> What on *earth* is the  problem w/ all these young bands on major labels(or
>> large indies for that matter....)?!    it's been almost TWO years since
>> they
>> recorded that album(okay, maybe 20 months) and they are only now just going
>> in to record the follow up.
>> 
>> Which wil take many months to record, many months *more* than it should.
>> And then more months to get the follow up slated w/ the label's promotion
>> schedule and then trickle on out.   Becoming easily 2 1/2 years since they
>> finished the first one.
>> 
>> Shee.   No wonder 'that guy' (sic) in the Onion lost interest.  ;-)
>> 
>> Rooney who?  It's not like the funds aren't there to record this one
>> sooner......
> 
> 1) Band blew load (artistically) on first record.....25 years to write the
> debut, three months to write the follow-up.

This is buy.  But really GOOD bands rise to the occasion, but it's rare more
often than not.

For Rooney, in this 2 1/2 year time period, I'm sure they'll come up w/ 11
good songs.   But, as I mention above, WHO is going to care after all that
time marching forward?   answer: not as many as who would have cared if they
kept a continual line of connection the initial fans they worked so hard to
get in the first year of that record coming out.

Most of them will have moved on and this record, like so many other
records,will sell a fraction of what the first one did..for many reasons but
the long lag will a followup is a critical one because the fans are not
given the opportunity to have a relationship w/ a band they are already
inclined to dig.
> 
> 2) Band's been on the road so there's no time to write.

We hear this all the time......i don't buy it.   This my response to
bands/management/label that use this excuse:  "this is your JOB, your job is
to do not only perform on the road, it's to get things DONE.   Writing new
songs is part of that.  Not the ideal place to write, perhaps, but it's not
excuse to travel in the bus and work out songs w/ your band mates."

Does not float.

And if they can't write on the road, my sense is they are not that talented
in the song writing department for the long haul in this business anyway.

Good songwriters are obsessed about the songwriting process, at all
times---more often than not.
> 
> 3) Record label has to decide whether they still a) exist b) give a fuck c)
> have the dough

:-D

And be more careful to sign bands they actually WANT to work and give a crap
about and truly develop.
> 
> 4) Major labels still haven't figured out that albums has a 12 week life
> span....which dates right back to the Beatles. Get a new album out BEFORE
> the audience a) gets bored b) forgets about you c) forgets they're bored.

Exactly what I'm saying Jaime.......dead on.   Why can't they figure this
out......they have the resources to address all this, too.  But so many
labels have convinced themselves this has worked in the past and it works
now.

And the bands..and their management buy into, as well.  Letting the artists
off the hook w/ writing and working hard on the next record.

Why aren't musicians obsessed with getting their music out is beyond me.
Bands like this are content to play the same 12 song for tour years on the
road, night in, night out?  Occasionally working a new one or two into
things.....eventually?!

Anyway, I brought all this up because, simply, bands like/love, I want to
hear more from.

And I'm tired of waiting YEARS for followups, instead of a year.   I know
all the excuses but I want to feel connected to the continual flow of bands'
music I love.   

Bring the flow new music ON. Not put it off 'whenever'.  Everyone involved
in the process of creating, making and selling music needs to work  harder,
sorry.  My opinion, but I'm sticking to it.

Peace,
Bruce
@ Not Lame