Al's Smart Use Of New Media: Sol Vs. In 3-d

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Diva
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Post by Diva »

SOL is doing SO well, especially in light of the initial speedbump provided by Atlantic Records, that I got to thinking of Al's initial successes in 1983-84. Al was ont of the first artists to really mine the potential [especially the comic potential] of music videos, and his video parodies lifted him above the level of a typical "novelty artist". Just as he has a knack for finding "the next big thing" in music, he found the next big change in media and embraced it. I don't know the CD or ticket sales patterns off the top of my head, but Bad Hair Day [his previous high seller IIRC] and especially Running With Scissors had to have been helped some by the World Wide Web and by Bermuda's official site, which was up and running before 1996.

Fast forward to 2003. Grammy-winning Poodle Hat , sans video courtesy Marshall Mathers,, doesn't have the sales it deserved. :censored: 2006: "Your Pitiful" has to be pulled as the lead single. :o A disaster? Nope-this is the age of easy ubiquitous downloading of mp3s, of itunes, of YouTube, faster connections, etc. YP becomes a free download and generates a huge amount of essentially free [minus recording costs of course] publicity for Al. :P He puts up a MySpace page because 'heck, there might as well be a legit "Weird Al" MySpace page' and he gets hundreds of thousands of friends and another basically free platform for publicizing his work. He can release 'sneak peeks' of material, music AND video [Don't Download This Song]. With itunes, MusicMatch, etc., people can again buy real singles. The single he pulls together as a replacement for YP becomes the biggest hit of Al's career. :party:

I don't think Al actually planned much of this; honestly, I don't think General Schwartzkopf could have come up with a strategy this brilliant. I do think Al and the folks behind him are extremely smart at recognizing opportunities inherent in changes in technology and in media, seizing them and taking full advantage of them. :Y That skill launched him in the 1980's and it's sending him into an even higher orbit now.

Any thoughts?

Cheers, Diva
ex-philosophy grad who hasn't had her coffee yet :z
Wharf Hamster since September 25, 2002
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Squirrelygirl
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Post by Squirrelygirl »

Cheers, Diva
ex-philosophy grad who hasn't had her coffee yet 

Nan, you are too astute for not having your coffee yet!

I heard Al once allude to the similarity between on-line music downloads being sort of the MTV of this generation in terms of "the next new thing".

I don't recall the exact quote or even if it was on radio or in print, but he is definitely using the medium to his advantage.

Go Alfy!
AL! You ATE Harvey!? YOU ATE HARVEY/??!!
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Post by Orthography Enthusiast »

Al doesn't have to have planned all this-- just be quick to see the opportunities when they present themselves. And he has. :Y
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
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