Dawn Of A Marketing Makeover?

The Raconteurs’ guerrilla marketing of their new album, “Consolers of the Lonely,” has created quite a stir. The decision to announce the disc’s existence a mere week before its March 25 release and to make it available to the press and the public on the same day has fans wondering if this will be the new trend in distribution as the marketplace moves quickly away from the old music-business model. It’s way too early to tell if this is the new wave, but I certainly hope it catches on. Here’s why:

The element of surprise would return. My first listen to the eclectic rock of “Consolers of the Lonely” was like a breath of fresh air for one reason: I hadn’t read 37 reviews of the disc before I bought it. Nobody had yet told me how I should feel about it. I think we music fans are more than capable of making up our own minds, and the whole thing is subjective anyway, but I have no doubt that my judgment is influenced by a four-star review in Rolling Stone that is on the newsstand before the album hits the shelves. Although if more print magazines follow No Depression and Harp into extinction, this isn’t going to be as big an issue anyway.

As a guy who occasionally reviews albums before they are released (though Hal usually beats me to them), I’d gladly give up that perk if more groups decided to make their albums available to the media and the masses on the same day.

I wish The Raconteurs’ neighbor in the “R” bin, R.E.M., had followed suit with their release of “Accelerate.” I would have loved to have popped it in my CD player and discovered that “Accelerate” was the band’s best disc in a decade. And I think it is, too. But I must have read that assessment in at least five places before buying the album. It would have been cool to come to that conclusion on my own. Finding a favorite song without outside influence would be great, too. My favorite from “Accelerate” has been “Living Well is the Best Revenge,” but those five advance reviews I read all mentioned that song.

Bands suddenly dropping their new product into the marketplace could also bring back an element of shopping that is disappearing with the traditional brick-and-mortar stores: Found music. That feeling that comes with flipping through the bins and suddenly uncovering a gem, an experience that is about to be lost on future generations of music buyers, could make a slight comeback. It could even be possible in the digital realm. One day you log onto iTunes and log off without buying. The next time you log in: “Whoa, The Raconteurs have a new disc.” That doesn’t sound nearly as exciting to me as the time I found a vinyl copy of Eddie Hinton’s “Very Extremely Dangerous” at an antiques mall, but I know the day is coming when I’ll settle for a small thrill.

Without being too cynical, it’s worth mentioning that The Raconteurs’ surprise move isn’t quite as populist as it appears. Announcing the imminent release of your new disc at South by Southwest, a mecca for a huge segment of your core audience, is brilliant marketing in its own right. There were no advance reviews, but for a week the hype machine was running on all cylinders. I certainly was hooked. And I think the album delivers. That’s all I’m going to say for now; if you haven’t yet bought “Consolers of the Lonely,” may you enjoy discovering it on your own.

Of course, this approach to marketing music isn’t one-size-fits-all. Like Radiohead’s decision to initially sell “In Rainbows” online, and to let consumers dictate the price, The Raconteurs’ approach would benefit established acts. Struggling singer-songwriters and the like who have produced albums deserving an audience need all the advance praise they can get. Endorsements from magazines, Web sites and influential bloggers help build valuable word of mouth. Those votes of confidence still have plenty of worth after the release date, but without advance notice many consumers many not even know what they are potentially missing.

Even if just the biggest bands started handing their albums over to the people on the same day as the press, fans would be empowered with a greater sense of discovery. (Are you listening, U2?) On the flipside, without advance reviews we’d probably be getting burned a little more often. It can be exhilarating to hear an album for the first time and discover it’s an instant classic. It can ruin your week to rush home from the record store (or sync up your iPod, I suppose) and discover that the disc you just spent the last of your lunch money on is a stinker. But even with advance reviews, this is unavoidable. One fan’s trash truly is another’s treasure.

Come to think of it, I’m going to go back and reread some old reviews of R.E.M.’s “Monster.” Those articles might have planted the seed for this 10-year slide I’ve been reading about. Had “Monster” been delivered to all interested parties on the same day, it might not be overpopulating used CD stores today. Had the band taken that approach with “Accelerate,” I might feel even better about its triumphant return.