Why Queen should follow Led Zeppelin (releasing cool stuff for fans)

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Adam Baboolal wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Ok, maybe not the best thing to post, but it gets me down whenever I see people posting things that show these examples as some kind of taunt to QP to do something with the Queen materials in the vaults. I've heard it so many times that it starts to grate. That's where the "I want" stuff comes in. There's a lot of folk that do it. And this isn't that different because it's focusing on getting something from the Queen camp.

Adam.[/QUOTE]

Well adam, if QP did something with their material then some fans wouldn't feel the need to say anything about it.

[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Adam Baboolal wrote: [/QUOTENAME]Ok, maybe not the best thing to post, but it gets me down whenever I see people posting things that show these examples as some kind of taunt to QP to do something with the Queen materials in the vaults. I've heard it so many times that it starts to grate. That's where the "I want" stuff comes in. There's a lot of folk that do it. And this isn't that different because it's focusing on getting something from the Queen camp.

Adam.[/QUOTE]

I don't mean to sound too negative, but what's the alternative?

Wait around politely and patiently for anything the band happens to release? We've all been there and done that for the past 10 years, and it's achieved nothing... Maybe it would be time to try something else.

I suppose my tactic of bitching about the releases here at QZ isn't the most productive, but it's achieved its purpose if somebody here starts to wonder if there could be better releases.


The ideal outcome would be that every member here wrote a nice and polite e-mail to Brian May every few months stating (in their own words) why it would be nice to have some different kinds of releases. I doubt he would satisfy our every wish, but at some point (when there were a few thousand e-mails) he might actually want to do something about it.

See Tero, that last part is a good idea. Rather than talk about it here - go to the source! If people just sit and whine here, how much does that get back to anyone who plans these releases?

Sending a nice note to Brian May is the best way to go. Well...Alred might disagree with that solution actually..ahem!

Adam.

With all due respect Tero, Brian is totally aware of what is said about Queen and QP. It's like his Soapbox, where the odds of him replying are great if you're praising him or WWRY. He knows, and QP knows that they're getting roasted on boards such as this for their release choices, but they don't care. If Queen were a political party, they'd be extremists up 'til Jazz. Fearless, bursting with wild creativity. Then they became populists around The Game, opting for the centre where they gained more "voters", due to a generally safer musical style. That's how QP is as a business. Their releases are aimed at people who like Queen the singles act. I'd hazard a guess that a large percentage of people who see WWRY are fans of the bands hits, and wouldn't know Loser in the end or The night comes down if it bit them on the ass. It's the 80/20 rule, 80% of Queen's market are casual fans, and they're more important than the 20% who know the catalogue inside and out because there are way more of them.

You're mostly right of course (I'm cynical enough to realise that), but I think he might be persuaded to reconsider a limited, fan-club-only type of release (or series of releases) if he received a few thousand praising e-mails within a few weeks. How could he ignore the opportunity for such worship? -;)

BOY THOMAS RAKER:Well said mate, hit the nail on the head.
I have emailed Mr. May on three occasions about archive releases, existence of certain tracks and no reply.

They have enough money rolling in from the Hits Albums and DVD's.

They don't care what we think or would like to see released so fuck 'em.

Thanks Darren, though I'd much prefer it if they were to prove us worng and release something that the more hardcore fans are interested in. I think somewhere along the way, the remaining members of Queen and QP became disinterested in their creative legacy, and focused on the sales side of their legacy (now more time on the album charts than the Beatles in the UK.) I absolutely think Brian is a genius and a great soul, but if he tells us one more time they don't to release more GH compilations since people won't get into the old albums, only to see embarrassing release like the Wal Mart shit, his nose will rival Pinocchio's. I hate speculation, but I think Brian realized that Queen would never win critical praise like the Beatles or Zeppelin got, so they focused on putting product out that appealed to the middle of the road music fan. They got ther results in sales, but it bodes poorly on the catalogue when they licence their songs to anyone with a buck.

QP could also follow Dream Theater. They have a separate label, Ytsejam records, that releases live shows, both on DVD and CD, demos and other rare stuff wich can be ordered through their website. The design and packaging are being kept minimalistic, and they save a lot on promotion and distribution costs while still giving the fans what they want. That way they also avoid the pressure of having to release and promote a "proper" official, high quality product. I`m not a big fan of Metallica anymore, but I understand they also have a website as well where you can download liveshows for money.