November 2007

two terms:

"Album Cycle" and "Single"

The Album Cycle is a term that defines the period from the release of one album to the release of the next. Recording agreements are usually based on these and not years (per say). 18 months is a typical number for an album cycle (for arguments sake). Tour support, etc. is all tied to this album cycle.

now Singles. A label will release and support one or more singles from an album if they deem it useful. So an album that has legs and is still selling a year or more after it is released offers the opportunity to release more singles. If a new album releases a single and it tanks the label may not release anymore. There are now hard and fast rules about the time table. It is getting to be that singles stay on the chart much longer (depending of format too) than in the past.

P.S. Btw... it is not random although you may view it that way.

16th November 2007	#1
rhythmic5 Gear maniac Joined: May 2006 Posts: 293 Thread Starter	why are random songs promoted on old albums? never understood how this worked -- I know label's seem to push a single before an album release to create hype, that makes sense but sometimes months (or even years) after the album release, another random song from the album appears on the charts (accompanied by a music video perhaps) example would be how "Glamorous" was pushed before the release of Fergie's "The Dutchess", and now a year after the album release (orig. date was Sep 19, 2006), the song "Clumsy" from her album has appeared on the iTunes charts, and is making its rounds on MTV and such any ideas?

16th November 2007	#2
freestyle tromb Gear maniac Joined: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 192	i guess it's just another way to breathe life into the release- remind the public that, yes, "Fergie is still out there!" uhh... make more money! bridge the gap til her next release. makes sense to me. they don't waste all their pushing power the first time around. __________________ the "tromb" stands for "trombonist."

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16th November 2007	#3
Ironklad Audio Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Posts: 548	i've noticed that labels tend to use around a 4-month shelf life for each single...the 1st usually drops 1-2 months before the release...4 months later from then would be 2-3 months after. next single at the 6-7 month mark...and if the 3rd single held up alright, they'll go for the 4th, which would stretch up to around 10-11 months. this same pattern went over for the fergie album...1st she dropped that "london bridge" song, or whatever the hell it was called. then came the one after that...i forget what it was already, but i know i was sick of hearing it all the time. after that started to taper off, they dropped the glamorous single. after that peaked, they dropped whatever the hell that slow, ballady song is. now that it's been out for a while, they're coming with another... now that i think of it, that's pretty solid for an artist in today's market...you don't see many people scoring 5 top singles off of a single album all that often. too bad fergie sucks big-time.

16th November 2007	#5
Grumblefoot Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 565	Hate her music, but she is F'in HOT!!

16th November 2007	#6
Eric Greedy Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,048	two terms: "Album Cycle" and "Single" The Album Cycle is a term that defines the period from the release of one album to the release of the next. Recording agreements are usually based on these and not years (per say). 18 months is a typical number for an album cycle (for arguments sake). Tour support, etc. is all tied to this album cycle. now Singles. A label will release and support one or more singles from an album if they deem it useful. So an album that has legs and is still selling a year or more after it is released offers the opportunity to release more singles. If a new album releases a single and it tanks the label may not release anymore. There are now hard and fast rules about the time table. It is getting to be that singles stay on the chart much longer (depending of format too) than in the past. P.S. Btw... it is not random although you may view it that way.