I originally planned on ending my post about Red Roof Hotels with a reference to Garth Brooks’ “The Red Strokes,” a song from his 1993 album In Pieces that was never officially released to country radio despite an expensive video that allegedly took 5,000 gallons of paint, 12 white Stetson cowboy hats, 18 full tuxes, and six baby grand pianos to make. Maybe the fact that the video shows Garth bathing in sheets of blood as he screams “Passions uncaged! Thundering moments of tenderness rage!” had something to do with its less-than-aggressive promotion. (It was even left off Brooks’ Ultimate Hits DVD.) The clip and a description of its most horrifying moments wait below.
While not as entertaining as Denny’s recent rock sponsorships (Want to hang out with Katy Perry and Say Anything? Go to Denny’s!), the Red Roof hotel chain is planning a similarly extensive campaign with country musicians. “Red Roof knows its guests,” says CEO Joe Wheeling. “They love Country Music, they love football; they are patriotic and hard working. Red Roof Loves Country is our way of giving back to our core customers, connecting them to the music and artists they love.” Along with ads featuring Red Roof “Ambassadors” Little Big Town and Phil Vassar, the chain will hold promotional radio contests, even giving away a year’s worth of mortgage payments.
After noting that the just-announced CMT Music Award nominees include rockers (or “rockers”) Robert Plant, Bon Jovi, Huey Lewis, and the Eagles, the CMT blog says this is nothing to get worked up about. Really, Huey Lewis is just nominated for songwriting because Garth Brooks covered him (!). And Plant, of course, is there because of his duet with Alison Krauss. As for the other two? Well…
Garth Brooks is emblematic of another time in the record industry–a time when the Recording Industry Association of America’s Diamond certification meant something, a time when people would happily plunk down $13.98 or more for his latest album, a time when being “about the music” meant “paying for the music,” mannn. But it’s the age of rampant cost-free downloading, and he’s trying to figure out a way to keep the money flowing in. His solution? Pinning a bright badge to his cowboy hat and handing out tickets. E-tickets, that is!
From the parking lot of last night’s Garth Brooks show in Kansas City, a sign that the “performance-art” world might be running dry of inspiration: “A group of young performance artists passed out ironic “missing person” flyers. More »
Another day, another startup company trying to find a revenue source in the current music economy. However, all you really need to know about