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| The Original Campaign eWeb : 17 December 2002 |
| Sit down, make yourself a cup of tea.. this is a LONG one! Please read it TWICE |
| WE INTEND TO TAKE THE ESTABLISHED IDEA OF "FAN POWER" AND BLOW IT THROUGH THE SKY! |
| Now some of you out there may be interested enough in Marillion to have subscribed to our mailing list, but get a little bit irked when we try and sell you something. If this is you, we still appreciate that you want to hear our news but you probably won't be interested in reading much further..... |
| This email is intended for the believers. For the people all over the world who don't doubt our honesty, our aims, or our reason for making music and words. We know that we're addressing most of you because you have already proved this to us again and again. Thank you. |
| When we asked you two years ago to take a leap of faith and BUY an album we hadn't even written, 13,000 of you stepped forward, placed your trust in us, and helped launch an idea that is still being talked about in music industry circles and in the press over two years later, and YOU made this possible. |
| We are currently in the studio writing and recording our new album (with Dave Meegan in the producer's chair). We think it's our most important album ever and we've decided the time has come to make a big noise about it. |
| Once again we need a new strategy and we intend to break all the rules and do something revolutionary. We can't do this without you, our fans. We have an idea of what we want to do and we need your feedback because your views are very important to us AND you might have an even better idea! |
| As you know, with Anoraknophobia we were signed worldwide to EMI Records. We were very happy with EMI's distribution. We were disappointed, however, with EMI's marketing and promotional strategy. In some countries around the world, very little money was spent and so therefore we had no chance of selling records outside of our existing fan base, and sometimes we didn't manage to reach some of those fans either! We have decided we must address this problem before a point in the future where Marillion's very existence comes under threat. As the old saying goes: "If you want a job doing properly DO IT YOURSELF!" |
| The solution is to "push" (i.e. promote and market) this band ourselves. To do this takes a lot of money and a lot of promotion. We have the capability to do the promotion but we unfortunately don't have the money...yet. |
| THE PLAN |
| What we are planning to do is to sell the new album through the INTERNET ONLY for the first few months (with the intention of securing a distribution deal to have it out in the shops 6 months after the initial release). |
| We would like to take out adverts in magazines that we know our fans read, advertising on radio stations that we know our fans listen to, reaching all the people who don't necessarily visit our website or receive our Eweb and to potentially reach NEW fans too! Radio advertising is a very important medium for us as we are sure you will agree - if people can hear our music then they generally love it. As radio stations will not play Marillion songs (politics and playlist restrictions - DJ's have told us they're not ALLOWED to play our new music!), then this seems an obvious route for us. |
| The other obvious route is to spend more time ON TOUR and to play new countries as well as the places we've been forced to ignore for a while. |
| A worldwide marketing campaign of the size and structure that we envisage would take about £350,000 and the recording of the album, an additional £150,000. That's half-a-million quid! D'you reckon you're up to it? We think so... |
| A rough outline of the plan (and we have to say that we are still throwing ideas around and are NOT taking ANY orders yet) is: |
| We take orders for the next album at some point next year - probably 3 to 6 months before it's INTERNET release. |
| IDEA 1 |
| A choice of 2 versions of the new album: |
| (a) You can buy the 1CD album from us at the proposed price of £14.99 |
| OR |
| (b) You can buy a 2CD (the "Campaign" CD) for £30. This CD would have the 'normal' album plus a 2nd CD of additional new songs, plus some other material, such as extended versions of the album material, remixes, etc. all in special packing with a special booklet. |
| We also propose to have other "Campaign" merchandise available to buy. This would obviously raise a LOT of money towards our goal These could maybe take the form of dedicated gold discs, sound check passes, limited edition signed prints, possibly a chance to have dinner with the band! ..and any ideas YOU might suggest. (!..) |
| We can honestly say that ALL the profits from both versions of the album and all the campaign merchandise will go towards the making of the album and a full worldwide marketing campaign. |
| If you pre-order either the standard 1CD or the 2CD by a certain date (to be decided) then your name will be printed in the thank you list in the booklet of the 2CD. |
| IDEA 2 |
| We only release a standard single CD but have a "Promotional Fund", where people send in whatever they feel that they can afford. |
| We prefer Idea 1, simply because it gives you more for your money and enables us to predict with more accuracy how much money we will have to use as a marketing budget, in order to plan ahead. The downside is that the plan could be seen to favour the richer fans, something that Marillion is uncomfortable with, but may well be an inevitable part of trying to raise money. |
| All the money we make will be spent on making the album and mounting an intelligent worldwide marketing campaign. This campaign includes touring. The campaign will be managed and overseen by Lucy Jordache who has a wealth of previous experience in marketing and advertising. We will keep a dedicated page on the website, updated to tell you where we are spending the money - we'll account for EVERY penny we get. Your money can and will make a difference and allow us to reach more people, TOUR more countries and help invest in the future of Marillion. |
| Just to give you an idea that we mean business, we are ACTIVELY looking at including the following countries on our tour to support this album: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Denmark, USA, Canada, Mexico AND South America. |
| Our question is, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Would you take part in this? What is your opinion of this idea? Do you have better ideas? |
| We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. Once we have read and digested all your emails we will publish a response on the web site letting you know what we intend to do. We will also try to address the negative views as well as the positive so that, even if you don't agree with us, you will at least understand our conclusions regarding the way forward for Marillion. |
| Phew! What a mouthful! Thank you for reading all this. We await your thoughts.. |
| h, Ian, Mark, Steve, Pete |
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| The Band's Replies to Your Emails about Our Ideas : 11 April 2003 |
| Well here we are again, back in the studio and working hard on the new album. Before Christmas we sent out an eWeb outlining our plans for financing the new album and the worldwide marketing campaign, and you have replied in your thousands. Thank you. |
| Some of you raised some questions about our plan that we thought needed addressing, in order for you to all understand fully our vision and our expectations. We have put together this 'document' which hopefully explains a few things more clearly. |
| Please be aware that we are not launching the campaign just yet so please don't start emailing us yet - we'll let you know when we're ready! |
| With over 10 million albums sold, why aren’t Marillion rich? |
| We don’t intend to go into too much detail about our financial affairs. We aren’t a public company or a registered charity. Furthermore, we aren’t asking for you to give us money for nothing - just in advance occasionally... :) |
| We hope you will agree that the pre-order version of Anoraknophobia represented good value for money. We don’t want to get into a debate about the price of CD’s but let’s just say that we charge what we think our music is worth. We put everything into our work and we know you appreciate it or you wouldn’t come back for more. |
| Normally, when an artist signs to a record label, they are given an "advance" against future royalty income. This is on a repayable but non-returnable basis. This means if the band never manages to earn enough royalties to repay the advance, they don’t have to sell their grandmother to repay the debt. This cash advance is normally required by the band to cover the costs of writing and recording the album, not to mention living expenses. The reason why the record companies are happy to advance money to an artist who may never sell any CDs is because when an artist does hit the big time they make enough money out of them to cover all the money wasted on the failures... and still more on top. |
| A successful artist can command a significantly better royalty rate, once out of contract, than a new unproven act at the beginning of their career. When Marillion signed to EMI in 1982, we had to accept a royalty rate roughly half of what we would get today - should we decide to go to a record company for a deal. We were contracted for 7 albums! At the time we thought that was great but we soon came to realise that we were locked in to the same lousy deal for as long as EMI wanted to keep putting out Marillion albums. Had we been signed up for a three album deal we could have negotiated a far better royalty rate for the 4th album after the huge success of Misplaced Childhood. As it was, we were bound by the terms of our original deal. |
| Here is one example of how little we get paid by EMI for the sale of one copy of our biggest selling album. Misplaced Childhood is what’s called a "mid-priced album" and sells for roughly £9 -£10. We are paid the princely sum of 15p, not each, but between us! Didn’t we have a lawyer look over the contract? Yes, of course we did. He thought it was OK. That’s how it was, and still is, in the music industry. Legal theft. |
| There has been plenty written about the way the industry works, so we won't go into it here, but if you are interested, pick up a copy of "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" by Donald S. Passman for further reading. |
| There are many other reasons why we haven’t all got tons of cash, not least the amount of touring we have done over the years at a loss. Not to mention the amount of time and money we spend writing and recording our albums. Time is money. We could work quicker, but would they be as good? Probably not. |
| Please don’t think we’re complaining, we’re not. Compared to some artists out there we have done very well. We’re still here 20 years later, making music we enjoy, and earning a living out of it. Unfortunately, as some helpful soul suggested in an email to us, we haven’t all got £100,000 each lying about that we can put into the marketing budget for the next album… |
| Is spending money on marketing and promotion (M&P) the answer? |
| The truth is, we don’t know. We do know that relatively little has been spent by our record companies on M&P over the last ten years. The net effect of this lack of investment is that our profile has suffered. Many people who once bought our CDs and came to see us play aren’t even aware we are still together. M&P isn’t the only thing we need to spend money on. We need people to hear our music if we are to have a chance of turning them into fans. That requires money and creativity. We are always open to creative input or suggestions so feel free to drop us a line if you have a suggestion. At this stage we haven’t got a detailed plan, we don’t even know how much we’ll have to spend on it! All I can promise is we will do our best to make sure that the money isn’t wasted. We will also let you all know, through this website, what we spend it on. Simply put, we want to increase our sales to the point where Marillion continues to be financially viable. We’re not after world domination, just some sort of future. |
| Why should the fans pay for the marketing budget? |
| In 1997 we toured the USA and Canada thanks to the "Tour Fund." The tour fund was the brainchild of American fan Jeff Pelletier. He came to me with the proposition that willing fans could contribute what they could afford to a fund, to enable Marillion to tour North America. That’s the closest we came to accepting charitable donations. We didn’t feel comfortable about people giving us money to pay for a tour but felt unable to refuse because our stateside fans wanted that tour so much. We are glad we did it. It was a great tour and everyone involved loved it. It also gave us the confidence to ask if you would be willing to pay for Anoraknophobia in advance. |
| With this album we aren’t asking you to "donate" money to our cause. We intend to make a double CD. Not a single CD with a bonus disk containing some demos and a remix or two but two CDs worth of original music. We intend to charge £30 for this. |
| Expensive? Maybe… If we were to release it as two £15 CDs maybe you wouldn’t think so. It won’t come in a standard jewel case (that’s a clear plastic box to you and me) but in the sort of package that made the Anoraknophobia pre-order version so special. We intend to make it value for money. Still not convinced? Think of it as an album plus b-sides. Remember when we were signed to EMI? They used to put out 3 singles with previously unreleased b-sides. By the time you bought the album and all the singles in their various formats it cost you a small fortune. This way it’s easier for you and we get to spend the extra income on promoting Marillion rather than the latest pop idol. |
| What about touring? |
| If you don’t live in the UK, Germany, France, or the Netherlands it may have been a few years since you’ve seen Marillion live. What can we say? Sorry…sorry…sorry. We really have tried to look at touring in all those places we haven’t been to for so long, but by going to those countries, we would stand to lose more money than we can afford. What would you do? |
| We intend to mount the biggest Marillion tour for 10 years, including North America (South America depends more on the economic climate there). We can’t guarantee that we’ll play in your back garden but hopefully inter-continental travel on your part won’t be necessary! |
| "Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it all before" we hear you say. Lucy Jordache is already in the process of booking a 42-date European tour and she won’t stop there. Part of the financial shortfall for such a long tour will be made up by sales of the new album at the shows. The advertising for the tour and the album will be combined cutting costs further. Are you getting bored yet? |
| What if I’m not interested in taking part in your "campaign"? |
| That’s fine. Please understand we know that for many people, involvement with Marillion starts and ends with picking up the latest CD and listening and hopefully getting into it. That’s great. If you are one of those people you’ll still be able to do that, (although we suspect from the fact that you are reading this that you’re not). :) |
| We intend to make a "standard" single CD version of the album available through the shops. The hard part for us will be deciding which tracks to leave out because there won’t be room for them all. |
| We could go on, but let’s just say we are planning a big year for Marillion. If you’re interested in the details, check the website from time to time over the coming months. If you just want to buy the album and come to the show, great! See you there and thanks for listening. |
| Mark, h, Ian, Steve, Pete |
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| The Marbles Campaign Outlined : 28 July 2003 (Updated 3 May 2004) |
| After much deliberation, we have finally decided on a name for the new Marillion album - it’s going to be called Marbles. This album will also be a Marillion first - it is a double album! Yes, that's right, a full 2CD’s of new music. |
| Since we first announced our initial ideas about releasing the album over 8 months ago, we have been flooded with emails full of your comments and suggestions. With help from your feedback, we have now formulated the final plan! As before, sit down with a cup of coffee, as there is a lot to read! |
| What is the campaign about? |
| Shortly, we will be putting the new album on sale for pre-order from our website. For every copy of Marbles that is pre-ordered, profits from that sale will go into our Campaign Fund. Using this money, we will take out adverts in magazines that we know our fans read, advertise on radio stations that we know our fans listen to - in short, try to reach all the people who don't necessarily visit our website or receive our eWeb, and potentially reach NEW fans too! |
| Radio advertising is a very important medium for us, as we are sure you will agree - if people can hear our music then they generally love it. As radio stations will not play Marillion songs (politics and playlist restrictions - DJ's have told us they're not ALLOWED to play our new music!), then this seems an obvious route for us. The Campaign Fund will allow us to take control of our marketing and destiny. |
| When will the album be finished? |
| MARBLES is out now! |
| The Marbles Deluxe Campaign Edition (a 128-page hard-bound book!) is on sale through Racket Records at the special pre-order price of 27.99 UK Pounds (inc VAT). If you purchased the Deluxe Campaign Edition by the end of 31st December 2003 you will be directly helping our Campaign Fund, and as a "Thank You" will we print your name in the album credits*, AND ship the album to you at least a month before the currently planned release date of 3rd May 2004. Remember, this is a double album - 2 full CDs of new Marillion music! |
| As of 1st January 2004 onwards you will still be able to buy the double album, but your name will not be in the credits and it will not be shipped to you until the release date; but it will still be the Deluxe Campaign Edition special hard-bound book. |
| For those of you who want all the music but don't want to pre-order and take part in the Marbles Campaign, we plan to release the full double album in a standard CD box for 18.99 UK Pounds (inc VAT) from the release date of 3rd May 2004, available from Racket Records. |
| The current release date for Marbles is 3rd May 2004. From this date, there will be a 1 CD version of the album for sale in retail shops around the world (the full 2 CD double album will NOT be available in retail shops, only from Racket Records). After this 1 CD version has been on sale in the shops for 1 month, we will make it available through this website. |
| A major world tour will begin at the end of April 2004, and confirmed dates are available in the TOUR section of this website. |
| We will also be selling special Marbles Campaign Merchandise, which will also help raise money towards the Campaign Fund. You will also have a chance to enter a special prize draw to win chances to get backstage passes for the next tour and chances to attend listening parties around the world. |
| As for Marbles, we don't have a full track listing yet, but you will be able to find sound clips and album updates on this website. But one thing is for sure: it WILL be 2 full CDs of new music - it is a double album without a doubt! |
| Marbles is still taking shape, but the few outside the band who’ve heard it are buzzing. Thanks again to all of you for your faith and continued support. |
| H, Mark, Ian, Steve, and Pete |
| * Unfortunately, Marillion/Racket Records will not be able to provide any type of compensation for inclusion, omissions or misspellings of any names in the credit list due to, but not limited to, electronic ordering error, clerical error, and/or lost communication, either written or electronic. |
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| Original Campaign Merchandise Details and Prize Listings : 15 September 2003 |
| Every time you buy a piece of Campaign Merchandise you will be automatically be entered into a free prize draw to win one of the following great prizes. |
| Profits from Campaign Merchandise sold on or after the release date of 3 May 2004 are no longer being used for the promotion of the album. Purchase of ex-stock Campaign Merchandise no longer entitles purchaser to Super Ticket draw. |
| The Super Ticket |
| This is the prize of a lifetime for one Marillion fan. Here is your chance to win two concert tickets and backstage passes to any Marillion gig on the forthcoming 2004 tour. Not only that, but we will pay your travel and hotel expenses for two people, so if you live in Australia and want to go to a gig in Holland – well now’s your chance. |
| Runners-Up Prizes |
| In March 2004, we will be holding listening parties around the world to allow fans and journalists the chance to hear the brand new album! These will be held in the following countries and each one will be attended by a member of the band: USA, Canada, France, Germany, Holland, UK, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Poland |
| There will be at least 200 places up for grabs at each event. Winners will be notified by 9th February 2004. |
| Competition details have changed as of 27 January 2004 due to venue availability, and promotional decisions made by the band. |
| Super-ticket & runners-up prize competitions have now closed. |
| The Golden Mug |
| There will be 10 ‘Golden Mugs' packed with the Marbles Album Cover coffee mugs, and randomly selected and shipped with any mug orders. If you are lucky enough to receive one of these mugs you will be able to exchange your golden voucher for your choice of one of the following: Sound check passes and tickets for the gig of your choice; Marillion Personalised Gold Disc; a Marbles press-pack - complete with signed photos, promotional items, and a collection of Marbles merchandise; a personalised Marbles tour crew bowling shirt. |
| We have verified that all 'Golden Mugs' have now been shipped, and prizes have been claimed. This competition is now closed. |
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