Gary Numan Digest Thu, 24 Apr 97 Volume 1 : Issue 324 Today's Topics: Censorship FW: WILL IT EVER BE HEARD? (Part 2) Gary & God Inane snippets from NME Old fan club cassettes Question for Gary ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 23:39:36 -0800 From: zigi@teleport.com (Pythoness) Subject: Censorship To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Matthew Roberts wrote: >Matthew Holbrook (who incidentally, I think, gives Numan fans an excellent >service) raises an important subject on his News page. [snip] >The issue is the perceived anti-religous content of the album, which >Matthew H seems to think may cause Gary problems in the States. He even >goes so far as to tentatively suggest a re-write may be needed. > Oh NO. Puleeze let us have no more rewrites of material to be released in the states in an effort to appeal to a wider audience. Yiee. Wasn't it Outland (on IRS) that was revised three times with this in mind? Case in point (with sincere apologies to those who really liked that album--it does have its striking points). I've been very pleased lately to hear Gary sticking to his metaphorical guns about finding a good distribution deal that didn't compromise the album in any way, and I'd really hate to see that change at this pass. Personally, I agree with Matthew Roberts, that controversial content is not usually a detriment to sales or interest, except in the case of a very widely publicized album (there are plenty of rap examples) or when a top-forty type of artist suddenly pulls an about-face and starts using lots of four-letter words. Considering Gary's somewhat subdued popularity over here, I can't really imagine Exile causing a widespread furor or boycott unless it's **reeeally reeeally** offensive, like lots worse than, say, er...anything I can think of right now. I can't imagine that anything Gary has to say about religion could be a lot worse than a lot of songs about killing cops, raping people, drugs and guns that most of the population seems to have become pretty hardened to in recent years. Here's hoping Gary doesn't soften the impact! zg Ziggy's House O' Vermin zigi@teleport.com --------------------------- The man is a thinker who thought that he died Just sits in the corner looking somewhat surprised... -G. Numan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 20:37:00 -0400 From: "Dobson, Larry" Subject: FW: WILL IT EVER BE HEARD? (Part 2) To: Gary Numan ---------- From: Dobson, Larry To: Gary Numan Subject: FW: WILL IT EVER BE HEARD? (Part 2) Date: 19 April, 1997 17:19 ---------- From: Dobson, Larry To: gary numan digest Subject: WILL IT EVER BE HEARD? (Part 2) Date: 19 April, 1997 16:14 In the April 14th installment of the Digest, Austin Baggett of London asked what sort of audience is Gary Numan trying to appeal to? He suggests that Gary's music does not have universal appeal. I think Austin is absolutely right. If Gary is to achieve a satisfying and rewarding level of worldwide success, then there has to be focus. Many Digest members and other fans have, of late, been quite critical of Gary in the types of promotional moves he has made. I do not wish to be critical. I wish to be constructive. Some fans think Gary should simply know everything there is to know about all aspects of the music industry and act accordingly. This is wildly unrealistic. I have read much about the music business and how it operates over the past several years. I am a reservation centre supervisor for a major travel company, here in Canada. Travel and music have many similarities. Both are heavily desired by most consumers, both are generally leisure oriented and considered to be discretionary spending (more so with travel). For travel companies trying to get ahead, two business methods have emerged as keys to succeeding; technology and strong, limited travel supplier relationships. Narrow down and focus your suppliers in order to carry more weight with them and have a better overall working relationship, share promotion and distribution costs. Perhaps these are the very things Gary Numan needs, to get ahead. Perhaps the Numan Network could become more than web sites. As I propose it, the Numan Network could become a collection of record companies spread across a numbers of countries. The Numan Group could sign on with established medium sized labels in several countries. These labels would have to provide nationwide distribution in each country. The Network would include record store chains. These store chains would have exclusive rights to sell Gary's recordings in each territory. In return they would have to provide a complete catalog of his work and carry out some promotion of Gary's recordings in their regular advertising. The Network could include radio, TV and print outlets. Gary would give interviews to different media groups on an exclusive basis and certain radio stations, I would suggest Album Oriented Rock stations, would be given exclusive copies of his singles for play listing. These radio stations and newspapers, etc, could also be sponsors of his tours, as is common, at least here in North America. Performance venues could also be part of the Network. The Numan Group could book preferred performance venues 3 or 4 years in advance. This would guarantee business for that venue and they would be required to do promotion for Gary's tour. Imagine the delight that we as fans would feel knowing that when a new Gary Numan release comes out that we can always buy it at this record store, hear it on this radio station, read about it in this newspaper and magazine, see interviews on this TV channel and see his live show at this concert hall. This is how to build the fan base, I believe. Guarantee access to the work and the artist, and the fans will stick with them. I believe this kind of Numan Network would give Gary the kind of success he wants and needs, if he is to continue in the music industry. And where will this success come from, you may ask? Below is a list of countries that I believe should be focused on and the potential sales achievable. This is based on Gary's past performance in those territories plus a general climate that allows innovative artists to achieve some level of success. United States....300,000 Mexico..........50,000 Germany........... 300,000 Brazil.............50,000 Japan................ 300,000 Argentina.....50,000 UK/Ireland..........100,000 Benelux.........50,000 France................ 100,000 Scandinavia..50,000 Italy...................... 100,000 Switzerland/Austria/ Canada.............. 50,000 Hungary.........50,000 Australia/ Czech Rep./Poland....50,000 New Zealand.....50,000 Spain/Portugal...50,000. Thailand/ Hong Kong..........50,000 This gives a worldwide total of 1.8 million copies Malaysia/Singapore/ per release. I would suggest a World Philippines.............50,000 Tour of approx. 75 cities including each of the territories listed above. These figures are, I think, realistic and very achievable, but will probably take 2 years to reach. The Numan Network, as I envision it, will not be put together overnight. I will post some final thoughts in the next Digest. All of this is academic if Gary obtains a world wide record contract. Nevertheless, I feel it is important for his fans to offer any ideas we can to make it easier for all of us to enjoy the music of Gary Numan. Larry B. DOBSON. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 13:48:15 +0000 From: Michael & BethAnn Damrath Subject: Gary & God To: Gary Numan This is intended as a reply to Matthew Roberts' bit in the last Digest (#323). Gary stated very succinctly recently (during a chat on SonicNet) that while he himself has no firm belief in a sumpreme being, he was envious of those who do. That statement fits in very well with the lyrical stance Gary Numan has always taken. He puts down not those who beleive in God, but those who use their supposed belief for thier own personal gain. The personal stance in his lyrics has always seemed to be one of a person searching for something to beleive in. Gary, in his lyrics, debates with 'believers', and enters into debate and conversation with God Himself. As one who does personally believe very strongly in God, I have never had the slightest problem with Gary's position, neither the man nor his lyrics. The search for belief, especially in the times we live in, can be an extremely difficult one. Gary exemplifies the Modern Man's search and battle to find his soul in times, and in a world, that would much rather you didn't. Despite what the very vocal Moral Minority would have you think, American capitalist society depends upon controversy. Will the content of Gary Numan's lyrics cause him problems trying to sell his product to Americans? Hell no. American Record Company executives will probably find it the most viable ingredient in the mix. Mike Damrath damrat@earthlink.net http://home.earthlink.net/~damrat ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 07:28:08 -0500 From: austinbaggett@ex-or.co.uk (Austin) Subject: Inane snippets from NME To: numan@cs.uwp.edu (Gary Numan) Digesters, Here are a few inane snippets from this weeks' NME: 1. GN's hair yet again leads the way in the great GN comeback. Following is an extract from the review of Depeche Mode's Ultra LP launch/gig at the Adrenalin Village: "Then Depeche Mode finish their five song giglet and march off into the sunset or wherever it is rich rock stars go when they've wobbled on the very brink of oblivion and landed the right way up, and we go to laugh at Gary Numan's hair in the VIP party. Just because we can." And on this prominant note, the review ends. 2. And GN gets another bizzare mention in the "public NME" section (a kind of gossip column): "........For when the gig finished and the VIPs - including Nick Cave, Neil Tennant, Aphex Twin, The Cure, Maxim from The Prodigy, Primal Scream, James, Cathy Dennis, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Dubstar, Underworld, (etc) - charged into the crammed and sweaty aftershow bar, they were greeted by the sight of ten huge TV screens showing constant porn movies. Nobody knew where to look, apart from a fully leather-clad Gary Numan who, somehow unaware of what was showing on the screens (his sight's not what it used to be apparently - he thought it was the Brookside omnibus), plonked himself down on a sofa between two of the TVs!" Why, I ask myself, is GN's new(ish) haircut attracting so much publicity and mirth these days? There's nothing wrong with it at all! Perhaps this is the first time that the likes of Simon Williams (NME reviewer) has seen the new improved hairline, and rather like Brucey in the Generation Game in the early 80s, it just takes a bit of getting used to! Flicking through this weeks Melody Maker in the newsagents, I saw there was a small article on "Pop Stars who vote Tory". Gary is pictured (circa 1991) with the simple caption "Well what did you expect". Whilst Gary's political declarations in the mid-80s were without a doubt the worst piece of PR ever in the history of pop, (and yes I am critical of his management for allowing this to happen), its a great shame that it is still being vigourously referred to. If Gary were asked tomorrow what his political views were now, I wonder what he would say? Judging by the recent article in Q, it would seem that he's now cottoned onto the game! Austin ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 20 Apr 1997 20:35:28 -0400 (EDT) From: SteelHanky@aol.com Subject: Old fan club cassettes To: numan@cs.uwp.edu I have these cassettes, obtained from the north american fan club back in the early 90s: The Audio Principle, volumes 7 8 9 11 12 13 Noise Noise, volumes 9 10 11 12 Interested in trading for ones I don't have. Thx, JAD... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Apr 1997 14:20:55 +1000 From: mark.taylor@deetya.gov.au Subject: Question for Gary To: numan@cs.uwp.edu Hi Derek, as a new member, I'm not sure when the digest submits questions from members to Gary (except that he answers them monthly), however, I was wondering if the following question could be put to Gary. Hello Gary, I was just reading your excellent special report on New York. Sounds like you had a good and rewarding time (fingers crossed for you and the Exile deal). My questions to you are these: "Could you tell us members what is involved in marketing your work to record company executives. Does the Numan Group (or a company contracted by you to do the analysis on your behalf) submit its own market analysis and statistical collections etc., etc, on its fan base. I would imagine the record companies would want you to sell your product (ie Exile) and back it up with considerable market research? Just curious? I think this side of the business could be of possible interest to Derek's Digest Subscribers and might just open the eyes of a few of the arm chair critics that seem to plague you." "Could you tell us what you thought of Australia the times you toured and visited here. I seem to recall a line in one of the Dance songs - "Just slide out of Sydney - I can never go back." Is that true?" Thanks, keep up the good work. Mark Taylor - Australia. (P.S. - I heard Ben Elton - on a national radio station (JJJ for Aussies) here calling you a "fascist bastard". Just thought you'd be interested that the guy was talking about you here in Australia as part of his tour promotion. Maybe you could sue him? If you could be bother that is.) ------------------------------ End of Gary Numan Digest ******************************