Will Morrissey ever reach the Top 20 again?

Maverick

Maverick
With the charts becoming almost completely download orientated, and major acts like U2 and Oasis struggling to make the top 10, i ask - will Mozzer ever reach the top 20 again?

His last 2 singles have failed to make the 20, and i can't ever see him having another 2004-style renaissance, so is it all downhill from here, charts-wise?

And if it is, surely that spells the end for him label-wise?

Could be we see one more album from him, a couple of flop (maybe even non top 40) singles, and that's it.
 
With the charts becoming almost completely download orientated, and major acts like U2 and Oasis struggling to make the top 10, i ask - will Mozzer ever reach the top 20 again?

His last 2 singles have failed to make the 20, and i can't ever see him having another 2004-style renaissance, so is it all downhill from here, charts-wise?

And if it is, surely that spells the end for him label-wise?

Could be we see one more album from him, a couple of flop (maybe even non top 40) singles, and that's it.

It's a good question. The scenario you describe will probably happen.

The silver lining is that if Morrissey sees that many other acts are also struggling, like Oasis and U2, he'll realize once and for all that the charts aren't what they used to be and consequently give up on trying to get into the Top Ten.

Were he to do so it might change his outlook entirely, at least from a business perspective. If bigger labels backed off of him, he might finally "slum it" with tinier labels or even start releasing material directly to the web or something along those lines. The upshot? Less glamour, but-- more importantly for us-- maybe more music, too.
 
If bigger labels backed off of him, he might finally "slum it" with tinier labels or even start releasing material directly to the web or something along those lines.

Somehow I don't see Morrissey going that route.

cheers
 
It's a good question. The scenario you describe will probably happen.

The silver lining is that if Morrissey sees that many other acts are also struggling, like Oasis and U2, he'll realize once and for all that the charts aren't what they used to be and consequently give up on trying to get into the Top Ten.

Were he to do so it might change his outlook entirely, at least from a business perspective. If bigger labels backed off of him, he might finally "slum it" with tinier labels or even start releasing material directly to the web or something along those lines. The upshot? Less glamour, but-- more importantly for us-- maybe more music, too.


Yet again we agree.

There is one scenario that i can forsee getting him right back in the charts - perchance even a number one...

It's called The Smiths getting back together.Morrissey & Marr back in unison would be a BIG headline grabber.

And we all know Morrissey loves the limelight. Once the limelight starts to fade on him again as a solo artist, i think his ego will get the better of him.
 
With sales in the toilet and the charts meaning absolutely nothing these days, musicians will depend upon touring to earn their living (so the sages tell us). If that is the case, then Moz is fine: he's got a devoted following all over the Western world. He'll be around as long as he wants to be, one imagines.
 
Yet again we agree.

There is one scenario that i can forsee getting him right back in the charts - perchance even a number one...

It's called The Smiths getting back together.Morrissey & Marr back in unison would be a BIG headline grabber.

And we all know Morrissey loves the limelight. Once the limelight starts to fade on him again as a solo artist, i think his ego will get the better of him.

what makes you think so? the eight years he waited for a good deal and general public forgot about him?
 
what if oasis and u2 decide to call it a day? who'll remain? the stones and paul mccartney.


Judge, U2 will never call it a day. They're still very intense and gung-ho. Besides, can you imagine Bono ever willingly leaving the stage? Only to be president of the world.
 
Does it matter when his music is still so so good to the people who love him?
 
Yet again we agree.

There is one scenario that i can forsee getting him right back in the charts - perchance even a number one...

It's called The Smiths getting back together.Morrissey & Marr back in unison would be a BIG headline grabber.

And we all know Morrissey loves the limelight. Once the limelight starts to fade on him again as a solo artist, i think his ego will get the better of him.

I'm praying, PRAYING, that doesn't happen. The Smiths' reunion tour making jillions of dollars is practically assured. It's what you call low-hanging fruit. I hope Morrissey resists.

I just read that Simon & Garfunkel are back together for a tour, and that their '03 jaunt scored about $123 million. Think about that. Garfunkel went from being...Garfunkel....to receiving a gross windfall of roughly $61.5 million.

The money is there if Morrissey wants it. I just hope he can hold out.

Maybe he'll bank on his book reaping millions... :crazy:
 
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what if oasis and u2 decide to call it a day? who'll remain? the stones and paul mccartney.

Wow, judge, I think you've crafted a memorably jejune proposition there. Either we get Oasis, U2, The Stones and Paul McCartney...or just the Stones and Sir Paul? Is "death by firing squad" an option? :rolleyes:
 
what makes you think so? the eight years he waited for a good deal and general public forgot about him?

Even then, things were very different - in 1997, Mozzer was still only a decade out the Smiths, and i'm sure he felt he had a second wind in him.

That wind blew in 2004, and was still a strong gust in 2006. But now, 3 years later, it has all but died down and it's over 20 years since The Smiths split.

He hasn't got another 8 year hiatus in him.
 
Wow, judge, I think you've crafted a memorably jejune proposition there. Either we get Oasis, U2, The Stones and Paul McCartney...or just the Stones and Sir Paul? Is "death by firing squad" an option? :rolleyes:

i only wanted someone to reply.

seriously, i think there could still be a chance. who thought that moz would come back as he did in 2004? it's unlikely that kind of thing will happen again but you never know.
 
Anyone got first-week sales figures for all of Moz's singles since Irish Blood, English Heart?
 
i only wanted someone to reply.

seriously, i think there could still be a chance. who thought that moz would come back as he did in 2004? it's unlikely that kind of thing will happen again but you never know.

I basically agree with you, that's why I said, above, that he may need to change how he gets his product out there. Making a big splash every year or two with a new single, album, and tour might not be feasible for him anymore. But if he re-worked his strategy he might have more options with respect to releasing music straight to the fans. I don't claim to know all of the angles, but surely he has enough capital by now to record material on his own and release it directly to fans via download, for example. Find ways to cut out the need for a bigger label to distribute his music, essentially. Doesn't he record vocals in two or three takes? Isn't his band capable of recording a new single in two or three days, as The Smiths did? What is so expensive about putting out a Morrissey record, anyway?

If YOR is only selling to his hardcore fan base, and it has sold about 200k copies, then the math isn't hard. Limit traditional marketing. Use the TV contacts he's made over the years to appear on the various shows. Get back on good terms with the music press. Start a YouTube channel. Build online support (E.G. MAKE MORRISSEY-SOLO.COM A FULLY UTILIZED ASSET). Sell the album over the web for $10 a pop, maybe throw in some "singles" with B-sides. Work with good but unheralded producers or become the sole producer himself (working with an engineer).

If he sells 200k downloads at $10 each that's $2 million dollars gross. If the overhead is low, he walks away with quite a bit. Throw in tours and he's living comfortably, keeping the fans happy with music, and best of all free from the clutches of the music industry. Right? I mean I know my calculations are crude and the picture I've painted is much too simplistic, but isn't what I've outlined essentially viable?

Creatively speaking the freedom from trying to make the charts might also encourage him to branch out and experiment musically.

I don't think any of this will happen, just saying. :rolleyes:
 
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