German Top 100 Album Charts

[Susi]

10.000 Days entered the German Top 100 Album Charts on #78 (Media Control)

[danny]

[alexander]

Hallo there,
don´t be sad. The new CD is strong! Maybe it will raise up?!

Hope the best. Iam looking forward to seeing Saga in Hamburg.
And I am glad that several Saga concerts so far have been sold out! That shows that there people out there who like Saga! Besides, have you read all the excellent reviews about 10000 days. Wow!!!
Moreover, Saga entered itunes -rockdownloads at 5!!! So focus on the positive aspects.

One ppint I still don´t understand that you don´t see Saga posters in Germany. That´s one think Insideout has to improve, if they can.

All the Best
Alexander

[Tillmann]

I'm very disappointet...


But maybe it will raise up during the tour, if the half people who are attending are bying the album...?


We'll see

[kuschelhawk]

One ppint I still don´t understand that you don´t see Saga posters in Germany. That´s one think Insideout has to improve, if they can.

... in Berlin you can put the posters at walls etc., and max. after 2 days they are away - under (!) others

[wegebakira]

We should not be too disappointed. Frankyl speaking what did we expect ?
SAGA music is not radio supported music, therefore an entry at mid 70´s is not bad. Hopefully all the good ratings at amazon and in some music magazines would help to keep the CD a few weeks in the charts.

[Susi]

One ppint I still don´t understand that you don´t see Saga posters in Germany. That´s one think Insideout has to improve, if they can.

as I said before: posters are not IO's business - the local promoters have to take care of that.

[sagalady]

One ppint I still don´t understand that you don´t see Saga posters in Germany. That´s one think Insideout has to improve, if they can.

as I said before: posters are not IO's business - the local promoters have to take care of that.

Yes and no. Depends on what posters really. Gig posters is the local promoter's job. Promo posters for the CD is IO job.

[alexander]

Well,

I think, if you as a record company want Saga to be successful you have to draw
public attention to this group. Posters is one very important aspect!!! However, this media was not really used. One very big mistake!!!

If you talk to people they often say "oh, is Saga still out there?" They wouldn´t say that if they saw posters for a current Saga CD. It might be that in Berlin posters don´t exist long. In Bremen they do and I am certain also in other cities!

For instance, right now you can see a lot of posters of Robert Plant and Allison bla bla.
Though I don´t remember her name I now know that there is a new Cd out with the former singer of Led Zeppelin. It´s so easy, for this you don´t need post cards, just big posters!

If Susi says the public promoters are responsible then they again did a bad job. However, there has to be a head who takes care that people do their jobs correctly.


Another aspects which strikes me is the fact that Saga is not really played on main radio stations. I remember insideout saying concernig the Trust CD: Don´t worry we have people who promote the CD and there are some radio stations which already play Saga.

Well, I haven´t heard any song of theTrust CD on the radio. No, I heard once "It´s my life"
on Radio Bremen 4 because I wished this song for my song. They played it. Thank you Bremen 4.

I believe that you can make main radio stations play certain songs of Saga. Maybe, the record company has to pay for this. On each Saga CD you find songs which -I think- easily can be hits if they were played on the radio. For example, on the new CD the song 10000 days would be suitable. It´s a song easy to remember with a pleasant tune and thus I am convinced that many love to hear this song on the radio. Maybe the label has to pay a certain amount of money to have this song play for a certain time on the radio. I don´t know, but I am convinced the label can do something. I don´t believe that sending promoters to some minor radio stations are the only way!

Don´t get me wrong. I really liked and like the idea of the postcards, the interview in a magazine, even I do not read this magazine, the excellent reviews in magazines and amazon about the latest CD and the signing sessions.

However, this are ways to draw a certain group of people, but not the general public!!!


Again, for this we need posters and Saga being played on the radio. Then, a broader group realizes that there is a band called Saga or oh, they are back! They have also nice songs, such as "10 000 days", "I believe" (Network), " It´s my life".

Then, of course TV is another very important media. I for example can imagine Saga playing the song 10 000 days in Wetten das... . Well, do we still have Wetten das? If not there are other shows.

If a record company wants to draw the public attention they can do it, I think. To do so, they have to watch out that all companies who are involved in promoting Saga do their job well.


Anyway, Michael Sadler is leaving the band and I am thankful that in 2004
I saw some posters of the Network CD in Bremen. Because of the posters, I realized that Saga still existed. As far as I remember it was the only time I saw Saga posters in public. It´s too bad that there were only a few posters, however, I saw them. Also, I am looking forward
to the Saga concert in Hamburg. The concert in Worpswede I enjoyed very much, In addition it´s so great to read that the concert so far have been great. Even the concert in Oldenburg where people had to sit. This makes me really proud of Saga. Saga don´t make differences. They give a good show no matter how big the audience is. It´s also nice to realize that there are many Saga fans who even promote Saga. Thus, Saga still have several shows sold out!

Alex


[/u]

[Andy]

Do you really believe that posters increase CD sales? I don't think so and I also don't regard posters... maybe InsideOut should have promote the album with radio and TV commercials but that is way far too expensive. We are talking about Saga and not the Rolling Stones or so.

[alexander]

Hello,
Yes, I certainly do.

Alex

[sagalady]

Do you really believe that posters increase CD sales? I don't think so and I also don't regard posters... maybe InsideOut should have promote the album with radio and TV commercials but that is way far too expensive. We are talking about Saga and not the Rolling Stones or so.

I was just going to ask Alexander who he thought was going to pay for the promotion.

I believe a major label will spend about $1.50 per expected sold CD on promotion and that's it.

I know a band that played for probably 120.000 people in one country (12.000 per show 10 shows in total) during the span of the year. The label had budgeted a promotion campaign to sell 13500 (or so) albums and once they reached target they stopped promoting the CD. They didn't lift a finger to promote the album during the tours.

It could have sold much more but the label was not interested.

NOTE! The label is not IO and the band is not Saga.

So if you want to sell 100.000 copies be prepared to spend $150.000 in promotion.

I believe posters promoting a CD work but it isn't the only way to promote a CD.

If a local promoter is not postering and advertising a tour - that's a whole different discussion on it's own.

Sagalady

[kuschelhawk]

Do you really believe that posters increase CD sales?

absolutely: yes !

[I'm Late]

Do you really believe that posters increase CD sales? I don't think so and I also don't regard posters... maybe InsideOut should have promote the album with radio and TV commercials but that is way far too expensive. We are talking about Saga and not the Rolling Stones or so.

I was just going to ask Alexander who he thought was going to pay for the promotion.

I believe a major label will spend about $1.50 per expected sold CD on promotion and that's it.

I know a band that played for probably 120.000 people in one country (12.000 per show 10 shows in total) during the span of the year. The label had budgeted a promotion campaign to sell 13500 (or so) albums and once they reached target they stopped promoting the CD. They didn't lift a finger to promote the album during the tours.

It could have sold much more but the label was not interested.

NOTE! The label is not IO and the band is not Saga.

So if you want to sell 100.000 copies be prepared to spend $150.000 in promotion.

I believe posters promoting a CD work but it isn't the only way to promote a CD.

If a local promoter is not postering and advertising a tour - that's a whole different discussion on it's own.

Sagalady

I agree with this statement. Here in the states, the big corporations have the same theory. You have to spend money to make money. Watch your tvs, listen to your radios. While posters help, they are limited to tha area they cover. I remember 35 years ago when I started to listen to music, as a way of surviving , concerts were advertised 2-3 months in advance, with alot of radio ads. This is the area where I think managerment missed or didn't budget enough. You want to be big, think big! SAGA certainly has the tools and skills.Ttheir music, as we all know is very marketable! I believe at least 75% of their cd/lp production can play on the airwaves to become hits. I believe it comes down to better planning of a budget and/or not having the right people to run the business!

[sagalady]

This is the area where I think managerment missed or didn't budget enough.

Ok, this is where you and many fans are wrong. Stay with me here. I'm not trying to take your words out of context. I'll tie it all up eventually. So not disrespecting you or having a dig at you.

Label is solely responsible for marketing the CD. FULL STOP. Reason being that a band may receive anything between $1.50 - $3.50 (the latter only if they sell loads with hardly any marketing needed) and marketing is built in to budget the label has for the printing, packaging and distribution of the CD.

Management is only responsible for making sure the band is available for interviews (phoners or face to face) in co-operation with label. (I'm part of the press liaison team for a major band.) Management is also not responsible for marketing of shows. Some managements will produce poster material so there is a cohesive ID and branding throughout a tour and will provide the material to the local promoter. However - it is the local promoter who is responsible for the printing and delivery (as in making the poster visible to the general public). The promoter is also responsible for advertising of the concert/s. Promoter and label can team up on this and quite often do of there is a cross marketing value in there and produce radio and TV adverts.

Ok, so above is very generalized so anyone here in a band playing club level will completely disagree with me by shouting "but all promoters demand that we send then x-number posters for them to distribute around town". That is often very true because at club level, everyone is running at an extremely tight budget. But my example is not talking about club/pub level.

I could go in to a whole "music business 101" here but I'll stop now as I don't want to bore you all to death.

As a reminder - not talking about Saga here but the biz in general.

What the fans CAN do is call their local radio station and request Saga. If the station gets enough calls for the new stuff they'll play it. If no one calls and tells them to play new stuff the station will think that the listeners are happy with hearing the old hits.

In the old days it used to be the labels and stations that created the hits. Today the power is as much, if not more, with the listeners. One thing iTunes and other online retailers did was revolutionize the how music is sold and now it's us, the consumers, the listeners who can decide which song on the album should be the single/hit. Us fans are equally as responsible in making and breaking a band as the label and the marketing team.

Oh, and another thing before I step of my soap box and get me coat, I do not work for Saga. I am just a fan, like the rest of the people on here.

Time's up and I need to get something to eat.

Sagalay

Edited to add: I'm also not having a dig at IO or any of the promoters as I am certain that they are doing everything they can as it is in their own interest that CD/tickets sell well so there is a return in their investment.