"Chinese
Democracy" in 2006? Possible?
November 18, 2006
Written by Jan
Since there's lots of discussions and reports
about whether or not it's possible to release "Chinese Democracy" in 2006,
someone actually did the job of asking Billboard this question. The answer can be seen below:
"Not surprisingly, "Chinese Democracy" still does not
have a release date set yet... at least, not one that has been announced, or placed on
Universal Music Group Distribution's release schedule.
But, let's pretend that Axl Rose and his management keep that promise of releasing the
album before the end of the year. Can it physically be done? I consulted with Ed
Christman, our Retail Editor, and he gave me a lot of insight.
If the album is complete and mastered and the album artwork has been completed, then the
set could conceivably be manufactured and shipped to retailers within a month. Of course,
a digital release could come even swifter - but I doubt that an album with such a high
profile would opt to go the digital-only route.
So, even though the album's release date hasn't been announced, there is still a glimmer
of hope that it could -- in theory -- see store shelves before the close of the year.
(Though at this point, it's looking like it will come out the very last week of December
at the earliest.)
Earlier this year, to compare, Neil Young rush released his "Living with War"
album in three weeks time. His record label, Reprise, received the finished album in
mid-April and was able to manufacture and ship the set to retailers in time for a May 8
release date. The significant difference here is that Young's album had a smaller initial
shipment -- under 200,000.
Because of the small initial shipment, it didn't require as much time to manufacture and
ship the album.
With a Guns N' Roses title, you can expect that the initial shipment would easily surpass
500,000. With that many CDs needing to be pressed and shipped, it would take longer to
produce. Still, if Rose decided to flip the switch today, "Chinese Democracy"
could still make a late December release."
As a side note, I recently spoke to a contact in the industry who said that there's
no way such a release can remain unknown to everyone since these companies does open the
boxes earlier than they're allowed to. Hence people will know, and it's very difficult to
keep the release secret until it's actually in the stores.
Discuss at the forum. |