"Most people do 10 percent, maybe 15 percent of their business sales online and the occasional band does 20," said Duritz. "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings did 40 percent in its first week. That's why we ended up at number three. We've been gone for ages. There's no way our record should have been anywhere near it but that online stuff pushed us to number three."
He still thinks "You Can't Count On Me" was the wrong choice for a first single, but a combination of the digital 45, a bold plan, and the resolve to fight for the plan and record have put the band back on top.
"It was a compromise," he said. "I wanted that digital 45. I wanted those free downloads. I knew that was the most important thing and it worked, too."
Duritz sees the Internet as more than a way to push album sales, though. There is still a staggering untapped potential for what can be done through the Internet.
"There's a big world out there right now that's everyone linked and connected to everyone else," he said. "There's a world out there of people who love music and because of the Internet are getting a chance to write about it and talk about it who maybe didn't get a job at someplace bigger but they can do it online. Three's a huge world out there of interconnected people who respect and are thoughtful about music.
"There's no way a machine that connects everyone in the world for free is a bad thing. That's just not how the world works. Communication does not fuck the world up."
Hear the full interview with Adam Duritz on the B-Sides Concept Album program.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i just love how Duritz was ready to take on Iovine. he really does "get it".
2 - Josh Hathaway
Yeah, I like the "old school" mentality he seems to have about making music and conceiving albums combined with an understanding of new approaches in getting it to the masses.
Iovine has always come across tough and smart when I've seen him in interviews. It doesn't surprise me that he got it.
3 - runaway dorothy
Every day I pass Sullivan St. and can't help but sing 'Took the way home, that leads back to Sullivan Street...'
runaway dorothy
New York, NY 10009
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4 - El Bicho
Am I missing something? All I see is a huge blank space and then the get-share button
5 - Josh Hathaway
I am seeing the full embedded widget on my screen, El B. I'm not the world's greatest tech guy, but it's there in my browser. Do you have any sort of adblock software on in your browser?
6 - JC Mosquito
I did the old fashioned thing - went out and boought the CD because word was it was GOOD. And IT IS. But 1492 would kicked the world in the head as a single - it's too good to give away.
7 - Josh Hathaway
The record company didn't even want "1492" on the record, if you can believe that. That was the song Adam wanted as the first single. I think he's right.
Part 2 will be on the way soon. I'd hoped to tackle that tonight but my wife's car broke down so I'll be taking a spool of duct tape to it and seeing if I can get it running. I wish I had a web cam for this. Me and cars are comic gold.