Am I the only one who disagrees with the MX promotion?

[EruptedSteel]

I was reading the Billboard article and it says that David Holmes decided to get the new songs out early (as in live performances) to incite excitement, much like Kanye West did with MBDTF. However I'm finding this is doing the opposite for me, and was wondering if anyone was feeling the same? As a Kanye fan, I was disappointed when the new album was released and that I had heard about 6 out of 12 tracks. I wanted new, fresh songs, not songs I had been listening to for the past 3 months. Suffice to say, I think Dave Holmes has made a silly decision with this then. If we've already heard HLH, Charlie Brown, ETIAW, Major Minus, PoC and UATW, that's 6 songs out of 10-13. My excitement builds up when I hear nothing of the album until the single is released 4 weeks before hand and everything is new, unexpected and fresh. Am I the only one that has this mindset or am I just being a spoil sport?

[the_escapist]

I guess you're right in a sense. I think Holmes is thinking more on expanding the fan base than pleasing hard-core fans who obviously have heard the new songs non-stop since they were recorded at Rock am Ring. In any case, I am looking forward to hear the studio versions of many songs, and I think I will take a few weeks rest from Coldplay before the album comes out since I know that once it comes out, I will be listening to it non-stop for many many months.

[foxeh]

I was reading the Billboard article and it says that David Holmes decided to get the new songs out early (as in live performances) to incite excitement, much like Kanye West did with MBDTF. However I'm finding this is doing the opposite for me, and was wondering if anyone was feeling the same? As a Kanye fan, I was disappointed when the new album was released and that I had heard about 6 out of 12 tracks. I wanted new, fresh songs, not songs I had been listening to for the past 3 months. Suffice to say, I think Dave Holmes has made a silly decision with this then. If we've already heard HLH, Charlie Brown, ETIAW, Major Minus, PoC and UATW, that's 6 songs out of 10-13. My excitement builds up when I hear nothing of the album until the single is released 4 weeks before hand and everything is new, unexpected and fresh. Am I the only one that has this mindset or am I just being a spoil sport?

It's different for everyone and i kinda share your feelings and kinda dont.
My excitement didnt change after all yet, although i really like to hear 10+ New Songs on the Album that we didnt hear yet.

I would of been totally amazed if they decide to put all the Songs on B-sides or Singles we heard already to get 10+ New songs. :laugh3:
But that wont happen.
I guess you cant change that. ;/

Edit:
We also didnt listen to all songs with Studioquality, thats why im excited for them.

[Phoebeo]

I feel the same.. I kind of wish that they didn't played any of theese songs yet. I hate to know that I already heard most of the album. :uneasy:

[fwise3]

No I kinda agree. I would much rather hear everything for the first time when I buy the album and pop in in my CD player. The mystery is kind of spoiled if we have already head half of the songs... however, I am just thankful that Coldplay are releasing an album. They can market it however they want, and I'll still buy it, and I will cherish the songs for the rest of my life.

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

I can agree with you on this. This is the first time I've been able to enjoy the buildup around a Coldplay album drop, and I wish I'd gotten the full experience of tearing open the packaging and listening to an entire album's worth of new songs.

I think the way they're promoting it now alienates the hard-core fans (like all of us lovely Coldplayers) but benefits the casual fans because they can get a taste of what the new album will be like without spoiling it by listening to unreleased live tracks day in and day out (which, as I know, many of us here have been doing).

In other words, they're running the risk of disappointing their Coldplayers while trying to draw in more fans.

[EruptedSteel]

Ah ok, this makes me feel better knowing that I wasn't the only one secretly disappointed in the fact I can already sing along to most of them! And whilst yes we haven't heard studio versions, I wish that wasn't all that I'm waiting for. Whilst I know I was in the vast minority that preferred the studio version of Major Minus, I still can't help but feel as though listening to these live recordings have ruined my anticipation of the new album.
I've decided then, with the_escapist's helpful suggestion, I won't listen to any more until Paradise is released! Thanks!

[Denise]

In other words, they're running the risk of disappointing their Coldplayers while trying to draw in more fans.
this!

I'm kind of miffed too after reading David Holmes ideas about the promotion, I don't really like them, but I'm talking as a long time fan, if I had to talk as someone who wants to sell they're probably going the right direction, though being bigger doesn't necessarily mean being better, which is what they want to, at least according to some interviews. Sometimes I really don't understand which way they want to follow :shrug:

All I know is that I'm not particularly excited about the album right now, all this promotional dragging doesn't do the trick to me, it's having the opposite reaction :\

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

^ Exactly. To me it feels like we're just going to be getting an abnormally large EP instead of a full album because so much of the material is already out there--albeit in live form, but still.

[Tryptophan]

You're right on many levels. But believe me, whether you like it or not, the way they've been promoting the album will make them sell a lot more albums than if they just announced everything 2 days before release. You may think it's all just a circus to sell and make as much money as possible, and you may think it's a little bit sad, but that's the way it is.

Me too, I would have loved to be surprised. But that's not how it goes in this business. It's a business like any other.

[Phoebeo]

I regret listening to these songs, but I did it because I needed to know about they've all sounded like Teardop..

I was so disappointed about Teardrop that I needed to know.

[Tryptophan]

I regret listening to these songs, but I did it because I needed to know about they've all sounded like Teardop..

I was so disappointed about Teardrop that I needed to know.

Idem dito.

Then I fell in love with Major Minus ((live)).
I would have found out about those songs sooner or later anyway, Same for you I guess. I saw them live so I couldn't really shut my ears or anything. :p

[johnnymax865]

I think it was nice to play new songs... We were all waiting for new songs for 3 years. Anyway I don't like 2 things:
- album versions may be different and worse
- some good songs may not be on the record after they made us so eager ...

[Cleggy]

At least the album versions of the songs will sound quite fresh. I don't know about anybody else, but when I first heard Major Minus in it's studio form it felt new even though we've heard it live before.

[Debs Wild]

I'm finding this thread interesting.
I'm sure people would have been miffed if there had been no new songs played at the festivals, no?
And whether you hear them now for a few months or get the album... I'm assuming we're all going to be playing it over & over no matter how or when?

I know I personally had a lot of people tell me they were impatient (in the nicest sense of the word of course) to hear new material and can't wait for the album. I know it's not necessarily the usual way to go about things but hey, the industry has changed and I for one have loved hearing new songs and seeing them live (and finding YouTube clips). It's certainly helped pass the time while waiting for the album's release.
x

[LittleMissMessy]

S*** ... I was about to write the same as Debs but she beat me to it ;)

I mean, when the festivals were announced betting was going on whether they would be playing new songs or not and trust me, if they HADN'T played some new tunes, people would have complained as well. :(

Somehow I don't think that all of the songs will actually make it onto the album but that's just my view on things and I could be totally wrong ...

[Juanma]

At least the album versions of the songs will sound quite fresh. I don't know about anybody else, but when I first heard Major Minus in it's studio form it felt new even though we've heard it live before.

I agree with you.

They will be different

[admnistramation]

I disagree completely. Some albums are fun to compare live to studio, some are a big surprise upon release, some are a mix... but I like hearing some of these songs early. I wouldn't appreciate Charlie Brown the same way without seeing the enthusiasm that the boys put into it. :)

[the_escapist]

I'm finding this thread interesting.
I'm sure people would have been miffed if there had been no new songs played at the festivals, no?
And whether you hear them now for a few months or get the album... I'm assuming we're all going to be playing it over & over no matter how or when?

I know I personally had a lot of people tell me they were impatient (in the nicest sense of the word of course) to hear new material and can't wait for the album. I know it's not necessarily the usual way to go about things but hey, the industry has changed and I for one have loved hearing new songs and seeing them live (and finding YouTube clips). It's certainly helped pass the time while waiting for the album's release.
x

Debs is also right in many ways. I would have been a major disappointment to see them at the festivals but with no new songs being played. My only hope is that they reserved the best ones for the Mylo Xyloto release.

At the end of the day, there is no bigger truth that we will hear the live and studio versions over and over again regardless of when they are released. I couldn't know that there's a new Coldplay song out there and refrain from hearing it. It would be an unbearable temptation.

If finally Mylo Xyloto comes out, and we have already heard almost all the album, then we must hope for another EP, like Prospekt's March. I saw an old interview today where Chris said that those kind of quiet releases where intended for hard core fans like us.

At the end of the day, let's be grateful that there is a new album coming and we will have a new Coldplay era. ENJOY everybody!

[NumbersGirl]

I was reading the Billboard article and it says that David Holmes decided to get the new songs out early (as in live performances) to incite excitement, much like Kanye West did with MBDTF. However I'm finding this is doing the opposite for me, and was wondering if anyone was feeling the same? As a Kanye fan, I was disappointed when the new album was released and that I had heard about 6 out of 12 tracks. I wanted new, fresh songs, not songs I had been listening to for the past 3 months. Suffice to say, I think Dave Holmes has made a silly decision with this then. If we've already heard HLH, Charlie Brown, ETIAW, Major Minus, PoC and UATW, that's 6 songs out of 10-13. My excitement builds up when I hear nothing of the album until the single is released 4 weeks before hand and everything is new, unexpected and fresh. Am I the only one that has this mindset or am I just being a spoil sport?

Well, I guess I see what you're saying and hadn't really thought about that until now. However I think there would have been a bit more backlash had they not released new songs. Last year when they started booking all these festivals, people expected to hear new work. Can you imagine if they booked all these festivals and played only 'old' songs? They'd never hear the end of it.

Basically, it's kind of a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" scenario... but I think they definitely made the right choice to release the new songs given that they booked all of these festivals. And personally although I was a bit put off by ETIAW, I like the rest of it so far (especially MTM and MM).

[Tash]

Well, I guess I see what you're saying and hadn't really thought about that until now. However I think there would have been a bit more backlash had they not released new songs. Last year when they started booking all these festivals, people expected to hear new work. Can you imagine if they booked all these festivals and played only 'old' songs? They'd never hear the end of it.

Basically, it's kind of a "damned if they do, damned if they don't" scenario... but I think they definitely made the right choice to release the new songs given that they booked all of these festivals. And personally although I was a bit put off by ETIAW, I like the rest of it so far (especially MTM and MM).

This!

[Major_Love]

...


I know I personally had a lot of people tell me they were impatient (in the nicest sense of the word of course) to hear new material and can't wait for the album.
x

I have to disaggree, sorry. :(
I always hoped that they won't play new material cause I would miss the feeling to hear a completely new album and I always feared that I or we would not love the studio versions that much as the live perfomances (a bit like Major Minus). Most of tje people are angry that they know half of the album cause they waited 3 long years for it. Of course they are curious because its their favorite band, but Im sure that at least 95% of the users who heard the new material regret it a bit.

I'm strongly against how they publish their new songs, and I'm against the fact that Coldplay seems to follow trends and not make their own decision (of course they and EMI want to sell albums but Coldplay albums will sell always, no matter how they are promoted).

But nevertheless I have to say, that this quotation makes me feel really excited about the new album (it seems that you are really impressed by the new songs!) ;)

And whether you hear them now for a few months or get the album... I'm assuming we're all going to be playing it over & over no matter how or when?

[the_escapist]

BTW, we all know that Debs is a little bit sick these days. So thank you Debs for coming here and sharing your thoughts with us. I think I can talk for the whole Coldplaying.com community when I wish you a prompt recovery.

[Debs Wild]

BTW, we all know that Debs is a little bit sick these days. So thank you Debs for coming here and sharing your thoughts with us. I think I can talk for the whole Coldplaying.com community when I wish you a prompt recovery.


Thank you. Going to docs tomorrow. :-(

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

I'm finding this thread interesting.
I'm sure people would have been miffed if there had been no new songs played at the festivals, no?
And whether you hear them now for a few months or get the album... I'm assuming we're all going to be playing it over & over no matter how or when?

I know I personally had a lot of people tell me they were impatient (in the nicest sense of the word of course) to hear new material and can't wait for the album. I know it's not necessarily the usual way to go about things but hey, the industry has changed and I for one have loved hearing new songs and seeing them live (and finding YouTube clips). It's certainly helped pass the time while waiting for the album's release.
x


I would partially agree with you. I was one of those people that wanted to hear new material at the festivals . . . but maybe not quite so much of it. If the guys had played maybe 2-3 new songs I think that would have been perfect, but to me (and probably a few other Coldplayers as well) it seems that they went a little overboard with the new stuff.

I'm just guessing here, but it looks to me that most (if not all) of the new songs will make the album cut, and I guess I'm just disappointed that I've already heard half of the album even if they do sound different as studio versions :shrug:

P.S. - I hope you get to feeling better, Debs :)

[Tash]

Thank you. Going to docs tomorrow. :-(

Get well soon!

[roche714]

Damnned if you dont, and damnned if you do...

[Tryptophan]

I would have been a major disappointment to see them at the festivals but with no new songs being played. My only hope is that they reserved the best ones for the Mylo Xyloto release.

I disagree here. I'd have killed for a best-of set before they had too many songs to be sure to still include all my old favourites. But that's not going to happen. And I wished to be surprised by a completely new album, you know, getting the CD out of the box/sleeve, putting it in the stereo, and hearing Hurts Like Heaven for the first time ever. Now I know that's not going to happen either.

But that's the whole point, they would have been criticised no matter what. I, along with others, happen to be on the losing end this time (just like so many times before :p). They can't please everyone at the same time, and they shouldn't even try if you ask me.

Get well soon Debs :)

[Major_Love]

^Totally agree with you. :)

[Denise]

^^ basically that, this time I'm not pleased, but hey ho, it was bound to happen sometimes, it's not the end of the world, I'm sure if the album is worth it, excitement will come out in due time :)

I also wanted to quote one of Chelsea's post from another thread but I can't find it

edit:
I know I'm late and the debate is over, but this is great :clap:.
In my opinion, they've just become a completely different band than the one I first fell in love with. While I love both, I love them both for very different reasons, and I prefer the older manifestation. I understand they will never and should never come out with another Parachutes or AROBTTH and that bands grow and change, I preferred everything about the first half of their career--especially their business and promo decisions, which seemed much more music-oriented than "let's get bigger and make more money"-oriented (which I think is mostly fueled by people that aren't in the band itself, but still).

Are there people from their camp that check this board and maybe report the occasional highlights/lowlights back to them? Definitely, we know that to be true. Does that mean we should only say nice things? That's insane. Fairly-minded debate and criticism is what places like this should be for, no matter who's watching. And if anyone for a second thinks positivity or negativity about TITLES or ALBUM ART from a fanboard is really going to completely change their tact in any direction...I think you should refer back to what Chris said recently about simply wanting to create something that people can ENJOY. They have their own ideas about how to best go about that these days and I have mine, but as long as they still create music I enjoy in some form and continue to be the people I believe them to be, I'm still going to consider myself a big fan of theirs even if I have my gripes about how they do what they do.

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

. . .

And I wished to be surprised by a completely new album, you know, getting the CD out of the box/sleeve, putting it in the stereo, and hearing Hurts Like Heaven for the first time ever. Now I know that's not going to happen either.

But that's the whole point, they would have been criticised no matter what. I, along with others, happen to be on the losing end this time (just like so many times before :p). They can't please everyone at the same time, and they shouldn't even try if you ask me.

Get well soon Debs :)


My feelings exactly. As I said, I'm very happy that they played some new songs this summer, I just wish they hadn't played quite so many :shrug:

[the_escapist]

Beautiful post by ApproximatelyInfinite up there.

And I concur with the fact that they played too many new songs.

[a2iel]

I just find it really hard to believe that out of the hundred songs they did, only a few made it.. only 13? After 2 and a half years of making new songs..

[macky]

Well, nobody forced you to listen to the new songs, you could have waited.
As a fellow Kanye fan, I didn't listen to the songs that he was previewing. Once MBDTF was released I pick it up and listen to the whole body of work. Because I know Kanye albums are better than his singles.
I think I'll also take a week break from Coldplay before the album is released :)

[macky]

Also the studio and Live versions won't be the same, you'll know the lyrics but it will have a different feel.

[Tryptophan]

Well, nobody forced you to listen to the new songs, you could have waited.

It's easy to say it like that. But it would have been fairly impossible.

[Debs Wild]

Let's meet back here on October 24th/25th...

x

[Xanderp15]

Based on the plethora of questions thrown around at the band regarding tracklistings and whatnot and will the festival songs make the album, I get the feeling that even if they don't make the album we will still get studio recordings of the lot of them. Coldplay, as always, have been extra secretive about the going-ons of the album but in their interviews they suggest that these tracks are all important, even down the the ones that won't make the cut. I have this suspicion that we will get more than jsut an album release within the next year or so. Maybe another EP or two?

Or maybe it's just wishful thinking.

[Major_Love]

Let's meet back here on October 24th/25th...

x

If Mylo Xyloto (I love the title!) is really going to be as epic as I think coldplaying.com will break down. ;)

But of course: See you later and best wishes to you!

[macky]

Let's meet back here on October 24th/25th...

x

It's a date!
Does this mean the studio versions will be different from the live recordings. I guess we are in for a surprise.
Or does it mean that some of the live songs are not on the tracklist? Maybe only Charlie Brown will make the final cut?

[macky]

If Mylo Xyloto (I love the title!) is really going to be as epic as I think coldplaying.com will break down. ;)

But of course: See you later and best wishes to you!

This site even broke down during the festivals...

[42rock89]

I don't mind because I look forward to hearing the studio versions of the new songs, it will be almost like hearing a new song. I actually try to imagine what the studio version would sound like by listening to the live version lol!

Can't really blame the promotion strategy, it makes more business sense to them to cater towards the needs of the casual fans and non fans to make an effort to expand the fanbase. It looks like it has payed off so far and if Paradise is a bigger success than ETIAW which should be considering ETIAW has built more hype up then it will be a huge success of an album.

[footyfan10]

as far as i'm concerned i went slightly out of my way to hear these new songs. i basically listened to them knowing full well that it might make the album experience less fresh and new.

i definitely haven't worn any of the new songs out, as i never put them into itunes or on my ipod, but i already know them extremely well at their core level.

i don't necessarily think it's a bad idea for the band to do what they did, but i think it certainly takes a bit out of the va-voom out of the official release. i'll do my best not to listen to any of the songs for the next two months (i think i can safely do that), but i'm hoping that paradise is released with a b-side of some sort, as that will make it a lot easier.

i think there's something to releasing one single, if not two (with the second one being the BIG one), before the album, but i do think the fact that this promotion has sort of been a long period of minimal day to day promotion isn't the best way to go about it. there's a middle ground between just throwing out your album one day out of the blue and extremely slowly getting the word out, and i think that's the best place for a big band to be. the summer festival circuit may not be conducive to that, but i think two months before the eventual release is the best time to really put anything out there.

it makes the teasing less excruciating...

[Skin&Bones]

^
It doesn't take the 'va-voom' out of the release if we haven't heard the best songs yet! :P
I think one of the main reasons I'm excited for the album's release is hearing songs I haven't heard before that might be epic (along with the studio versions of the songs I have listened to).

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Denise already quoted my post from another thread that I was planning to quote :lol:!

As usual, I have a lot to say (and this is RIDICULOUSLY long), so this is in a spoiler :rolleyes: :P


Re: the live songs...there is absolutely no way avoid gripes from the fanbase no matter which way they chose to go. Back when we thought that the festival shows wouldn't include ANY new material, people were up in arms about that. Now that we know and have heard otherwise, people are a bit disappointed (by the fact that they were played--the opinions of the actual songs are another matter). As someone said earlier, damned if you do, damned if you don't. If they hadn't, us serious fans would have been less exited about just another "routine" sort of show from them, but because they have, us same serious fans are now feeling a bit spoiled for what's to come.

I'm personally of both minds. While I wouldn't trade my experience of seeing the new songs live at Oxegen last month and while I feel all wiggly and happy when they come up on my iPod unexpectedly because they're new songs (and I really enjoy them all as we know them now, even the polarising ETIAW)...I'm somewhat less excited for the album because I know I've heard a large chunk of it in some form. Moreover, I'm just not a fan in general of hearing a new song in a live version for the first time--to me, studio versions always rule (except in the case of Major Minus :P), and I'm against debuting new songs live on stubborn personal preference, no matter the artist.

The thing about all this that makes me feel like a hypocrite is the fact that I'm a leak-listener (though only for the two bands that rule my heart: Coldplay and The Strokes, the rest I wait for). Technically, VLV was "spoiled" for me when I listened to the leaked tracks and the full leak a few weeks before physical release, as was The Strokes' latest album this year. But because album leaks usually happen only a few weeks before release and because they're studio versions, I don't feel spoiled at all, I feel like it's a welcome yet slightly-early reprieve to end the pain of waiting for Christmas. With the way things have gone with the MX songs so far, with us hearing them far before we concretely knew when the album would be out and in a different manifestation than what they will officially be presented as, to me it feels like I have been a bit spoiled, like Christmas came in August before it was even really in my mind to be excited about it rather than on December 12, when it's all I'm thinking about.

I'm really not convinced that the old, traditional model is as dead as Dave Holmes thinks it is (via the Billboard article), at least not yet. My ~extremely expert~ theory is that the new model he's trying out is most effective on a younger age group, maybe ages 12-17, born in the mid-90s and brought up with technology, who are used to instant gratification via the push of a button and not used to waiting for things or getting the rush out of the anticipation just as much as the final product (and who are very quick to move onto the next thing that takes their fancy soon after the first has initially struck). I think constant promotion via TV shows (especially new and "surprising" ones like he mentioned) and "over-exposure" will work very well on the younger, teenage set and gain a lot of new converts. But Coldplay has a very diverse fanbase, from young kids to seniors, and I think concentrating on the middle of the age group could leave the other ends of the spectrum cold, alienating or starting to alienate previously dedicated fans. As much as I still (and will probably always) love Coldplay and enjoy their music from all eras, as a "veteran" fan, I know I felt most comfortable and most "proud" of being a fan when the music is what spoke for itself the most, presented in the more traditional fashion, and not everybody and their dentist was seeing them on TV or in every magazine or on every website in carefully-chosen outfits and scenes every few days, which is what I worry will happen with this MX era based on what Holmes as said and how the VLV era went. I don't want to get tired of Coldplay, but I especially don't want EVERYONE to get tired of Coldplay, and as a kind of polarising band to begin with, I just hope the promo doesn't go overboard this time around in order to try and stay relevant to the widest swath of new fans.

[Skin&Bones]

^
I completely agree! Kids my age, with the music accessibility now available, buy music like it's a hit of cocaine. People now focus on the singles and not the albums as a whole. I think Coldplay's just adjusting to the changing music industry. They released the ETIAW single to get everyone thinking about Coldplay again, and now they're playing new songs live.

I think their benefit is starting early with this promo. Who knows, if Mylo Xyloto is good enough, every song could be a pop-magnet. So far Hurts Like Heaven, Charlie Brown, Princess Of China and ETIAW are getting people extremely excited because they're REALLY good. If their first decision is to release a single that we haven't even heard before, there must be some confidence in that single to get popular! And if the songs we've heard so far are any indication to how the album might end up, I have a lot of hope that Coldplay will not ruin their already outstanding reputation that Viva La Vida made with kids my age. (I can tell you right now a lot of kids became acquainted with Coldplay after that album was released).

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

^ THIS. x938742399871349815373

Especially the bit about kids in my age group (high-schoolers). They have three thousand songs on their iPods, but there aren't two that are from the same album--and Viva la Vida is the only Coldplay song they know :blank:

[Mark]

I was reading the Billboard article and it says that David Holmes decided to get the new songs out early (as in live performances) to incite excitement, much like Kanye West did with MBDTF. However I'm finding this is doing the opposite for me, and was wondering if anyone was feeling the same? As a Kanye fan, I was disappointed when the new album was released and that I had heard about 6 out of 12 tracks. I wanted new, fresh songs, not songs I had been listening to for the past 3 months. Suffice to say, I think Dave Holmes has made a silly decision with this then. If we've already heard HLH, Charlie Brown, ETIAW, Major Minus, PoC and UATW, that's 6 songs out of 10-13. My excitement builds up when I hear nothing of the album until the single is released 4 weeks before hand and everything is new, unexpected and fresh. Am I the only one that has this mindset or am I just being a spoil sport?

I'm a massive Kanye fan myself, and I've only recently been to seen him live. I find My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to be the greatest hip-hop record of a generation, and a landmark in not only the genre but music.

By playing the new songs live for a while, Kanye West could tweak, fiddle with and perfect the songs he had. I remember him saying that he works so hard on every tiny detail - which runs parallel to Will's "They'll have to prize it out our hands".

You know what though, I would sacrifice six new songs for Coldplay to have an impact like Kanye's just had. I love them to pieces, and I want them to be as revered and successful as possible. I watched the Glasto performance on TV and it was a special thing. No one can take away the breathtaking moments of watching Charlie Brown and Hurts Like Heaven for the first time.

So it's no biggie for me, knowing half the album.

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

The thing that saddens me is that even lots of young music enthusiasts are starting to move towards that too--they see the beauty of albums more than the average teenager, but they still go about finding and judging music based on the Generation-Y methods. I think everyone does that to a certain extent, and I think most major artists are probably going to need to adjust to that trend growing even more, but I just wonder what the best way is to adjust without alienating the rest of us. I feel like for the time being, there's probably some sort of median solution that could work for both types of music fans better than the "no surprises, quick delivery is the only way, more is better, look at us all over the place everywhere!" method.

(I should note that I'm only 21 so I'm not too far off from that age group either, but I'm also pretty old-skool when it comes to this stuff :P)

[Skin&Bones]

^ I totally see what you're saying... I don't know if any of the kids my age do this, but I find that IF three or four songs from the album are great, I'll buy the album as a whole. I did that with The Suburbs and Sigh No More. If I like one song from the same artist, I'm going to look for more good songs by them.

I guess my question for you is this: Do you think other people my age do this?

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Oh sure, I know a lot that do--I hate over-generalizations like the ones most of my post was made on :P. I guess I just think it's a smaller percentage of young people, and it's mainly the ones who just "enjoy" listening to music that are less inclined to seek out whole albums. My guess is that most teenagers hear a song they like and are satisfied with having that song on their iPods to listen to, but usually lack the curiosity to go seek out others by the same artist unless it REALLY grabs them. And I think most kids encounter songs for the first time on popular radio and on TV (in the form of music videos, appearances on TV shows they watch, and in advertisements). I think it's become more about being fed things than having things sparking an initial interest to grow and expand on.

But that's the problem: if a large percentage of the largest age group of music consumers aren't as likely to go and seek out other music by the same artist of a song they heard on TV or radio and liked, what's the point in making whole albums? It's far more effective to just release 2 big singles a year or so than one album every few. Radiohead said something to the effect of that they're not seeing the point in making whole LP records anymore and might switch to coming out only with shorter EP type of records. That saddens me if that's what the future of the music industry looks like. There's a beauty in albums that I don't think can be replicated, having to do with vibe and themes, and I think singles are the gateway to finding that beauty, what leads you in.

I sound like such a crotchety old sap :lol:

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

^ I don't think you sound like a crotchety old sap :P

In fact, I think you were spot-on with that post. :thumbsup: 99% of kids that I know listen to/buy a song because it grabs their attention on the first listen with lots of pop-y synths and loud basslines. They don't take the time to see if the song is really worth buying, or if the lyrics have a deeper meaning than 'I'm going to go kiss this girl and rant about how sexy she is' (although, as in most cases with those types of songs, they don't have a meaning deeper than that).

I would like to think that whole album-length releases will continue on for a very long time yet, but sadly it doesn't seem like that's the case. :\

[Skin&Bones]

^^ Heck no! You sound like a sensible observer! I'm upset if that's the direction the music is starting to head in (selling singles instead of albums). I wonder if that could be stopped though? Maybe if artists waited longer to perfect their material they plan to release on album people might be attracted to buying the whole thing.

[Lore]

Ok I didn't read all the posts but this is a very interesting thread.

If they wouldn't have released any songs after ETIAW I think half of us would be having a panic attack, because a lot of people (including myself) dislike it and the idea of an album filled with poppy catchy songs like that makes me sad. Considering that, I think that playing more new songs live was smart because all the other songs are better than ETIAW so there's still a bit of hope about this new direction the band is taking.

And about them trying to aim a bigger audience I must say that it sucks but it's normal. They'll lose a few fans and gain a lot more I guess. That's why I think newer fans should learn to accept criticism because they seem to be a completely different band now.

and I agree with everything Denise said

this!

I'm kind of miffed too after reading David Holmes ideas about the promotion, I don't really like them, but I'm talking as a long time fan, if I had to talk as someone who wants to sell they're probably going the right direction, though being bigger doesn't necessarily mean being better, which is what they want to, at least according to some interviews. Sometimes I really don't understand which way they want to follow :shrug:

All I know is that I'm not particularly excited about the album right now, all this promotional dragging doesn't do the trick to me, it's having the opposite reaction :\

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Oh, please don't get me started on chart music vs. everything else :lol:. I also recently ranted elsewhere about the use of synths and how that's the big thing in music of 2009-present across genres and how I'm kind of tired of it even though I like a lot of bands that are synth-centric.

EDIT: Hi Lore :cheesy:

[Lore]

Hi Chelsea! I knew you'd post in this thread as soon as I read the title :wacky:

[Strawberry Swinger]

yeah I agree with the point here, I too think it is a bad step... too long a pause between the live premiere and the album... kills the excitement to me too... i want to hear studio versions of these songs but then again i want more new stuff...

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Hahaha of course :P. I was out all day today and then saw Ian tweeted this thread and was like "yeah, I'm going to end up writing an essay about that..." :shame:

[EruptedSteel]

I found it slightly comforting that in the same article, Mr Holmes mentions the bands hesitation with these promotion tactics. Perhaps something similar to what most of us are thinking crossed their minds...
I agree with the arguments about how disappointing it would have been to not hear any new songs at the festivals. I would have been pretty annoyed actually, come to think of it! However, how are they able to release Major Minus as a B-Side to ETIAW and then later confirm it's place on the album? I'm not fussed about having to pay for a track twice, but ah I dunno.
As these new songs were filtering through on YouTube etc, I prayed to God that whilst yes, they were good songs, that they were E.P. material, and we'd be treated to an entire selection of songs previously unheard. I've been living in a dream world by the looks of things...
On a slightly lighter note, I'm grateful for one thing perhaps; I travel to Cape Town in October to see the Wednesday night show, so at least I'll be able to sing along to the ones we've heard!
Thanks, feels good to know I wasn't the only one having 'issues' ha!

[EruptedSteel]

Hahaha of course :P. I was out all day today and then saw Ian tweeted this thread and was like "yeah, I'm going to end up writing an essay about that..." :shame:

...which proved for some excellent reading, so thanks very much!

[prowlingfox]

I disagree with you. I don't think we've actually heard most of the songs on the album.

Song's we've heard that will (most likely) be on the album:

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
Charlie Brown
Major Minus
Princess of China (we've sort of heard it...but terrible quality)
Us against the World

Songs that MIGHT be on the album that we've already heard:
Hurts like Heaven
Moving to Mars


That's seven songs total, and at least MTM probably won't be on the album, so that's six.

There's still Paradise, Up in Flames, and probably at least 4 other tracks that will be on the album that we haven't heard yet. And as for me, I like the marketing that they're doing, because i CAN'T WAIT to have studio versions of some of the songs we've already heard.

[Pink]

I, too, am disappointed that when the album drops, I'll know a majority of the songs. However, as someone said, I think this was probably a good business strategy to reach casual fans. If I'm honest, I'm mad at myself for listening to the new stuff relentlessly and that's why I have sworn off "Paradise" or anything else that is released or leaks. I am not going to listen to anything else until I've got the CD in my hands. In fact, I've stopped listening to any of the new stuff.

[howyousawtheworld]

Denise already quoted my post from another thread that I was planning to quote :lol:!

As usual, I have a lot to say (and this is RIDICULOUSLY long), so this is in a spoiler :rolleyes: :P


Re: the live songs...there is absolutely no way avoid gripes from the fanbase no matter which way they chose to go. Back when we thought that the festival shows wouldn't include ANY new material, people were up in arms about that. Now that we know and have heard otherwise, people are a bit disappointed (by the fact that they were played--the opinions of the actual songs are another matter). As someone said earlier, damned if you do, damned if you don't. If they hadn't, us serious fans would have been less exited about just another "routine" sort of show from them, but because they have, us same serious fans are now feeling a bit spoiled for what's to come.

I'm personally of both minds. While I wouldn't trade my experience of seeing the new songs live at Oxegen last month and while I feel all wiggly and happy when they come up on my iPod unexpectedly because they're new songs (and I really enjoy them all as we know them now, even the polarising ETIAW)...I'm somewhat less excited for the album because I know I've heard a large chunk of it in some form. Moreover, I'm just not a fan in general of hearing a new song in a live version for the first time--to me, studio versions always rule (except in the case of Major Minus :P), and I'm against debuting new songs live on stubborn personal preference, no matter the artist.

The thing about all this that makes me feel like a hypocrite is the fact that I'm a leak-listener (though only for the two bands that rule my heart: Coldplay and The Strokes, the rest I wait for). Technically, VLV was "spoiled" for me when I listened to the leaked tracks and the full leak a few weeks before physical release, as was The Strokes' latest album this year. But because album leaks usually happen only a few weeks before release and because they're studio versions, I don't feel spoiled at all, I feel like it's a welcome yet slightly-early reprieve to end the pain of waiting for Christmas. With the way things have gone with the MX songs so far, with us hearing them far before we concretely knew when the album would be out and in a different manifestation than what they will officially be presented as, to me it feels like I have been a bit spoiled, like Christmas came in August before it was even really in my mind to be excited about it rather than on December 12, when it's all I'm thinking about.

I'm really not convinced that the old, traditional model is as dead as Dave Holmes thinks it is (via the Billboard article), at least not yet. My ~extremely expert~ theory is that the new model he's trying out is most effective on a younger age group, maybe ages 12-17, born in the mid-90s and brought up with technology, who are used to instant gratification via the push of a button and not used to waiting for things or getting the rush out of the anticipation just as much as the final product (and who are very quick to move onto the next thing that takes their fancy soon after the first has initially struck). I think constant promotion via TV shows (especially new and "surprising" ones like he mentioned) and "over-exposure" will work very well on the younger, teenage set and gain a lot of new converts. But Coldplay has a very diverse fanbase, from young kids to seniors, and I think concentrating on the middle of the age group could leave the other ends of the spectrum cold, alienating or starting to alienate previously dedicated fans. As much as I still (and will probably always) love Coldplay and enjoy their music from all eras, as a "veteran" fan, I know I felt most comfortable and most "proud" of being a fan when the music is what spoke for itself the most, presented in the more traditional fashion, and not everybody and their dentist was seeing them on TV or in every magazine or on every website in carefully-chosen outfits and scenes every few days, which is what I worry will happen with this MX era based on what Holmes as said and how the VLV era went. I don't want to get tired of Coldplay, but I especially don't want EVERYONE to get tired of Coldplay, and as a kind of polarising band to begin with, I just hope the promo doesn't go overboard this time around in order to try and stay relevant to the widest swath of new fans.


Some really really great points raised here. Can everyone get tired of Coldplay? Definitely! But do you think these long breaks between albums and them relatively disappearing for a few years will help them when they do come back to promote? In mainstream media the Billboard article is the first MAJOR publication of this band for probably 3 years. The last time I remember reading any feature about Coldplay in the UK was in The Times in November 2008 by Pete Paphides.

Other acts like Lady Gaga for example is endlessly promoting herself to the extreme even when she has nothing new to release. I think if Coldplay did what she did then as you say everyone would become tired by them just as it is starting to show on Gaga where she bigged herself up all over the place well before her album this year and even though getting to number one, the album sales have started to tail off disappointingly. Coldplay can get away with promoting themselves for a few months here just before and after the album release but they won't get away with it if they over expose themselves in those months between October and the tour starting in Spring.

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Some really really great points raised here. Can everyone get tired of Coldplay? Definitely! But do you think these long breaks between albums and them relatively disappearing for a few years will help them when they do come back to promote? In mainstream media the Billboard article is the first MAJOR publication of this band for probably 3 years. The last time I remember reading any feature about Coldplay in the UK was in The Times in November 2008 by Pete Paphides.

Other acts like Lady Gaga for example is endlessly promoting herself to the extreme even when she has nothing new to release. I think if Coldplay did what she did then as you say everyone would become tired by them just as it is starting to show on Gaga where she bigged herself up all over the place well before her album this year and even though getting to number one, the album sales have started to tail off disappointingly. Coldplay can get away with promoting themselves for a few months here just before and after the album release but they won't get away with it if they over expose themselves in those months between October and the tour starting in Spring.

No, I agree with you completely--there haven't been big magazine articles or anything in the downtime, so that's not really what I'm talking about. They haven't really been in the main eye of the industry since 2009 and the end of the Viva Tour proper. It's just that Coldplay tour for so long, and with all the Christmas Lights/Crisis Gig stuff this past winter, it seems like they haven't been "gone" for very long to me even though VLV was released in 2008 and by 2011, we're due for another album from them on their 3-year kind of album schedule (not that I think they should go away for longer or anything, I'm just saying :P). Like you, I'm definitely interested in the promo period of this fall, seeing how that works for them :D

Also, I think just because Coldplay are more "high profile" than almost all of the other artists I regularly listen to, I just definitely hear ABOUT them more in the meantime. If I were a big Gaga or Beyonce or Kanye fan (OK, I love Kanye), I'd find it more normal I guess, but there are significantly fewer mentions in the media of pretty much all of my other favorite artists when they're not actively promoting or coming out with something, but that's because they're not as huge internationally and aren't married to high-profile people, either. I don't think that counts as promo AT ALL, of course, I'm just saying that it's not as if they're a small band on the up and up...you'd have to be living under a rock not to know about Coldplay (and probably know at least one song), so I find the aggressive super-promo plans interesting. Not that they shouldn't promo, that's ridiculous, but I feel like their name speaks a lot for them, for better or for worse.

[shanew21]

I will agree with this thread, although out of the 10-13, we've only heard Major Minus, ETIAW, Charlie Brown, UATW, and Hurts like Heaven (if it makes it). I'm not counting PoC because the quality is just awful.

So assuming all of those songs make the album, it's still only 5 out of 10-13 songs, which means still at least a majority have yet to be heard. I'm still very excited to hear PoC and Charlie Brown studio. UATW probably won't be much different though.

[Cobalt]

I think it was the right choice personally. It's a refreshing change in the way their album promotion is done. Also, these new songs may sound rather different in studio - little parts that aren't played live etc

[Skin&Bones]

^:nod:

[Fix42YellowClocks]

The thing about teens=instant gratification not always true. I'm almost 18 and I hate this idea that we're not really getting an album but more like half an album. I love Coldplay and all but. I think this was a bad idea. I have a bad feeling this will backfire them. With so much of it known, I'm afraid they won't be the same band who does so well with album sales and everything. If people have already heard half the album, how many less will buy it then before? The music industry is hurting from piracy and illegal downloading as it is. They haven't done themselves any favors. I really hope they thought this through. And on a personal level. I'm less excited to buy this album than Viva knowing half of it has already pleased my eardrums and probably won't be much different in studio version (and by that I mean Charlie Brown and Us Against the World).

[Skin&Bones]

^We haven't received a tracklist. There's a large possibility you've heard a good chunk, but till then it's speculation. Don't get your hopes down. The next single they're releasing is a song we haven't heard yet.

[TyM218]

Everybody here needs to stop kidding themselves...

If coldplay did this festival tour without any new material you'd all be pissed and saying "HAVE THEY EVEN STARTED THE ALBUM?!?"

[footyfan10]

Great point about the damned if they do damned if they don't. I admit I did want to hear some new stuff at the festivals. I think the perfect thing they could have done was play only the songs released with etiaw. Would have been fresh stuff but not enough to ruin. I definitely don't blame the band for anything though. I'm really proud and happy with the work theyve been doing. I hope the album still manages to surprise me!

[Fix42YellowClocks]

^We haven't received a tracklist. There's a large possibility you've heard a good chunk, but till then it's speculation. Don't get your hopes down. The next single they're releasing is a song we haven't heard yet.

True, true. This is a good point. Thank you for that!

Everybody here needs to stop kidding themselves...

If coldplay did this festival tour without any new material you'd all be pissed and saying "HAVE THEY EVEN STARTED THE ALBUM?!?"

Wrong. We didn't hear Violet Hill until a month before VlV came out. The EP was moreeee than enough. I could've survived fine on just those three songs and the new single coming out. We didn't need to hear Charlie Brown, Hurts Like Heaven, and Us Against the World. I would've been far more upset about a tracklist then hearing any new songs i can guarantee you that.

[Brent]

I don't care about what I've heard already. I care about the presentation. If they can give me a tighly-knit album as cohesive in thematics and sonics as Viva, I'll be one happy camper.

It's all about the whole package! Too many people these days judge songs by themselves.

[Skin&Bones]

^Thanks to Itunes!!! :veryangry2:

[lotrobsessed101]

Yeah I'm kind of upset that we may have heard a large portion of the album already, but I honestly would have been more dissapointed if they didn't play anything new at the festivals. I do agree with the thought that maybe they could have played maybe 3 songs rather than 6, but I'm not too upset with their decision. I still feel like I have a lot more to look forward to still. I think they've kept the best songs secret from us and that we won't hear them until the album is released. I'm also still looking forward to listening to the album as a whole in one sitting so I can take it in its intended tracklisting and full unveiling of the theme.

[admnistramation]

They can't just do the same thing over and over. I think it's a nice approach to Mylo Xyloto... I wouldn't even mind if they made some tv performance like Letterman and did Paradise. :)

[DundahMifflin]

I don't honestly believe we have heard much of the album. Besides the big hits at the festivals, I can see most the songs making it as a B-side to the singles for Mylo Xyloto.

[Teco]

I think they better release the songs the sooner they can. Time makes me get used to the "new style" Cdp is adopting, then I hate the songs a little less everytime I listen to them one more time. If I got a brand unheard MX today I'd gonna hate it so much... strange MM, eletroshitpop ETIAW, unusual HLH, among the others... now I kinda learned how to start appreciating this shitty genre they're -- UNFORTUNATELY -- gettin' on.

[Blue Nails]

The only day of the year I'll be disappointed about having already heard new Coldplay songs, is October 24th, when I put on the album for the first time. (And still they will sound different and new.) The rest of the year I'm happy to hear new material at any time, and I have, so I can only be grateful. We've been spoiled since the start of June. In a few months' time, it won't matter anymore.

[Phoebeo]

The only day of the year I'll be disappointed about having already heard new Coldplay songs, is October 24th, when I put on the album for the first time. (And still they will sound different and new.) The rest of the year I'm happy to hear new material at any time, and I have, so I can only be grateful. We've been spoiled since the start of June. In a few months' time, it won't matter anymore.

This.

It dosn't matter. We would have heard the songs anyway. :)

[Andresfe]

I personally prefer listening to the songs when you have the album, because it is more exciting. But they so decide.
Another thing, I think Coldplay should evolve, and although many do not like their latest single, ETIAW, I like the song, and I would like to hear similar songs.

[Cobalt]

I'd really like for some of these songs to end up being B-sides actually

[edward_kingdom]

I kinda agree with this, since we have already heard lots of songs in the Live performances, (I would really like if we have a 13 songs album so at least one half are new songs!!!)

But, nobody is saying all of those songs are gonna be part of the Album... I think that some of them are not gonna make it to the album... ( I dont know)... probably they will be Bsides just like Major Minus was part of ETIAW

In the other hand, since I'm going to Austin City Limits festival, I LOVE the idea of being part of the first hearing those songs live!!! all was so surprising to me!!! I've been getting every Coldplay surprise coming until ACL... First the announcement of the Live shows!!! then when they played their first festival and performed new songs!!! then when I knew they were going to ACL and I had my tickets, and now "Paradise" being released just a few days before ACL.... This makes me be not too angry with the idea of half of the songs already heard... :)!

[LittleMissMessy]

I don't honestly believe we have heard much of the album. Besides the big hits at the festivals, I can see most the songs making it as a B-side to the singles for Mylo Xyloto.
+ 1!
Exactly my view!! :)

I just can't believe they would be 'firing off' the majority of their material so much in advance of the album release.
Maybe it's just my naive hope that most of the tracks on the album will be new to all of us?! :\

[LittleMissMessy]

I'd really like for some of these songs to end up being B-sides actually
Same here ... *hehe*
It was really nice hearing Moving To Mars & Us Against The World, but IMHO they are not as 'strong' as Charlie Brown or Hurts Like Heaven. Little do I know, it's just personal preference, I have to say.
As wonderful as UATW is with Will singing, it would be excellent as a B-Side, on a EP or maybe on a 'Deluxe Version' of the album ...

[edward_kingdom]

I won't mind even if all of those songs end up as B-sides (Except for Charlie Brown), hahaha... Anyways I'll hear of all of them :)

I always do... I love Coldplay music and I get really excited about the idea of a New Album and follow all the process until it comes out and singles released... But anyways I will hear all of their songs, I will get them on my iTunes and I will hear them, doesnt matter if they're actually Studio Songs, B-sides or Live performances :D!!!!

[Stv]

I won't mind even if all of those songs end up as B-sides (Except for Charlie Brown), hahaha... Anyways I'll hear of all of them :)

I always do... I love Coldplay music and I get really excited about the idea of a New Album and follow all the process until it comes out and singles released... But anyways I will hear all of their songs, I will get them on my iTunes and I will hear them, doesnt matter if they're actually Studio Songs, B-sides or Live performances :D!!!!

The bad thing (for me) about the B-sides is that I can't buy physical singles. I only buy the albums. I end up downloading from Youtube. So I have all of Coldplay's discography and a bit more... in my computer. and on cds I only have Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, X&Y and Viva La Vida, with no B-sides.

[Tryptophan]

This thread has become very interesting at a point.

I didn't fully read the long posts on the last few pages, but I largely/totally agree with ApproximatelyInfinite's views on albums vs singles and chart music vs anything else. Although being a teenager myself, I find this trend a bit saddening and especially the fact that Coldplay is moving towards this trend. But as I said, music is a business like any other. Commercial benefits are easily chosen over artistical development. Or am I being a bit too cynical now?

[Denise]

Just wanted to say that I basically quote Chelsea's posts and everything else she will write, she puts into words what I think and am not able to explain :)

[edward_kingdom]

The bad thing (for me) about the B-sides is that I can't buy physical singles. I only buy the albums. I end up downloading from Youtube. So I have all of Coldplay's discography and a bit more... in my computer. and on cds I only have Parachutes, A Rush Of Blood To The Head, X&Y and Viva La Vida, with no B-sides.


But why can't you buy them??? I'm from Mexico and I have bought many singles... not all of them, but many!!! sometimes in local music stores such as Mix Up and Saharis... and other times you can buy them thru internet :)!!!!

[Stv]

But why can't you buy them??? I'm from Mexico and I have bought many singles... not all of them, but many!!! sometimes in local music stores such as Mix Up and Saharis... and other times you can buy them thru internet :)!!!!

here is a very small city. It's rare to see a Coldplay record here (actually no good record stores :P), even the albums, usually I can only find fakes:\, so I must go to the U.S. to buy them and my passport expired. anyway, I'm lucky to be in the frontier. btw, i'm 13, my dad is the one who buys me the Coldplay albums :p, but he is not a great fan of Coldplay, so I don't beg him too much.

[Tryptophan]

here is a very small city. It's rare to see a Coldplay record here (actually no good record stores :P), even the albums, usually I can only find fakes:\, so I must go to the U.S. to buy them and my passport expired. anyway, I'm lucky to be in the frontier. btw, i'm 13, my dad is the one who buys me the Coldplay albums :p, but he is not a great fan of Coldplay, so I don't beg him too much.

Can't you buy the album via iTunes (or let your dad buy it)? It's not physical but you get to hear it in the best quality.

[Stv]

Can't you buy the album via iTunes (or let your dad buy it)? It's not physical but you get to hear it in the best quality.

I already have all the Coldplay discography in my computer, complete. From the Safety EP to Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall in mp3, almost all downloaded with keepvid. but it's not the same. Probably my dad will bring me the physical album from the US, because his passport hasn't expired, but I will rip it to my computer, anyway :D

[Tryptophan]

I already have all the Coldplay discography in my computer, complete. From the Safety EP to Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall in mp3, almost all downloaded with keepvid. but it's not the same. Probably my dad will bring me the physical album from the US, because his passport hasn't expired, but I will rip it to my computer, anyway :D

Hah well I guess you'll be alright :p

[Stv]

Hah well I guess you'll be alright :p

Yes :p

[RobinMulder]

Okay, we all are dissapointed that the album isn't totally new & fresh for us. But the fun we would have gotten on the 24th of october with all the new song, did we already got when the songs were played for the first time live.

[aschall]

i like what they're doing. Could u imagine what it would be like if all we had to kill time waiting for the album was the ETIAW EP?

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

Just wanted to say that I basically quote Chelsea's posts and everything else she will write, she puts into words what I think and am not able to explain :)

Thank you, Denise :kiss: :nice:

Everybody here needs to stop kidding themselves...

If coldplay did this festival tour without any new material you'd all be pissed and saying "HAVE THEY EVEN STARTED THE ALBUM?!?"

This is definitely true. Someone else quoted this post and compared it to the Violet Hill release, saying that that was enough for us then, and it was--but the difference now is that there was a festival tour shortly before we were ready to expect a new album. They never toured so shortly before the VLV release, and therefore we were more than happy with a traditionally-released single. We got ETIAW without any album announcement, whereas when Violet Hill came out, we had a date for the album so we were already in that cycle of buildup to the record. Without the album announcement, ETIAW seemed like it really could have been a one-off, and without other songs played at the festival itself, I think people would have been really pessimistic about hearing a full album in the near future simply based on the fact that they weren't touring any new songs.

[valypan]

I would have probably liked either the EP or the live previews of new songs...both proved to be too much for me and turned out to be a spoiler. I wish they had just chosen one of the two as promotion...

[kittybitty]

Back on the first page someone said they are looking forward to hearing the studio versions of these songs. I completely concur.
Someone else said Coldplay can market albums any way they want, I will buy whatever they put out. This is also true for me.

[edward_kingdom]

I already have all the Coldplay discography in my computer, complete. From the Safety EP to Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall in mp3, almost all downloaded with keepvid. but it's not the same. Probably my dad will bring me the physical album from the US, because his passport hasn't expired, but I will rip it to my computer, anyway :D



Ok!!! if your dad has a credit card ask him to use it in www.ebay.com !!! You can get ALL THINGS YOU CAN IMAGINE THERE!!! :)!!! If not, wait until you are 18... get a credit card and you will get all material you want :)!

I'm glad to hear someone who is 13 likes Coldplay music a lot :D!

[aschall]

hardcore coldplay fans probably don't like how they're promoting it.
however, this album is going to be huge. there is so much hype around this album that regardless of how good it is, people will buy it. ETIAW is more important than most people think cuz it has significantly expanded the fan base. friends and family who grew tired of me blasting coldplay in my room hav started to see coldplay in a new light becuz of ETIAW. it should be the fastest selling album in the uk atleast

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

hardcore coldplay fans probably don't like how they're promoting it.
however, this album is going to be huge. there is so much hype around this album that regardless of how good it is, people will buy it. ETIAW is more important than most people think cuz it has significantly expanded the fan base. friends and family who grew tired of me blasting coldplay in my room hav started to see coldplay in a new light becuz of ETIAW. it should be the fastest selling album in the uk atleast

This is definitely true--no matter what, it's going to sell, at least for awhile. Which is great news for them and their team, of course. This is where I have a hard time articulating what I want to say without sounding like a whiney idiot, however. But I guess I think a lot of people would be more comfortable with the promo plans and everything that's about to happen if the Coldplay team weren't so...obvious about how badly they want to make tons and tons money off of this (and by team, I don't mean just the four band members). Obviously, that's a huge, huge part of what the music industry is about, there's no denying that. But it's always nice when that goal of the promo is kept just shy of admitting that's a big reason behind why people do what they do, and I think successful promo is still possible without being so upfront about wanting to become bigger and bigger, without as much mention of better.

I always feel like the way I put things sounds so harsh on Coldplay :confused:. As much as I think I would do things a bit differently, I don't condemn them for doing things the way they are, or how it sounds like they're going to do them in the MX era.

[Stv]

Ok!!! if your dad has a credit card ask him to use it in www.ebay.com !!! You can get ALL THINGS YOU CAN IMAGINE THERE!!! :)!!! If not, wait until you are 18... get a credit card and you will get all material you want :)!

I'm glad to hear someone who is 13 likes Coldplay music a lot :D!

Yes, and I'm fan since I was 10 :)