KaTe to Blame?

[Craig Heath <craig@sware.com>]

Sempsy writes about MoP:
>>It is currently 32 in the official charts and 19 inthe Network charts.It is
>>certainly TWW all over again,and EMI are certainly to blame for this.

PDFM replies:
> EMI are not to blame. Kate is the one to blame. She will not promote. In
> the absence of her participation in the usual promotional activities EMI
> have done their best.

What do you want her to do?  She's performed the song on Aspel and (so
you tell us) Des O'Connor (which seems an odd choice, demographically).
I would guess that TV appearances are the major influence on sales of
singles, so it seems she's doing the right thing from that angle.  While
I'd love to see her gigging at the T&C, or Hammersmith Apollo (or even
Wembley Arena or the Albert Hall, why think small?), I'm sure that would
promote album sales, not singles.

Having said that, I regretfully agree that "Kate is to blame" with regard
to MoP, but simply for choosing it as a single, not because of lack of
promotion.  I thought from the start that MoP was too downbeat to be a
successful single, and when I heard one of the Capital afternoon DJs (Martin
Collins?) play it, and then be so choked he could hardly get out the traffic
report, I had to think "are people really going to spend money for something
that's going to make them cry?"

Don't get me wrong, I love the song, and I think it's perfect in the context
of the album, I just don't think it makes sense from a marketing standpoint.
If it was up to me, I would have released "Constellation of the Heart" as
the next single - it's catchy and moving with enough depth to keep you
interested, but it's not depressing.  November in England is depressing
enough without deliberately making it worse.

		- Craig (still marooned in Atlanta).