U2's new album was going to drop in mid-November, either the same day or a week before/after David's. But this is on Billboard.com today:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003845687Next U2 Album Pushed To Early 2009
Initially expected this fall as a fourth-quarter blockbuster, U2's next album has been pushed to early 2009 while the band continues to write and record material. "I thought a while back we might have the album wrapped by now, but why come up above ground now if there's more priceless stuff to be found?," Bono writes on U2.com.
(for the rest of the article, click the link above)

I know some of you think David's record is moving slowly! For a quality album, it's not. It's right on time. And on schedule!

Sounds like good news to me!

Also, I think I read on MJs blog that Kelly Clarkson's album, originally due out on the same day as David's, is supposedly also pushed back, to December.

Since she is with RCA, I think it'd be a very good thing... No competition from "home" about promotion and such.

Nickelback and Beyonce are releasing on Nov. 18th. Nickelback will be HUGE chart toppers. They are 7 x platinum with their last album.

He who liketh Nicleback will most likey adore David! Seriously, that's good because I can see fans buying both albums. I have a feeling David's new CD will be a bit less Nickelback-ish than his previous work. Can't wait to see what those "twists and turns" are that he talks about!!

Yeah... my problem was Nickeback. But at least U2 is out of the competition.


I really hope so. But it still is competition for charts and radio spins. we'll see...

It doesn't normally work that way. I like both but I know many Nickelback fans who don't like David. Beyonce is a totally different style of music. Well there will always be competition and now that he is going to be away from American Idol, it is the big leagues. I am sure he will do just fine.

At least David's record is dropping at a great time... right before US Black Friday and the global Holiday Shopping season! CDs are still among of the most popular gifts and people go out and grab loads of them. If there are a few good ones out there generating buzz, they feed off of each other. Too much competition makes me uneasy, but with Kelly and U2 delayed, I'm quite happy. Another thing: bad economy = good music sales. The industry (led by itunes) has kept costs steady for several years - one of the few things not soaring with inflation. For 10 to 12 bucks you can't go wrong with a CD! It's the same with movies.... seems like they've gotten expensive, but compared with other forms of entertainment movies still cost a lot less. Entertainment always soars when times get tough.

Sure it does. There's no law that says that all Nickelback fans are forbidden from ever purchasing anything else. There is room for more than one rock band in the world.

ahhh... perhaps the nickelback release will be a good thing.
the key is getting people into the store. the albums may not necessarily compete with eachother directly. i rarely walk into a store to buy something and leave with nothing else

I agree li'lsparrow. I know U2 fans who don't like Coldplay. I know U2 fans who also love Coldplay (I'm one of them). Similar thing 'cause both bands have very similar styles. But mdonahae2 you hit the nail on the head when you said you're sure David will do just fine. I am too. Simply put, all of the top music formats are hugely competitive. It's kind of an uphill battle for the charts, for just about everyone out there!

It is. And he'll do great. I just don't want to read about Nickelback while I'm looking for stuff on David during that month... it's a personal thing. lol
11th or 18th are both great dates, I have no doubt, and that's why there are many artists releasing around that time. I'm more curious about the single release, i think we can rule out Sept.30 now.


And there's no law that says they will buy David's album.
I think they will share a few fans, but doesn't mean David won't sell.


And Coldplay fans who don't like the last U2 albuns. yeah... we exist

That was a combination I left out! LOL!

And dont forget this combination:

Radiohead fans who don't like Coldplay.
Coldplay fans who don't like Radiohead.
Fans who like both Coldplay AND Radiohead
Fans who like neither!

LOL!!!!
I'm one who LOVES Coldplay and likes Radiohead. I love "Creep." I love David's version more!

Are Nickelback and Cook even on the same label? Why can't Cook release a single on Sept. 30 now? After all, singles are a lot cheaper, and the rock stations can't play Nickelback every single minute of the day.

I guarantee that whenever the single is released that Cook will not be the only one putting out a song that day. There will always be someone else around.

doesn't mean they don't try
nickelback's on roadrunner records.

I've read quite a few comments from people online who may like Nickelback but not David Cook and vice versa.

For me personally releasing CDs the same day is convenient. I love Nickelback. I love David Cook. Win win for me as it kills two birds with one stone! There's plenty of room in my music collection for both so I'll be picking up both CDs. But I think this may prove to be a problem for the fans of both that, due to financial reasons, can't pick up both.

That's me too!
3 great bands anyway


What? Cook is not the only artist in the world?? Shocking!
Obviously he won't be the only person releasing a song in whatever day he releases. But Nickelback is also rock, it's called direct competition from a band that has huge sucess. I don't think it's all that smart if both go for ads in the same day.
Though i wonder if the real rock stations play Nickelback... and if they're going to play Cook.

I may be wrong here, but doesn't David's album being his First Album mean something? There's going to be a certain curiosity attached to it.

With other bands releasing "another" album, you kind of know what you're going to get. Either you like it or you don't.

I think what is going to make the difference is the first single to come off the album. How many different station's playlists will it fit into? He needs the non-AI exposure. We know its going to be rock, but there are so many different sub-genres in rock. Hopefully he has something that will cross over into multiple areas.

I'm really not concerned about him coming out of the gate. The question is how long will it last? If he has come up with the kind of album (like Daughtry) that can produce multiple singles, he will be fine. (I am still amazed at how much mileage Daughtry has gotten from his album.) I don't see David resting on his laurels. He will see how this one does, and I really don't think the second album will be too far behind. He loves making music, and that's just what he will do.

speaking of how long it'll last and about daughtry getting much mileage from his album... what are the odds that david will continue releasing new albums at his pre-idol pace (one per year... or at least every other year) now that's he's got a big label contract? i hope kyrie's right up there about the next one not being too far behind.

in terms of long career... the second album is usually the problem


With concerts and other things there's no way he'll put albuns every year... they wouldn't be good. 2 in 2 years... or maybe 3.

i may forgive him for slowing down if he makes multiple s. fl concert stops in between albums

Ditto. I am a fan of both. I have posted on the Nickelback forum too. Unfortunately, we can't predict how David will do since he's from American Idol. We all think he's going to be huge of course, but I also thought Blake, Katherine, and a few others from Idol would be huge. And they flopped. Kelly, Carrie, Chris are the only 3 to go on and do so well. Oh, and Clay but I think his star is starting to fade a little. *hides from the Claymates*
David's first batch of albums will sell to us AI fans, the rest will go to fans he will gain as time goes on. With rock, you always take a gamble that you won't appeal to the rock industry because they are very hard to crack into. Both by the artists and by the rock fans. They aren't very accepting of idols. Chris is fortunate that he has done so well and that he's a mixture of rock and pop. I'm sure David will win over fans.


I totally agree with you. Actually even though it is hard to wait between albums, the musicians seem to do better when they spread them out 2-3 years. And it leaves the fans wanting more. But yes, I think the sophomore album is important.

I agree that the sophomore CD will tell the tale. By then, the AI fans have certainly moved on.

Jeannine

Well, to be honest when it comes to Blake and Kat I don't think we can honestly compare their failures to how David will do and here is my reasoning.

(1), they were the runnerups and not the winners.
(2) Blake was signed to Arista and wasn't promoted kind of like Kristy Lee isn't being promoted much by them now.
(3) Neither one of made music that was commerical enough and never really found an audience. Both Blake and Kat had to go with major labels with them being runnerups but a lot of their fans had moved on by the time their albums were released. Kat's album wasn't relased till January of last year and that is basically the worst month of the year to release an album. Both Blake and Joridin's promo got pushed back by the writer's strike last fall but all of the delays hurt him much more than they did her and his release was pushed into December because of vocal cord issues.

I also agree that the sophomore release will be the true test.

I think that is the main key. Because Ruben and Taylor were both winners and neither did well because of their style of music. It's not a dig at either of them, just a fact.

This reminds of the early 90s when there was a bunch of Pearl Jam fans who hated STP and felt it was necessary to point out that STP were nothing more than talentless posers. I happen to like both Pearl Jam and STP. Am I the only one? I also like both Coldplay & Radiohead.



While I do agree that when it comes to media and press coverage, it's less desirable that David will have to share the limelight with artists such as Nickleback, I don't think direct competition with Nickleback will play much of a role in determining how successful David's album will be. The success or failure will likely be based upon its own merit. David's album already has generated a lot of buzz with Rob Cavallo producing along with his collobarations with Raine Maida, Jason Wade and Ed Roland. Expectations have been set to a high standard and as long as David can meet or even exceed those standards, success is all but guaranteed.

I LOVE Pearl Jam and STP! Always did and still do. The interesting thing, on the topic of grunge, is that I'm a much bigger fan of Nirvana today than 15 years ago! I also love Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden. I'm a big 90s grunge fan.

Me too!!

what STP? I love Pearl Jam and Smashing. And both bands are still pretty awesome live btw.


I agree with you. i think the impact date should be a different day than Nickleback's... but even if it is the same, i don't think that will dictate the future of the album. I know he can go far... and as long as he has the support he needs, he'll be fine

^STP = Stone Temple Pilots

STP recently reunited and are currently on tour. Not sure what this means for Velvet Revolver. Nothing against Slash, but personally I prefer STP over Velvet Revolver.

And Lee I get what you're saying. In a perfect world Nickleback would release their new album several months after David's, but like you said he'll be fine regardless.

Velvet Revolver says the kicked Weiland out of the band for drug/legal problems and he says he quit. At any rate, they are not officially broken up but they lack a lead singer. I suggest they recruit Chris Cornell since he lacks a band right now but he's currently working on his second solo album so he's probably not interested.

Given his track record, I think it's safe to say he was kicked out for drug-related problems. Hopefully he can straighten himself out or else I'm afraid STP will fizzle out once again. Don't get me wrong, I like Velvet Revolver, but I like STP more, especially their earlier stuff.

Back to the inevitable Daughtry lessons: I think one reason Chris is getting so much mileage out of his album has to do with the fact that his touring with BonJovi added to his legitimacy as an artist (kind of like BonJovi's stamp of approval - not to mention great exposure). Radio stations lost some of their reluctancy to play his songs because he lost that AI stigma that still remains with rock fans. If Cook does a tour with a band of that calibre, CD sales can remain steady and not reliant on AI fans alone.

I like everything I'm just a fan of music. Definitely will be buying a lot more CDs this time of the year. Don't like the digital stuff. Although I think David has gotten everyone focused on his next moves. He will be making moves for sure!

I'm going to disagree about Ruben not doing well. Obviously later in his career he started going downhill but I think a lot of people forget that he sold almost 2 million copies of his debut album. Ruben actually has the record for the highest first week sales numbers for a winner. Problem was he got overshadowed by Clay and his accomplishments were ignored. He also got a grammy nomination his first year out. I think Taylor is really the only winner who's looked at as failing to deliver.

Kat and Blake shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as David as far as I'm concerned. Kat had one problem after another and released her CD at the end of January, Blake was a huge mess. Both had pretty crappy single numbers coming off AI and that should have been a sign of things to come. Blake may have outsold Jordin by a few thousand with singles but he still only sold a total of about 190,000 for the whole season of his most popular song. Kat sold like 200,000 total for her CD single. David sold 236,000 in a WEEK and almost a million downloads total for the week. Obviously that's no guarantee he'll sell humongous come November but he still shouldn't be compared to them..he stands a shot of doing much better just based on numbers and the fact he's a winner. Most importantly he needs to put out music that will expand his fanbase and reach a wider range of people.

Like I mentioned in another thread being #1 isn't the most crucial thing. You need impressive numbers and chart position isn't the most important factor. Daughtry had to compete with a major Beatles release and a hugely hyped Jay-Z album which ended up selling near 700,000. Chris came in at #2 with over 300k..he still got excellent press for that.

Chalk me as a loathe Coldplay U2 fan ;0

Well David Cook debuted 11 singles at the same time on Billboard's Top 100 the first week after the finale--a record not seen since the Beatles in 1964 so that's a sign that he has star written all over him. David Cook has fans outside of the AI fans. There was nothing on TV due to the writers' strike and so people who normally don't watch AI probably watched it this season and I doubt those first timers will watch this next season like they did this season. Though TOML debuted #3 it was because he was competing with himself as Dream Big was #1 and The World I Know was #2, and #4 was I Still Haven't Found What I am looking for was #4. Let us not forget how long Billie Jean stayed at #1 on iTunes too. People are hungry for anything Cook and I think the fans he has now will stick with him and he gained new fans with all the exposure he's had recently.

Blake has a crappy 1st single and he didn't get much promotion by his label. I went to look for his album when it was released and it wasn't even in the stack of New Releases - there were less than a dozen CDs in the normal stack where artists CDs are stacked alphabetically and his was on the bottom of the stack. You would have never seen it if you didn't look for it--and that was Best Buy. The winner - Jordin had her CDs on the outside along the aisle and since she was the winner - she got promoted more.

Ruben sold quite a bit but he faded and the label dropped him. Clay did pretty well but he had a very loyal fan base who literally followed him from city to city when he tours. I have a feeling that his star went from supernova to a pulsar what with the baby issue...and his newest album didn't do very well.

Daughtry did well because people like rock/pop and it plays well on radio. It was a large and diverse audience and fanbase and he didn't have to win AI. Though tween/pop is hot--tweens are fickle and they move onto rock/pop and other things as they mature. Daughtry was more rock than pop/rock but RCA nows pure rock is a harder sell so they steered him to pop/rock. They know what's more radio friendly and it worked for him.

I did David is going to do quite well and people who saw him on AI went looking for Analog Heart and Axium songs--anything they could find on him and normally AI fans don't do that.