The naysayers have been blaming No Line on the Horizon's drop in first week sales vis-a-vis the last couple of albums (aprox. 500,000 for NLOTH; 800,000 for 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb) on "Get on Your Boots" being a weak first single. Sure it's no "Beautiful Day" but U2 have released more tepid debut salvos: "The Fly", "Numb", or "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me", for instance.
Yes, that last one was from a soundtrack, but you get the point.
But all this talk about a singles-driven marketplace makes it unavoidable for us to see the irony in how technology has affected the music business in a way no one bothers to mention. In other words, the relevance of singles over albums; artists signing all-inclusive deals (recording, management, touring, merchandise)...it's staring to look like the '50s all over again.
One of these days some artist is gonna find themselves face-to-face with the 21st century version of a-Cadillac-in-lieu-of-payment-for-their-work scenario. Let's not kid ourselves: the major labels as we know them may perish, but the bloodsuckers will reinvent themselves and make it happen somehow. Soon. Just you wait.
