Looks like the man at that head of Warner UK has "issues" with Seal, whose latest single "Waiting for You" is release today (though you wouldn't know it).
His current album, Seal IV, and the accompanying singles are selling massively and have been well received across the States and Europe [1,2]
In spite of this international success and a sound history of massive, award winning hits, Warner UK are solidly refusing to fully promote his latest singles. Even promotion of the album seemed reluctant, where appearances on third-rate chat shows was the best offering. In the face of this, the album still managed to achieve "gold" status in the UK - evidence that his fan network is still powering ahead behind Warner's back. How could anyone believe that Seal and his work are not invaluable, lucrative assets?
Clearly Seal is disappointed in Warner UK's attitude. He voiced his concerns to fans following his March 20th concert in Manchester, specifically citing the poor reception of the album and singles in his home land. In a recent posting on the official on-line forum, Seal openly referred to the head of Warner UK as having "no enthusiasm whatsoever in promoting this record" [3].
Warner UK appears to be happy to literally throw money away on producing and distributing CDs that are inadequatly promoted and will therefore not sell. I'm sure the shareholders will be ecstatic to see this interesting take on the "return on investment" model. Case in point, the single "Love's Divine" was release in the UK in November '03 - career-long fans and even Trevor Horn, the album's (and single's) producer didn't know it had been released!
What can I do about this?
- Buy the single from a retailer that provides sales data to the organisations responsible for producing the charts (HMV or Virgin, for example)
- Tell anyone you know that Seal has an excellent new single and album out.
- Contact your local radio station and request the single.
- Visit record stores and move a couple of Seal IV or Waiting For You cases from the dark corners to the high-profile "new release" shelves and displays.
Remember - every little bit of visibility helps. You have a voice - it's louder than you think - us it!
If you have any other thoughts on promoting Seal, please
tell FLP.
Sources:
- Single Love's Divine - #1 US Billboard Dance Play, #4 France and currently getting massive airplay across Europe
- Seal IV - US: gold (RIAA Nov '03), Germany: platinum, France: 2x gold, Swiss #1
- March 24 - seal.com forum posting