Revolution Radio Promotion and Commercial Performance

[Dakke]

Since the Trilogy was a big commercial letdown, I thought it would be good to check out Bang Bang's (and the album's) performance and discuss commercial promotion and reception in a separate thread. As of this moment (August 13th), Bang Bang is charted third in iTunes' Alternative Section and 30th overall on iTunes (the best rating for a new rock song) and Revolution Radio is featured on the front page and the 3rd best-selling GD album behind Dookie and AI (standard edition).

On Amazon, it has reached the 2n2d place on the Digital Downloads Top 100 and the 2nd place in the Alternative Rock section. Revolution Radio is #20 in the Paid Albums Top 100. The lyric video has been watched over 470 000 times on YouTube in 24 hours and more 4,5 million times on Facebook in less than 3 days.

So, what do you think of the initial promotion efforts and commercial performance of Bang Bang and Revolution Radio?

[Joe K]

I mean those charts sound ok but I have no idea how well have the other singles done commercially right after their release. How did Oh Love do? Or Kill The DJ?

[Steven Seagull]

Oh Love was #1

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

In the Italian iTunes store Bang Bang is #28 in the general chart, #2 in the Alternative one. 
Today a cool banner appeared, and RevRad is the first suggested LP. I think WB is going with a softer/different promotional strategy this time, not necessarily a worse one. I think we have to wait and see what will happen after the summer break (this is a thing also in the US, right?) with the TV promotional shows, talk shows appearances etc. Personally I look forward for another appearance at the Bill Maher's show, with this kind of album it would be pretty cool  
 

7 minutes ago, Steven Seagull said:

Oh Love was #1

Oh Love was #1 in the Billboard chart, that we obviously still don't have.

 

[Joe K]

5 minutes ago, J a c said:

In the Italian iTunes store Bang Bang is #28 in the general chart, #2 in the Alternative one. 
Today a cool banner appeared, and RevRad is the first suggested LP. I think WB is going with a softer/different promotional strategy this time, not necessarily a worse one. I think we have to wait and see what will happen after the summer break (this is a thing also in the US, right?) with the TV promotional concerts, talk shows appearances etc. Personally I look forward for another appearance at the Bill Maher's show, with this kind of album it would be pretty cool  
 

Oh Love was #1 in the Billboard chart, that we obviously still don't have.

 

Ohh shiit, this doesn't doesn't sound too good. Well this song isn't too radio friendly, No big choruses or anything like that. Love the song still, but I think they should've gone with another song in the album as an lead single. A song with a huge chorus or something like that!

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

7 minutes ago, Joe K said:

Ohh shiit, this doesn't doesn't sound too good. Well this song isn't too radio friendly, No big choruses or anything like that. Love the song still, but I think they should've gone with another song in the album as an lead single. A song with a huge chorus or something like that!

I think it's too soon to say how the song is commercially doing. But generally I don't agree with you, there are different factors involved and, considering the status of Green Day's "reputation" three days ago, I think this has been a very good choice. Furthermore if the album actually has this kind of sound and atmosphere choosing a more "soft" track like Ordinary World would be a huge mistake IMHO. The fans' reaction is very important too.  

[DeJennsitized]

Not that I actually know anything about song charting or anything, but I'm pretty sure it takes longer than a few days - maybe a few weeks - for it to really make an impression on the chart. There isn't even a music video yet!

[Joe K]

5 minutes ago, J a c said:

I think it's too soon to say how the song is commercially doing. But generally I don't agree with you, there are different factors involved and, considering the status of Green Day's "reputation" three days ago, I think this has been a very good choice. Furthermore if the album actually has this kind of sound and atmosphere choosing a more "soft" track like Ordinary World would be a huge mistake IMHO. The fans' reaction is very important too.  

I didn't say they should put anything soft out as a single. I also don't want Ordinary World to be an single, but I still think they could've picked a "bigger" song as a single. Just my opinion though. But yeah at least fans have liked it a lot an I guess the "rock" community.

[Dakke]

1 minute ago, Jenn123 said:

Not that I actually know anything about song charting or anything, but I'm pretty sure it takes longer than a few days - maybe a few weeks - for it to really make an impression on the chart. There isn't even a music video yet!

Yeah, I know these statistics are very preliminary, but I think they are actually a good sign. We mustn't forget this is the comeback single of a band that's been bereft of mainstream publicity for three years. I think we shouldn't panic, certainly given that it's almost king of the alternative rock section. 

[DeJennsitized]

6 minutes ago, Dakke said:

Yeah, I know these statistics are very preliminary, but I think they are actually a good sign. We mustn't forget this is the comeback single of a band that's been bereft of mainstream publicity for three years. I think we shouldn't panic, certainly given that it's almost king of the alternative rock section. 

Oh totally. I think the charting at the minute is pretty good considering it's been out two days! I was just saying that it's yet to reach its peak, with the music video not out yet, or the magazine covers, or the Billboard 100 chart update. Chart ranking obviously isn't indicative of song quality but I do really want this one to do well! 

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

Just now, Joe K said:

I didn't say they should put anything soft out as a single. I also don't want Ordinary World to be an single, but I still think they could've picked a "bigger" song as a single. Just my opinion though. But yeah at least fans have liked it alot an I guess the "rock" community.

I know, it was just an example of a song that could be more radio friendly according to the current stereotypes. You may be right, but since these are the only two songs we currently know it's really hard to say. Personally I think it's a very catchy song, that perfectly match the absence of freshness on the radio, with a good promotion and this fanbase reaction it could have very good numbers. The results we have so far are not that bad too, let's wait and see  

[PullingTeeth]

6 minutes ago, Jenn123 said:

Oh totally. I think the charting at the minute is pretty good considering it's been out two days! I was just saying that it's yet to reach its peak, with the music video not out yet, or the magazine covers, or the Billboard 100 chart update. Chart ranking obviously isn't indicative of song quality but I do really want this one to do well! 

I agree! Even though the song's commercial success would certainly not change my opinion about it ( I think it's a really REALLy good song ) it would still be nice if this song did well, especially after the trilogy. The song has mainly been promoted through Billie's instagram before its release, so only Green Day fans were really hyped about it, I'm pretty sure most people had no clue about a new Green Day record before the song's release. So considering the song has only been out for 2 days, and that there's only an interview in RS and a lyric video, the song is actually doing pretty well. I don't know if it's doing as good as really successful Green Day singles like KYE or American Idiot, but it's still really promising! 

[Joe K]

33 minutes ago, J a c said:

I know, it was just an example of a song that could be more radio friendly according to the current stereotypes. You may be right, but since these are the only two songs we currently know it's really hard to say. Personally I think it's a very catchy song, that perfectly match the absence of freshness on the radio, with a good promotion and this fanbase reaction it could have very good numbers. The results we have so far are not that bad too, let's wait and see  

Yeah hopefully this one will do great, And the album too!

[Dakke]

Just now, Jenn123 said:

Oh totally. I think the charting at the minute is pretty good considering it's been out two days! I was just saying that's yet to reach its peak, with the music video not out yet, or the magazine covers, or the Billboard 100 chart update. Chart ranking obviously isn't indicative of song quality but I do really want this one to do well! 

No problem. I also think a music video will certainly help.

[Jean]

I wouldn't mind Ordinary World as a single. It would be good promotion for the movie.

[Christian's Inferno!]

1 hour ago, Dakke said:

The lyric video has been watched over 400 000 times in less than 24 hours.

On Facebook the video has 4.5 million views.

It has 450,000 views on YouTube

[ZSebs]

1 hour ago, Dakke said:

The lyric video has been watched over 400 000 times in less than 24 hours.

That is just on YouTube. Remember, the lyric video was a Facebook exclusive for 24 hours, and that is at 4.4 Million Views

[Dakke]

4 minutes ago, MysticManiac said:

On Facebook the video has 4.5 million views.

It has 450,000 views on YouTube

Yeah, I'll add it. Totally forgot about the Facebook exclusive.

[Christian's Inferno!]

I think most people have good things to say about the new single. Just reading YouTube comments, most people seem to like this song. Although there are some negative comments but that's to be expected because no matter what, some people are always going to dislike it.

On the YouTube video, for every dislike, there are 69 likes

Oh Love has 28 likes per dislike
Kill the DJ has 16 likes per dislike
Stray Heart has 78 likes per dislike
X-Kid has 59 likes per dislike
The Forgotten has 35 likes per dislike
Let Yourself Go has 102 likes per dislike

Compared to the trilogy official videos, it has a better like:dislike ratio than all but Let Yourself Go and Stray Heart

[Steven Seagull]

The song really picked the dislikes. In the morning it had like 400 dislikes, now it's at 685.

[Second favourite son]

3 minutes ago, MysticManiac said:

I think most people have good things to say about the new single. Just reading YouTube comments, most people seem to like this song. Although there are some negative comments but that's to be expected because no matter what, some people are always going to dislike it.

On the YouTube video, for every dislike, there are 69 likes

Oh Love has 28 likes per dislike
Kill the DJ has 16 likes per dislike
Stray Heart has 78 likes per dislike
X-Kid has 59 likes per dislike
The Forgotten has 35 likes per dislike
Let Yourself Go has 102 likes per dislike

Compared to the trilogy official videos, it has a better like:dislike ratio than all but Let Yourself Go and Stray Heart

It's still early days though.  As time goes on, the viewers will shift from fans like us to people who've vaguely heard about the new song or see it in suggested videos.  I'm not saying they won't like it, but those likes will be harder to get than from people like me who didn't really have to be won over.

[Chin for a Day]

I think the song is doing very well so far.  The only thing that concerns me is it is not getting alot of radio play.  I have not heard it on any local stations at all.  I've tried contacting them but they do not contact me back.  CT has a pretty big rock station, WPLR.  On their site, they will list an artists entire collection.  If you look at Green Day, the list all the tracks on Revolution Radio, except Bang Bang.  I just couldn't figure that out.  Then I saw someone post that a DJ had received an angry text complaining that the song was about a mass shooter.  

Then I started to think, are some radio stations not going to play it because they think it is too controversial?  Does anyone else think that is happening?    

[DeJennsitized]

7 minutes ago, Steven Seagull said:

The song really picked the dislikes. In the morning it had like 400 dislikes, now it's at 685.

And 47,000 likes. The dislikes are 1.4% of the overall reactions. And if you wanna compare to Oh Love, it's got 3.3% of dislikes. 

But a) Bang Bang's only been out for 2 days and b) it's definitely a more polarising song than Oh Love, which was very inoffensive and safe. (not that that's a bad thing, it's just fact)

[Dakke]

2 minutes ago, JJ1964 said:

I think the song is doing very well so far.  The only thing that concerns me is it is not getting alot of radio play.  I have not heard it on any local stations at all.  I've tried contacting them but they do not contact me back.  CT has a pretty big rock station, WPLR.  On their site, they will list an artists entire collection.  If you look at Green Day, the list all the tracks on Revolution Radio, except Bang Bang.  I just couldn't figure that out.  Then I saw someone post that a DJ had received an angry text complaining that the song was about a mass shooter.  

Then I started to think, are some radio stations not going to play it because they think it is too controversial?  Does anyone else think that is happening?    

It bothers me too. I don't think it's too controversial for most stations (no explecit content) but it isn't as radio-friendly as American Idiot, KYE or 21 Guns. Streaming performance is in my opinion just as important a metric.

[jengd]

I haven't heard it at all on UK radio but don't listen very much and annoyingly my internet radio at work was playing up yesterday.  Did hear an ad on Kerrang though with Billie talking about the record for the mag next week.