With album, record, CD sales or whatever you want to call it down, it is good to see a band doing old fashion PR to promote their latest release.
If you haven’t heard yet (don’t know how you didn’t) U2 has a new album called No Line on the Horizon. Even though they are one of the biggest bands in the world, they still have to work to make this album sell. Over the past couple weeks they seem to be everywhere. Award shows, David Letterman, streets being named after them, and private concerts. Tonight in Somerville MA (just outside downtown Boston) the band is playing a FREE concert in the 850 seat Somerville Theatre. The tickets were given away on a few Boston radio stations. Boston has a rich history with U2. WBCN was the first radio station in the U.S. to play a song from the band.
The PR for this event has been fantastic. It first started as a rumor two weeks ago and the buzz has built up ever since. They kept calling the venue location a secret while leaking out venue info. The location became “official” when the production trucks showed up. The media attention has been huge. Every TV news station is camped out in front of the theatre. I don’t think there is one person in the greater Boston area that does not know about it. As I wrote yesterday on Twitter, “record company marketing budget well spent”. If this does not sell albums in Boston, then the music industry is REALLY in trouble.
Tags: Boston, buzz, free concert, No Line on the Horizon, PR, private concert, Somervillle Theatre, U2, WBCN
