Touring’s not what it used to be. When I were a lad, even big bands would do 30 or 40 shows around the UK to promote their new albums, stopping in places such as Chippenham Goldiggers, Hanley Victoria Hall, Ipswich Gaumont, Preston Lockley Grand Hall that would only see a major act today if they happened to need a local motorway services.
Those days are gone. If you’re a superstar, you’ll do a handful of arenas in a few big cities. And if you are not a superstar, you might not even tour your new album at all, at least not in the old sense. Rather than playing 20 different clubs, it’s more financially prudent to play a handful of promotional events in record stores, either signing your album and playing a few songs in the shop (what’s called ‘an instore’), or playing a short show in a nearby venue, for which the price of admission includes a copy of the new album (‘an outstore’).
Why? Because it compels all attendees to do something not so many people do any longer: buy a record. And these sales translate into bargaining power: ‘Look, my guy did 10,000 albums this summer – put him higher up that festival bill and pay him more.’ I simplify vastly, but that’s the gist of it. To tour your new album immediately is economically unwise.
Bob Mould – of the hugely influential hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü and Sugar and for many decades a solo artist – was appearing in Denmark Street’s the Lower Third. Though the gig was for the benefit of those who had bought his new album Here We Go Crazy, the loudest cheers were reserved for songs written 40 years ago – ‘Celebrated Summer’, ‘Makes No Sense At All’.
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