Hi Deb and everyone else, too: I was so woefully behind on my JM email (800+ posts and I am JM only!) and decided tonight to delete everything until today's and was glad I didn't delete yours. I had EXACTLY the same thought when I read the article in the NY Times on Sunday.
I've had October Road in my car CD player for the last six weeks or so having liked what I heard him do at the Hollywood Bowl on the 4th of July. Tonight, ironically, I thought of JT and his success of late vis-a-vis that of JM and her later efforts. Then I read your email. I think it may be due to their individual commercialism. Over the years, one could reasonably argue JT has been a bigger commercial success than JM. To me, this translates to a much larger core fan base willing to buy JT singing the phone book if that's what is available. Just like I would do with JM. Accordingly, when the record company puts forth a successful marketing effort, they pull in the core group as well as the "newcomers" or those that perhaps abandoned JT when he "lost his glitter." In short, I think success of the campaign is strictly dependent upon the marketability of the artist. I doubt an equally effective campaign would have garnered JM the same results as JT. We, among the informed, know of JM's gifts and contributions. But as we all have admitted from time to time, we are in the minority -- even among our own social/familial circles. There's a high hurdle for the marketer to clear from the start. No regrets, Coyote Rick Casa Alegre Hollywood, California "Only fools are afraid to be burned by fire..."
