K's Choice.de

Volgens Van Isacker is het dus een win-win-situatie voor platenmaatschappij en artiest. "Ze hebben een gegarandeerde verkoop van 120.000 exemplaren van de cd. En we brengen de discussie over gratis downloaden nog eens op gang", besluit de hoofdredacteur.

Van Isacker: "We brengen 120.000 exemplaren van de cd aan de man. Daarvoor hebben we Sarah Bettens en Universal Music betaald. 120.000 verkochte cd's is platina. Het zou voor Sarah Bettens toch fantastisch zijn als ze zo veel cd's zou verkopen"

Ook Universal Music ontkent met nadruk dat de platenmaatschappij gratis muziek promoot. "Er is betaald voor die 120.000 cd's, weliswaar niet door de eindconsument, maar door De Morgen", zegt Niels Dierckx van Universal Music.

Ook voor Universal is het een win-win-situatie. "De communicatie en promotie die De Morgen besteedt aan de nieuwe cd van Sarah Bettens is groter dan ooit. Ook de dag na de verkoop van de krant zal de positieve uitstraling nog lang verder voelbaar zijn", aldus Dierckx.

Dat Sarah Bettens in de normale handel 120.000 cd's zou verkopen is niet realistisch, zegt Dierck. "Het zou een droom zijn". Helmut Lotti, de best verkopende artiest in België, verkoopt in het beste geval 100.000 cd's en dvd's van een album. (belga/dm)

Wow! I'm really surprised at all of the strong feelings regarding this new promotion. First, I'm sorry about the delay, but if you think back, every record we've ever done has had delays, even as far back as K's Choice. There are always a myriad reasons.

There's no way around the fact that the industry has gone through major changes. Record companies do not rule any more, and artists do not make the bulk of their income via CD sales. The internet, and downloading have made sure of that. Artists are forced to find creative means of self promotion. I for one, am thrilled that we can finally take the ball into our own hands, and make some of our own choices.

I will not deny, nor will I apologize for trying to earn money, and taking steps to do so. More awareness of the new CD, will give us more touring opportunities. That will help Sarah sell more merch. tickets, and aid in boosting TV appearances, and other promotional opps. Frankly, we will all have less stress at home, regarding the everyday things we all stress about. We will also be able to justify leaving our families behind to come play for you. Do you think my wife would smile and kiss me, if I left her alone to take care of our children, while working full-time and keeping a home, if I didn't make great money when I toured with Sarah? Not a chance, and frankly, I wouldn't blame her, nor would I enjoy doing it. I'd feel guilty as hell.

Look, we don't get insurance benefits, 401K, retirement, etc... It's all or nothing for us. I don't get paid to sit at home. I get paid to make records, and play shows. You guys don't work for free. You don't say no to great business opportunities. When is the last time any of you said "NO" to a pay raise. Why on Earth should we? It wouldn't be sensible.

Any of you who know me personally, and I think that is most of you, probably don't think of me as insensitive, selfish, greedy, etc... The same goes for Sarah. You get to know us, because we want to know you. We like you, genuinely. We appreciate you genuinely. We make time for you, when we don't have to, because we like you. We're thrilled that you like us, but make no mistake, we need to take care of ourselves and our families, first.

The days of the millionaire rockstar are gone. You all see us showing up to shows in our cars, or vans and motorhomes. If Sarah were as rich as you all must think she is, we’d have a tourbus and large crew, every time we toured. We don’t.

What you all don’t know, is that Sarah has said “No” to many “opportunities” in the past, that would have made her more money, because she didn’t want to send the wrong message, or because it just didn’t sit right with her. She has ALWAYS taken the moral high ground in everything. That is one of the things I respect most about her. Nobody can ever rightfully call into question, her integrity, her dedication, or her honesty. She is one of the most quality people I have ever known. She is and has always been fiercely loyal, and that extend to you the fans, as well. How dare anybody call her “low”, or imply that she is greedy, or call her integrity into question. You speak from pure ignorance.

Look, I’ve been a musician for 27 years. For most of that, I struggled to feed myself and my dog. I’ve only been making a living at it for ten years. Who knows when it will end? What if I get hurt, or get sick? What if one of my children gets sick, or my wife? I’m done. I’ve worked my ass off to be the best that I can be. So has Sarah. What if she has to stop? Do you know how many people that will directly affect?

We (band, mgnt., crew, lawyers. Agents, promoters, etc…) count on Sarah to make sound business decisions. We count on her to carry herself the way she does, and write the quality of songs she does. That’s a lot of pressure, that she handles with respect and grace.

We (Sarah and band, etc…) love what we get to do. We’re lucky and blessed. We want to be able to continue as long as we can. We’re certainly not going to do anything to alienate you (fans), or screw you over in any way. We think we have the best and smartest fans in the world. We want to please you whenever we can. That’s our job, isn’t it?

Please, have some patience. Let us do what we do. If it works out the way we expect, we will be able to tour more, record more, etc… Isn’t that what everyone wants? We believe in what we do. This new record is fantastic. I’m more proud of it, than anything I’ve worked on in the past. We know that people will jump on board if they are exposed to it. This promotion is a chance to get the music into the hands of a lot of people who would not have purchased it themselves. This can only be a good thing. Anything good that happens for us, can only manifest itself in good things for you. Please take a breath, and show some faith.

In a year, if things pan out the way expected, none of you will be bothered by this, believe me.

See you soon.

das hier gibt mir etwas zu denken:

"This new record is fantastic. I’m more proud of it, than anything I’ve worked on in the past"