20 Biggest Record Company Screw-Ups of All Time

Blender ^ | 03/11/08 | Jon Dolan, Josh Eells, Fred Goodman

[MotleyGirl70]

Interesting article.

[Clemenza]

Putting out this album by Millie Jackson:

[MotleyGirl70]

The Last Of The Mega-Deals #13 One label’s big spending single-handedly ends “alt-rock” boom In 1996, Warner Bros. signed R.E.M. to a five-album contract for a reported $80 million.

I never understood R.E.M.s popularity. I received their CD Out of Time as a gift and I ended up re-gifting it to someone who was a big fan of theirs.

Win-win situation for all : )

[Yardstick]

Regarding #12 — have any of the songs from GNR’s (or really Axl Rose’s) unfinished Chinese Democracy ever surfaced? It’d be interesting to hear what they sound like.

[Larry Lucido]

[tet68]

Saaay, that’s the gal stuck on the can for two years!!!

[Clemenza]

Actually, REM were a pretty cool group until Michael Stipe stopped mumbling (on the Green album) and we could understand the sap coming out of his mouth.

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[MotleyGirl70]

Here's a 30 second cut of it.

Best I could do for ya right now.

[feefee]

I.R.S. made it onto the radio late Feb 2006 for a few days. There were 3 or so others that came out/leaked online as well, but don't know if you can find them now (Better, Blues (?), and Madagascar (?) were the titles then-06).

I liked IRS. The others, medium.

[proxy_user]

How about the dummies who sold the rights to issue any back catalog album on vinyl to Scorpio for nearly nothing?

Now Scorpio is selling more vinyl copies than they are selling CDs.

[Fractal Trader]

The all time biggest screw up was when Meat Loaf’s major label gave him a pass on “Bat Out of Hell.” He put it out on a no name label — I’m sure his royalties were stunning.

[Mr_Moonlight]

Tomorrow Never Knows #2 Decca Records A&R exec tells Fab Four, “No, thanks” Dick Rowe was not the only record-label executive who passed on the Beatles in the early ’60s, but he was the only one who brushed off their manager, Brian Epstein, with the astute prediction that: “Groups with guitars are on their way out.” Epstein begged Rowe to reconsider, so Rowe hopped a train to Liverpool to check out the band live. When he arrived at the Cavern, he found a mob of kids trying to force their way into the club in the pouring rain. Annoyed, he smoked a cigarette, went home and signed Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead. Unintended consequence The Monkees

As a lifelong Beatles fan who attends BeatleFest regularly and knows a bit about their history; The 'unintended consequense' of Dick Rowe's rejection by Decca allowed Epstein to pursue another record company, one Parlophone, run by a 'mad scientist' kinda guy named George Martin ... and we all know how that association turned out :)

My guess is that had Rowe's Decca signed The Beatles to a chincy contract and been allowed to tinker with (and interfere with) the 'chemistry' of the group, that BeatleMania may have never even happened, that they might have had a couple of successful singles in England, and that would have been about the end of it.

George Martin allowed the Beatles to florish on their own, to maintain their own identity, while offering his own excellent production techniques to the mix.

Sometimes a major setback is really a blessing in disguise, and IMO, Decca rejecting The Beatles is one of them.

And the rest ... is history :)

MM

[cmsgop]

Wow! 10 years for that?, Hmmm

[caver]

Interesting! Thanks for posting!

[Yardstick]

Wow! 10 years for that?, Hmmm

That was kind of my thought.

I wonder what Axle is doing now? You always wonder what happens to rockers once their time in the spotlight is finished. In his case, since GNR had so many hits that still get regular radio play, he's probably living pretty well off royalties.

[Clemenza]

George Martin was the REAL Fifth Beatle, NOT Clarence Williams. ;-)

[Liberty Valance]

*

[Gamecock]

As an 18 year old boy I was in awe of the sheer power of “Bat Out Of Hell.” I now have it on my iPod and listen to it a pacing music for my cardio-workouts.

My 16 year old has it on her iPod as well, thinks is the coolest thing ever.

[neb52]

GNR did put another album out during that time, but it was all mostly cover songs and many bad at that.