David Cook – Light On plus Application Available on iTunes this Week

Er… a lighter app? Who’s going to sit staring at a lighter on their iphone or ipod touch while listening to the song? That’s more useless than the koi pond app I bought for my iPhone but found pretty boring after using it for 5 minutes. Now I’m not sure whether to delete it because it’s taking up space or keeping it because I actually paid for it.

Question, though, does this count as an app sale or as a single sale?

I guess Itunes really likes David, to use his single to promote one of their apps.
I wonder if he already knew this by the end of the tour, when he was all about people making light in the dark while he was filming…

I’m more interested in what he has to say about the album cause I don’t own an Iphone or Ipod Touch.
Good to know that TOML still doesn’t fit the album, even though it’s there as a bonnus track and that there are tracks heavier than Light On. Bring on the rock.

This is almost embarrasing for the song. Why does RCA think LO cannot sell on its own? What the heck with all the gimmicks? Cook’s rock cred will be shot if RCA doesn’t knock it off with the stupid promotions which just make them look desperate to save a failing single (which is not failing IMHO).

I guess Itunes really likes David, to use his single to promote one of their apps.

The way I read it was that the lighter app was created for LO. It wasn’t an Apple application. Apple actually makes very few applications–most of them are third-party developers. A third-party developer was probably paid to develop the app and it will be available through iTunes.

The app is kind of weird. There are already lighter apps on iTunes for $.99 anyway. But hey, at least it prompted an article. My iPod is just about filled up so I’ll definitely save the space. The iTunes app store is still new-ish. This might be the first time a song has been linked to an app which makes it of interest, I guess.

I certainly don’t see how it’s desperate or embarrassing – I’m not expecting to see big banners on the iTunes front page plugging this thing and I doubt that this will count as a single sale. Were there other “gimmicks” I missed? Oh that’s right, having an iTunes pre-sale for the album was gimmicky somehow.

If an Idol can manage to put out a record that does not suckà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’considering the rushed conditions and commercial considerations theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re working under, I consider that a winà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

I totally agree. I’m thinking that David’s CD will fall under the “does not suck” category and I’m glad to hear that he’s proud of it. (Of course, I guess he can’t really go to the press and say: “it’s a POS, I wish I had another six months” or “meh, it’s OK”). I guess we’ll know in 22 days.

It sounds like it’s probably the Zippo lighter application that’s already available but they made LO part of it. I’m trying to figure out if this is something RCA cooked up or if Apple thought it was a clever tie-in as a way to pimp the application. It is pretty pointless and to be honest if I didn’t just get an iPhone two weeks ago I’d probably roll my eyes, but, well I’m a sucker.

Only if you’re not an avid concert-goer. If you are (like moi. Heh), you’ll luuuuuurve it. When I first heard Light On, I thought yup, that song has the hookiest chorus that can easily sweep the floor at concerts. My co-workers who are not avid AI fans easily picked up the lyrics and can break out spontaneously into the song to wind me up (I pretend I hate it. Not!). I’m getting that cool thing coz I don’t smoke, don’t have a lighter, wouldn’t light one if I had it anyway coz I’d hate to pollute the environment that way, and it’s a LOT cooler that the cheap plastic glowstick (yeah, it’s cheesy but it goes with my pppink panties, green nail polish and blue tongue…..never mind).

edit: No blog on blog talk. Stick to the subject, please.

The way I read it was that the lighter app was created for LO.

It sounds like one that already exists. But till we see it I guess we’ll not know.

It sounds like one that already exists. But till we see it I guess weà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll not know.

There are a lot of applications on iTunes that do the exact same thing. And the Zippo lighter app isn’t created by Apple, but by Zippo. Apple has no more monetary interest in it than any other application.

I thought lighters were banned by concert venues and the new thing was cell phone lights.

à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“You get a lighter during a rock ballad and nobody burns their thumbs.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

from the Snark King’s mouth himself. *giggles* how did he know that this was going to spark a philosophically deeeeeeep discussion here?

I thought lighters were banned by concert venues and the new thing was cell phone lights.

Well, the new thing now is the Light On application from David Cook. LOL

Am I the only one that thinks when David Cook’s concert comes around, everyone will be waving the iPhone/iTouches with the application on?

It is just another cheesy promotion dreamed up by RCA. The lighter app is .99, LO is .99–you can get both separately, but this way RCA is creating “news”. I hate this for Cook. Cook is all about making a serious important album, not about exploiting his hardcore fanbase to buy yet another copy of LO to make LO look like a success. If LO never sold another copy, I am sure that the album will still be a huge success once word of mouth gets going. Cook is too good an artist to not be popular, so why does RCA have to make him look desperate?

Apple has no more monetary interest in it than any other application.

They have monetary interest in it, doesn’t matter if it’s more or less than the others. Combining the two things is a way to promote not just the music but also the apps. It’s a win-win situation for them.

They have monetary interest in it, doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t matter if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more or less than the others. Combining the two things is a way to promote not just the music but also the apps. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a win-win situation for them.

I’m not dissing the song (the app I think is silly) or Cook. What I’m saying is that Apple didn’t say to themselves, “Hey Cook is such a great performer and musician! Let’s make an app especially for him!” That’s not what happened. Apple didn’t make this application. A third-party developer did and Apple just happens to be selling it. I’m sure they’re glad to sell it. They’re glad to sell a lot of things because it doesn’t cost them a whole lot to make it available, yet they get a portion of the sales.

I really don’t believe that anyone in the real world outside of the AI bubble will equate an iPhone application with a song as desperation by the record label.

Interesting discussion, I guess (maybe), but I have no 2 cents to add. Who would have guessed that a discussion on some .99 app would be so important. :ponder_tb:

“Am I the only one that thinks when David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s concert comes around, everyone will be waving the iPhone/iTouches with the application on?”

Nope. I’m up there, front and center! Love it.
Try to leave a liiiiiiight on when iiiiiiiii’m gone…….*waving arms*!

Yeah, that sound about right, Aileen.

What next…………Free Coke?

Who will buy a bundle if the application is available alone other than hardcore fans? And they will be buying another copy of LO for this? So their copy of the single and the copy from album pre-order are not enough for RCA. Whatever sells the song I guess, lol.

Light On is currently No. 39 in iTunes overall and No. 11 in Pop………How many days till November 18? ;-)

I don’t know–I don’t think it’ll count as another single sale. My thought is that the song is embedded in the application and the real reason they’re putting this out is because it’s another reason to put out a press release and get his name in the news–publicity.

Hee… Another WTF moment from DC. Gotta love the guy – he has guts! He probably thinks the lighter’s cheesy with a capital “C”, but then decided – what the heck! Why not give the fans and naysayers another thing to chew on/analyze to death prior to the record release? :)

By the way, is it Saturday night yet? :)

I guess I don’t understand why every single time RCA does something to promote the single or the album, it is called out as “being desparate”? Is that not their job to promote an artist? What do people want the label to do? Just throw it out there on its own and let it fend for itself? Then people would be complaining that RCA wasn’t doing their job. It’s just an app. People will either buy it or not. At least the label is trying to think outside the box and try some new things. I think it is great. I also think it would be great to use it at a Cook concert!

“Whatever sells the song I guess, lol.”

Yes, it is about selling the song. That is their job.

Edit: Please don’t question the motives of your fellow posters.

Perhaps this is just one of many more apps to come for other artists on iTunes too. I don’t think RCA is desperate at all. I think they are doing a good job promoting him, i.e. getting him the gig on SNL the weekend before the election.

Applications don’t count towards single sales. It’s just promotion. He won, he’s supposed to get pushed. LOL. It may be the first time in Idol history, outside of Carrie Underwood, the winner actually got treated like a winner.

I guess it’s kind of like having a David Cook t-shirt, but for less money. Then all the real people in the club can know each other at the concerts with their lighters.

It sounds really interesting to me and I have never heard of it before but it absolutely fits this song. It is called Light On BTW. I am very glad to see that RCA is doing its job in promoting this song, the album and Cook. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work but it is a innovative idea and it is only 1.99 which is what a soft drink costs. I say great job Cook’s team and RCA. Good going.

I am really starting to wonder WTH is wrong with RCA. I wonder if David really said he wants this song to outlast him. This is just going to feed the fanwars. It comes across as arrogant. :unsure_tb:

This is just going to feed the fanwars.

I don’t think it matters. In the big picture, fanwars are small potatoes–trivial stuff.

I’ve thought all along that the itunes partnership with AI was genius on both their parts. Apple gets people who otherwise wouldn’t make the switch to buy iPods and use itunes, (and once you start you can’t stop….or is that just me?) and AI gets basically free money from single sales and a decent idea of which contestants have the potential to sell and who doesn’t, so they don’t waste their time signing anyone (see Syesha). Lots of pluses for very little effort on the part of AI or Apple. What intrigued me the most though, is the treasure trove of marketing data that 19 and eventually the labels would have on who is already buying these artists. They know exactly who is buying David Cook’s music. Something in the data convinced them that this combined app would sell. This is thinking outside the box to try to make virtually free money for very little effort. (An already existing song, an already existing app.) It makes me think it was Apple’s idea, not RCA’s, especially since they are trying to push the new apps store.

ETA: Just to clarify I mean that I think it was Apple’s idea because it involves creative thinking – something record companies are notoriously bad at.

It’s a cute gimmick and the teens will love it.

I am really starting to wonder WTH is wrong with RCA. I wonder if David really said he wants this song to outlast him. This is just going to feed the fanwars. It comes across as arrogant. :unsure_tb:

The application comes across as arrogant? Or the wanting the song to outlast him thing? Or both? I do wish he’s stop saying the important thing though. Unless of course, the album comes out and it really is that fanfreakintastic. But I doubt it.

I agree with mj on fanwars. Nobody cares. Most people won’t even know the app exists anyway.

Since we’re talking about Light On, I’ll mention that it’s #30 on this week’s Mediabase HAC spin charts for Oct 19-25. Go Light On! (And Crush is #20.)

This is just going to feed the fanwars. It comes across as arrogant.

No fan w***ing from me. (don’t want to type the dirty word :thumbdown_tb:) I’m still rooting for both David’s to succeed, and I hope others will do the same. :smile2_ee:

Come on Fans of the Davids! Let’s unite and make them both tops in their genres. What do you say? We could make them both huge stars! Just “imagine” it. Can’t you see it? Double D everywhere.

Just call me “optimistic to a fault”.

~pollyanna

The above posting is a public service announcement from a retired TWoPper. :lol_ee:

The only reason I am concerned is because this is yet another “hit” to his rock cred. I did not want Cook to be my pop idol. I have Archie for that. I wanted a rocker, a real rocker, and RCA seems to be doing everything in their power to deny his rock cred. Cheesy promotion is for Archie (who I really love too) singing at high schools etc. Cook is better than this, IMHO. The interview quotes are all kinds of wrong also, IMHO. Leaves too much room for negative impressions to be formed by casual fans.

The best thing that could happen for his rock cred is to put out an amazing album. I bet Metallica has an ITunes app in a few weeks. LOL. Things like this do not ruin careers, imo. Bad songs do.

Erà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦ a lighter app? Whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s going to sit staring at a lighter on their iphone or ipod touch while listening to the song? Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s more useless than the koi pond app I bought for my iPhone but found pretty boring after using it for 5 minutes.

Actually, the koi pond app is an extremely popular app in ITunes. It has been in the top 10 of the top paid apps almost since it came out. So a win win situation for both apple and the developer there. BTW, I have it on my iPod Touch, and I love it. So I guess what is silly to some, is great to others. That is what makes the world go round. People have different tastes. Some will like the Light On app, others won’t. Glad RCA is trying it though.

“Applications donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t count towards single sales. Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s just promotion. He won, heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s supposed to get pushed. LOL.”

….come to think of it true………or even “used” as a result of the AI title….it wont harm DC, its just fun to talk about………

I’ve been wondering what we’d get this week to keep David and Light On in the public eye. Seems like there’s something planned for every week for at least the next month, what with the video and album being released, the various TV and in-person appearances, and the magazine articles. I was hoping we might get the video this week- oh well, a girl can still dream!

I don’t understand how promotion equals desperation. If anything, I would think that it signals confidence that David will have big enough sales to justify the promotional expenses. It also seems pretty typical for a major release. I couldn’t turn around all summer without Coldplay being in my face (not that I mind too much, but I did get sick of the Viva La Vida commercial!). If anyone has rock cred these days, it should be them. The Jonas Brothers were everywhere during August and September- all over the newstands, TV, iTunes, etc. (Including the cover of Rolling Stone, which is ready to give rock cred to them, if glowing music reviews are any indication.) Even my 12 year old daughter gave up trying to keep up with every appearance and article. Given that the boys earned $12 million last year, I can’t imagine that their record co. is all that desperate. LOL It’s more like they want to make sure that every potential fan has enough exposure to the music to want to buy it. Isn’t that the point of the music business? How is that a bad thing?

Actually, the koi pond app is an extremely popular app in ITunes. It has been in the top 10 of the top paid apps almost since it came out. So a win win situation for both apple and the developer there. BTW, I have it on my iPod Touch, and I love it. So I guess what is silly to some, is great to others. That is what makes the world go round. People have different tastes. Some will like the Light On app, others wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t. Glad RCA is trying it though.

I know the koi pond app is popular–it’s just kinda boring after a couple of minutes–at least to me. The novelty fades pretty quickly.

HAHA LOVE THIS.(I major in EE so of course…) Innovative! That’s the word I was looking for, unlike Amazon email LOL.

They must have some good deal with iTunes, maybe this is the reason Darren got featured in iTunes’ new release letter twice.

I love it when artists(or their label) try new tech stuff like this. When Evanescence released their last album, they made a yahoo widget. Things like this might not have a big impact on…anything. But they’re fun and win-win for both sides.

I really donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t believe that anyone in the real world outside of the AI bubble will equate an iPhone application with a song as desperation by the record label.

I agree with this Aileen.

For those who want it they will buy it, for those who don’t want it, well I’m guessing they won’t buy it. LOL

Don’t understand how this could ruin his rock cred though. In this age of young people and tecnology it makes sense. Sounds way cool for a concert!

Go RCA for promoting our boy in different ways!

I was looking out on the App store, and I saw one particular lighter app out there. One of the features of the app allows you to view a globe that shows all the lighter flames people are running on their ipods or iphones across the world. It shows everyone’s flames all on the globe. You can actually zoom in on the map to see your personal flame. It would be cool if the “Light On” app showed something similar and showed flames of all the people playing “Light On” with the new app at the same time! The globe could be one massive ball of Cookie flames! LOL

Good for Cook and for LO. Maybe it will push the song to itune top 10. Looking forward to the following weeks, wonder what is next. Creative marketing is amusing.

Sadly, I don’t think anything will push LO to top ten. Though I would love to be proven wrong about this.

(ugh, LO (39) is sliding down while the magic rainbow (77) is going up)

That globe lighter thing sounds really cool. :)

Before this evening I had no idea ipod apps existed. The marketing for this type of application goes very narrow to only a specific segment of the population. Its not just for DC fans because a very small section of them even own an ipod touch. I’m glad there is a new feature that DC is a part of marketing. I wish I’d be able to see what its all about but I’m not one of the ipod touch folks this news is marketing to and thats ok.

If anything, I would think that it signals confidence that David will have big enough sales to justify the promotional expenses. It also seems pretty typical for a major release. I couldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t turn around all summer without Coldplay being in my face

Agree. To me, the most promising artists always get the best promotion. It’s too risky for labels to pour that much money into artists that are less of a sure thing. I think the SNL gig is one of the many proofs that RCA is very excited about David. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the i-phone app for LO wasn’t initially proposed by i-TUNES.

I’m not worried about rock cred.. Not too far back, people thought U2 would lose rock cred by doing iPOD adds and now it’s the norm for big artists such as Coldplay to advertise Apple products to promote their songs. I’m definitely not equating David with Bono (relax guys), I’m just saying that I think this rock cred thing is overrated and there are only a few people out there who would refuse to listen to David’s music because he chose to attach his song to some techno gadget. I also thought the description sounded kinda cool…

David’s honesty doesn’t seem to hurt him with any of the magazines that have featured him so far. Rolling Stones keeps coming back for more so I guess he’s doing something right! :thumbup_tb:

redridinghood, don’t worry. LO is no.1 taking off on HotAC now and Darren out-pre-ordered Beyonce I say everything is fine in the world LOL.

lol, elisad, call me ‘eeyore’ for short. :)

I’m glad rca, itunes or whoever, is supporting David by doing all these promotions. and I’m really excited about this saturday.

^_^ OK. But the doesn’t really seem like a shortened form of your ID…

SNL will push LO to top 10 I Think. Anyway, not a big fan of Cook, but happy for him that RCA is very much in his corner. Go Cook!

redridinghood, donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t worry. LO is no.1 taking off on HotAC now and Darren out-pre-ordered Beyonce I say everything is fine in the world LOL.

Who’s Darren? lol.

That’s what Rami(Ramiele Malubay) calls David Cook.

ETA: Oh…I’m sorry you have to explain your joke to me…

elisad, I’m always pessimistic so might as well call me eeyore, hehe. I’m just kidding though.

E, I’ve thought about that scenario as well, but if it stays there for only 1 week or so then falls into 20s below, that’ll be the final proof that people just don’t like LO.

E, Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ve thought about that scenario as well, but if it stays there for only 1 week or so then falls into 20s below, thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll be the final proof that people just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like LO.

I don’t think it’s that they don’t like the song. There are simply songs that you hear and you’re like “I MUST HAVE THAT SONG!” and other songs that you hear and go, “wow, I like that song,” but you just don’t ever get around to downloading it.

I don’t know which one LO is. It’s starting to get good airplay on Hot AC, and it’s doing okay on pop. If its sales steadily increase as its airplay increases then we’ll know that it has at least some “ZOMG MUST HAVE IT” appeal.

There’s no doubt it’ll get a sales bump from SNL. That’s guaranteed. Not sure it’ll go top 10. Adele didn’t. Coldplay didn’t. It helped Coldplay and Adele’s album sales, but those albums were already out and you could hear song samples, so I’m not sure it’ll be quite as much of a boost for Cook’s album, which will still be on pre-order. It will get some boost though.

I think for LO to go top 10 the week after his SNL appearance, it needs to be higher on iTunes than it is now. The problem with Chasing Pavements for Adele and Viva La Vida for Coldplay is that neither were near the top 10 when they made an appearance. Chasing Pavements was way far down. Viva La Vida was in the 30s. It doesn’t take a whole lot to move from way far down to the 20s, which is what Adele did (the sales gaps become larger the farther you go up the list). So we’re probably talking a bump from 12K to 45K (didn’t check the exact numbers). Great bump, but not top 10.

LO needs to start in the top 20 to make it to the top 10 due to SNL… I think. According to how other SNL songs have behaved. There already has to be a core demand for the song that puts it in that spot so that SNL can simply build on that. It just doesn’t have enough airplay yet.

“I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s that they donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t like the song. There are simply songs that you hear and youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“I MUST HAVE THAT SONG!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  and other songs that you hear and go, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“wow, I like that song,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  but you just donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t ever get around to downloading it.”

I think if LO is either of those, it wouldn’t be as low on iTunes as it is. I’m not really basing this on anything except that a lot of people know who DC is and like him, and by now people know he has a single out. My expectations for a single by DC is at least stability in the 30s. The pre-orders helped LO go up, but that reflects hopes for the album and not the single itself.

“Mythos” = Wordnerd word of the day

I’m not sure why top ten on Itunes has become some kind of ultimate arbiter of a song’s likability. Crush hasn’t cracked the top ten, except for a moment or two here and there, since its first week, and by all accounts IT is a pretty popular tune.

Also, LO’s AI #s are STILL below 6M, whereas Crush started at 7.5M. Finally, LO is a rock song (mislabeled as pop). Look at Itunes’s top ten. How many of them are rock songs? Nickelback (#13) didn’t even have extended staying power in the top ten, compared to some of the pop monsters who have hung in there forever. And Hinder’s “Without You” (in my view, a MUCH better song than their egregious “Lips of An Angel”) sits at #96.

As for the lighter application, I’ll admit it makes me cringe. DC fights an uphill battle to gain mainstream rock acceptance and crass commercialism of this sort and that of the Skechers deal don’t help his cause.

But, people are hitting it on the head when they cite the Idol/ Itunes relationship. There were questions about why Cook has been getting so much promotion on Itunes. The WSJ article debunked the idea that RCA was paying for it. A lot of people thought this past week it was because of the prior week’s fuckup related to the things that happened when people tried to download LO.

But, it may just be that the relationship runs deeper than we realized and that part of what 19 gets in the process is that Itunes is expected promote the hell out of Cook and Archie….

When I was a little younger there was a band called the Rolling Stones, I think they still might be around, I seem to remember a bit of crass commercialism associated with the band, an unusual album cover, tee shirts with huge lips and tongues on them, posters, books, etc etc. They seem to have done alright. Don’t get me wrong I am not comparing DC to the Rolling Stones I am just pointing out that commercialism, crass and otherwise, has been around for a long time and if the music is good most people do not care. Rock Cred should be about the music and I believe it is for the most part.

Noctem stated:

But, it may just be that the relationship runs deeper than we realized and that part of what 19 gets in the process is that Itunes is expected promote the hell out of Cook and Archieà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦.

As Ryan Seacrest has said, “Amen, Brother.”

You guys put too much stock in itunes. I never even looked at who had the top songs in itunes before david cook. NEVER. Im sure there are alot of people just like me. I never even bought time of my life. Light On is the first song I have ever downloaded from itunes. I hate to say this, but me and alot of other people, if we wanted a song on our ipod, theres always limewire. Im sure im not the only one.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m not sure why top ten on Itunes has become some kind of ultimate arbiter of a songà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s likability. Crush hasnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t cracked the top ten, except for a moment or two here and there, since its first week, and by all accounts IT is a pretty popular tune.

I don’t think that was redridinghood’s point–that a song has to crack the top 10 to show it’s liked. The song with promotion has to show legs, and without promotion has to show stability. If it just has a temporary spike during big promotion and then falls way down right after the promotion, that says something about the song. It means people aren’t caring enough to find the song on their own without somebody hitting them over the head with it.

And like I said, it’s too early to know whether LO is that type of song, or whether its falling is just a product of being unfamiliar. There will be a point, however, where it should be familiar enough that, if it doesn’t stabilize at a decent rank on iTunes, it shows the song isn’t hitting right with consumers. Rock singles don’t sell as much as pop singles, generally, but they should still sell decently if it’s something the public wants. Nickelback’s single may be falling now, but it took a long time to do so, and is still at #13. It has, as of now, stabilized at a very good place given its airplay. Staying in the teens is very respectable (heck in the 20s is very respectable).

Lord love a duck!

How many times are they going to go to the same well with this one? LOL. Well, at least they are giving fans a reason to own more than one copy. They need to find more new fans and stop trying to milk their existing ones. Concentrate on that RCA. (although, the promo schedule for November looks good).

The problem with Chasing Pavements for Adele and Viva La Vida for Coldplay is that neither were near the top 10 when they made an appearance. Chasing Pavements was way far down. Viva La Vida was in the 30s.

The problem with Viva La Vida is that it is old. It was released on May 25th and the video I hate was released on August 1st. It peaked on the Hot 100 on June 28th (at number 1). It’s already moved 2473736 units to make it one of the best selling digital songs of all time (6th for the year, 20th for ever). I think almost everybody who likes that song has purchased it (except me…I need to get organized)

You guys put too much stock in itunes.

Earlier this year, iTunes surpassed Walmart as the biggest music retailer in the US. IMO, people probably don’t put enough stock in iTunes. It owns 85% of the legal download market. During the first nine months of this year, the download market was 795.8 million tracks and 47.3 million albums (rough math, more than $1 billion in sales for iTunes alone…in 9 months).

I hate to say this, but me and alot of other people, if we wanted a song on our ipod, theres always limewire. Im sure im not the only one.

LOL. Nobody needs customers like that. NOBODY. Seriously, what’s the point? RCA isn’t going to spend one dime trying to get more people to download songs on limewire. Not unless they’ve seeded a virus so they can track illegal downloaders and sue them for piracy later on. There isn’t even really a point to track how many illegal downloads there are unless the artists want to go complain to Congress about how much people are stealing from them. Artists can’t even brag about it unless they are into some kind of gangster genre. “My fans are bigger thieves than your fans!!!!”. Sure, there are lots of people who will steal a song, but I’m not sure what we are supposed to do with that fact.

Soundscene, I agree with your overall point that a single can’t depend entirely on special promotions and has to show it can stand on its own. However, this:

Rock singles donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sell as much as pop singles, generally, but they should still sell decently if ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s something the public wants.

If you have five minutes or so, listen to the snippets from every rock song in Itunes top 100. A few of them shouldn’t even be labeled as rock, but of the five I would consider true rock songs, three of them– Saving Abel’s “Addicted”, “The Bartender Song”, and “Bad Girlfriend” are obviously riding the appeal of explict/ highly-sexual lyrics. The other two rock songs are Nickelback (I guess that’s a rock song) at #13 and Hinder at #96. The songs by Gavin Rossdale, OAR, and Matt Nathanson’s “Come On Get Higher” have no business being categorized as rock.

I’m really OK with Light On not making the Top 10 on iTunes. Maybe David will be spared the indignation of having his song on a Kidz Bop compilation.

I just want the album to do well enough for them to release additional singles, and well enough for David to record another album. I think it’s too soon to make any predictions regarding the long term success of the single or the album since he hasn’t even actually promoted the song yet and no one has heard any other songs on the album.

You guys put too much stock in itunes. I never even looked at who had the top songs in itunes before david cook. NEVER.

I never looked at iTunes let alone who was #1 before David Cook. NEVER. I still don’t have an iPod and seriously doubt I will get one. I tend to buy CD’s or when they aren’t available I will download from Amazon. I can then have it easily available to burn onto a CD or to listen to through Windows Mediaplayer. I have never bought a music video but I’ll be doing that too.

edit: You are very close to getting banned. Read the guidelines before you post here again.

Love iTunes, especially their album countdown and celeb playlist. And podcast, man…I can’t live without that. Hate iPod. There are way too many better mp3 players than that. However Apple is trying to monopolize both markets and probably has succeeded.

About illegal downloads, I’ll qoute Bob lefsetz.

Sure, the old outlets still have some power, but it is rapidly fading. And unless you want to have a one year career, NEXT YEAR, youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re better off abandoning the old game and going your own way.

You donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to hear this. You want it to be easier. You want to be rescued. But thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s no government bailout for artists. Youà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re lucky if people steal your music. Then maybe theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll become fans, and buy tickets to see you live.

I understand all about illegal downloads and that they are a reality. Once that door was opened it was not going to close.

I think what idol fans understand though is that if the music is stolen, maybe the theives will become fans, but if they are no counted sales there will be no concerts to buy ticket to. So until there is enough evidence, ie, units sold, idol watchers will be using itunes as a barometer of popularity.

im sure there are alot of people like me that never looked at itunes to see what songs are number 1.

Sure. But there are lots of people who look too. Who is RCA/Cook more interested in appealing to? The people who regularily pay for their music on iTunes or the people who never look at iTunes and just use limewire to steal music? They’d be stupid not to be more interested in the iTunes crew (unless they want to prosecute the limewire crew).

As for the limewire, if you think nobody uses it, then you have your head in the sand.

I know that a lot of people use it. I just don’t think it has any relevance to anything. I might be interested in which car gets stolen the most because I might want to avoid buying that car, but I have no interest in knowing which song gets stolen the most. They aren’t stealing from me, so I don’t have a dog in that fight. There is nothing I can do to prevent others from stealing except call it what it is.

In fact itunes isnt the only thing everybody takes too seriously here. Its all just a bunch of fanwar stuff. My idol is doing better than your idol..blah blah.

LOL. That’s not what it’s all about. For some, there is an element of that. Others are just interested in numbers. On the whole, I think that most people are just intelligent enough to realize that if their idol doesn’t move enough units, they will be dropped from their label and will have a hard time getting their future music out. Obviously, stealing music from an artist one likes isn’t going to help their career any. Plus, some people are just not comfortable with stealing. Some are. I don’t think that people who legally buy music need to “lighten up”. Just appreciate a different world view of people who believe in paying the artists they enjoy. Some people will even toss buskers a few bucks when they are not even legally required to do so.

THought I’d weigh in as the poster child for gimmicky commercialism and say this sounds kind of awesome. I think the tie in to the old school rock anthem hold up your lighter nostalgia is fun. Then again, at this time I have an iPhone app that draws a creepy red smile on people’s pictures. You can also stamp said pictures with “Why So Serious” and save them. It was a promo for THe Dark Knight. For a good month I annoyed friends and family by randomly snapping their picture and putting a Joker smile on it. I also downloaded an app that makes cowbell sounds when I shake my phone because it reminded me of my favorite SNL sketch. So far that hasn’t gotten old. I can pretty much guarantee I’m not going to be able to resist getting the Light On lighter now even though I already have a copy of the single. :surrender_tb: They got me. Don’t judge.

As for the success of the single, I really don’t think you can reach any kind of verdict before Cook has made any major public appearances or even released his video. I’ve heard it on the radio twice already on two different stations, and it sounded great. If it doesn’t take off in a huge way, then as far as I’m concerned, there’s no accounting for people’s taste. Mileage varies of course.

I suspect that there are plenty of people who aren’t yet aware that DC has a single out. While he is steadily adding spins on both HAC and Top 40 (and slowly starting to get a few spins on a couple of rock formats), his audience impression is still just shy of 6 million for the week, and there are some major markets that he has just started to crack into. Moreover, some of the listeners who are aware of the single may like it but are planning to buy the CD. You know, usually, I only download singles if I have no intention of buying a CD—say, I only like a song or two of a singer’s, or else it’s a new song on a greatest hits CD, where I already have the other songs.

All of that is to say that I don’t think that we’ll know whether LO is a success until (1) the press push has really gotten into full gear, starting on Saturday with SNL, and (2) the CD has been on sale for long enough to see if it gets strong sales.

Finally, I never thought I’d say this about a major record label, but I’m beginning to feel a bit sorry for RCA. If it does not do promotion (e.g., no banner ad the first week that LO was out), it gets whacked as not supporting DC adequately and I start seeing hypotheses that RCA has already penciled in dropping him for approximately December 3rd, give or take a couple of days. If it does do promotion, (e.g., making a deal with itunes, the biggest gorilla in the music business these days), it gets whacked as being desperate. Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t sort of thing. Yeah, I don’t see myself buying this application even if I had an iphone, but if it increases awareness of the song and/or gets DC more love from the itunes overlords, then I suspect that RCA will be glad that it agreed to the application.

Hmm… this app is confusing. What are you supposed to do with it? People with the lighter application who use it at concerts don’t need music to play at the same time. I mean, if you’re at a DC concert, and he starts playing a rock ballad, even if it’s LO, why would you want to initiate an app on your iphone/itouch that disrupts his live playing with an MP3?? I just can’t figure out when one would want to use this app. But then again, I’m with soundscene in that I don’t quite get the popularity of the koi pond app, so what do I know. I realize there are folks with iphones/itouches who seem hell-bent on buying every cool but useless app they could find just because they can, so for all I know, this “useless” app could shoot to the top of the top applications LOL.

But apart from my own opinion that this app isn’t that useful, I don’t think this matters at all in the scheme of “rock cred” or is any indication of “desperation”. It’s a lil bit of promotion that probably costs RCA nothing (or next to nothing), gets an article out there, but will ultimately have little impact on anything at all since its target audience is tiny tiny. But like, I said, this isn’t costing them millions in ad dollars, so why not? There’s a chance some will like it, and on the off chance it shoots to the top of the list of popular apps, it gets another mention in the iTunes front page.

Finally, I never thought Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d say this about a major record label, but Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m beginning to feel a bit sorry for RCA. If it does not do promotion (e.g., no banner ad the first week that LO was out), it gets whacked as not supporting DC adequately and I start seeing hypotheses that RCA has already penciled in dropping him for approximately December 3rd, give or take a couple of days. If it does do promotion, (e.g., making a deal with itunes, the biggest gorilla in the music business these days), it gets whacked as being desperate.

Amen to that. We finally have a label willing to fully back an Idol winner, and its still a target for scorn. I think, for once, the label just likes the artist. Good for them.

Archie’s getting good treatment right now too. Jive is handling him the way they always treat valued teen acts. Kristy Lee is the only one of the 3 getting screwed. That’s a pretty good record for Idol.

The lighter thing seems like smart promo to me. Just another way to make money in a dire music market like selling T-shirts, etc.

As far as LO on iTunes. its ranking there is another way to see how well a song is doing. Goes hand in hand with checking its progress on the radio. So far Cook’s album seems off to an excellent start with lots of pre-orders. The single looked like it was doing a swan dive but seems to have settled in at this point. That’s about all I can say about it. If it does another dive, I’d say it’s not connecting with the audience but Cook still has lots of fans who are interested in him and his album.

Even though I argued the opposite way with Blake, I don’t think RCA’s support has much to do with them “liking” Cook. If he doesn’t move the units, the fact that he’s a nice guy won’t mean much.

I donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t think RCAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s support has much to do with them à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“likingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Cook. If he doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t move the units, the fact that heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a nice guy wonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t mean much.

Oh, whenever someone here talks about RCA “liking” Cook, I always take it to mean that RCA likes him because they believe he will make them a lot of money, not that they like him because they think he’s a nice guy.

Oh, whenever someone here talks about RCA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“likingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Cook, I always take it to mean that RCA likes him because they believe he will make them a lot of money, not that they like him because they think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a nice guy.

Yeah, in any case, it’s always about the money. Always.

I am not interested in silly apps like that, but I think getting his name out there is good for him. Look how many people are commenting on it today.

I saw the article in the paper today and it had a nice picture with it as well. I thought the quote at the end was more snark worthy. Something about how he wants the album to outlive him or something. I think glowering rockers get a pass on all this stuff though. What I read as pretentious I guess comes across as serious.

If you have five minutes or so, listen to the snippets from every rock song in Itunes top 100. A few of them shouldnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t even be labeled as rock, but of the five I would consider true rock songs, three of themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’ Saving Abelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Addictedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Bartender Songà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ , and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Bad Girlfriendà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  are obviously riding the appeal of explict/ highly-sexual lyrics. The other two rock songs are Nickelback (I guess thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a rock song) at #13 and Hinder at #96. The songs by Gavin Rossdale, OAR, and Matt Nathansonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Come On Get Higherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  have no business being categorized as rock.

I’m not sure I get your point here. How does this relate to rock single sales in general? I’m not trying to make any point–I actually don’t know.

Rock singles can sell well if they connect with the audience. They traditionally don’t sell as well as pop singles (although one could argue that there’s simply more pop singles so they seem to always be on top with the rap singles). I don’t think explicit lyrics have much to do with rock single sales in general (whether they sell well or not). The Nickelback single is pop-rock but, honestly (and I’m trying to just be honest about my opinion), I think LO is just as pop-rock. One of the only thing that classifies LO as a rock single in my mind at all is Cook’s voice. Otherwise, Archie could sing it, without changing the instrumentation or the melody, and it would be a straight-up pop power ballad. Archie will have a song on his album called Desperate that, if sung by Cook, would be a rock song. So the lines blur when you’re dealing with top 40 radio songs.

What does that have to do with rock single sales? I don’t know–I’m off on a tangent.

Oh, whenever someone here talks about RCA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“likingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Cook, I always take it to mean that RCA likes him because they believe he will make them a lot of money, not that they like him because they think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a nice guy.

Exactly.

Just because there are screamy vocals in a pop song, doesn’t make LO a rock song. It is classified as a pop song and impacting pop radio, what makes LO a rock song? Even for rock songs, several of them are selling well in top 30 itunes.

What does this “promotion” has anything to do with Cook as the AI winner? Other than Crush, there are about 40 songs outselling LO at this moment which have nothing to do with AI or the top ad from itunes. RCA should learn how to get new fans, not to sell the same song to the same customers over and over again.

Light On Lighter App: Cheesy? Cute? Cheesy? Cute? My internal debate rages on.

From lighters to cell phones to lighters on cell phones. Heh. Ooh look, it’s all ironic and postmodern and stuff.
Or: it’s bringing the old to the new and that means “DC: the album” will be throwback rock brought into the new millenium?
Or, someone at iTunes thought it would be a fun idea and RCA concurred.

I don’t have an iPod because as someone said above, there are better mp3 players out there that cost less. My bf does though and he has a coin flipping app that apparently hasn’t worn out its amusement value. (??) Maybe he’ll be interested in this…

I don’t think everything RCA is doing is a matter of it being desperate, but to be honest I think LO should be doing better. There was a prominent banner all week and he still started dropping later in the week. Airplay does seem to be picking up a bit so shouldn’t that help sales? I think if RCA was truly desperate they would have had him doing interviews with the major market stations like Z100 and KIIS and would be pushing for airplay there. LO or a link to iTunes isn’t even mentioned on the RCA site. Google ads are pretty par for the course and I also see them all over for Ray Lamontagne and Daughtry. I think there’s a fine line between smart promotion and being desperate. Getting a new artist on SNL is IMO smart, this iTunes thing I don’t necessarily know if it’s smart but it’s at least different in terms of marketing. I just can’t see it doing all that much. I’ll reserve judgment until I see exactly how this is promoted

Other than Crush, there are about 40 songs outselling LO at this moment which have nothing to do with AI or the top ad from itunes. RCA should learn how to get new fans, not to sell the same song to the same customers over and over again.

What is RCA doing wrong? There’s a (probably rather big budget) video that hasn’t been released yet, a slew of public appearances that haven’t occurred yet, etc. DC has barely even done any radio promo at this point. I’m certainly not going to buy LO over and over. Why should a song that was ranked in the 500s in airplay last week be outselling anything in the Top 40 of iTunes?

If people think “Come on Get Higher” and “Love Remains the Same” are rock and “Light On” is pop, well that’s their right. Chris Cornell is well known for his poppy hooks, afterall. I don’t have any more energy to argue about LO because I care about the rest of the album a lot more. I think the article does shed some light on why this song was chosen as sort of the happy medium between the soft intimate songs on the album and the heavier stuff. At least it suggests that David didn’t record the same song 12 times.

RCA should learn how to get new fans, not to sell the same song to the same customers over and over again.

I think I’m hearing this argument a few times here, but I really don’t get it. I don’t think this lighter app is trying to sell the same song to the same fans over and over. There are types of promo and marketing that are aimed at directly increasing sales, but there are other kinds that just build the overall brand. It’s like when U2 came out with a special edition ipod– I don’t think the intention was to court new customers who suddenly want U2 music because wow, they are cool enough to have their own ipod! Of course these products are marketed to existing fans– it’s kinda like the concert T-shirt someone mentioned. I don’t think this application will lead to any direct increase in LO’s single sales, but as I alluded to earlier, I don’t necessarily think that was RCA’s intention. I agree that this was one of those, hey, it won’t cost much at all, we’ll make a small buck, and it’s a longshot, but might even have *some* positive effects on record sales, so why not?

RCA should learn how to get new fans, not to sell the same song to the same customers over and over again.

What makes everyone think that only AI fans/people who’ve already bought LO will want this app/song combo? Apps are popular enough that iTunes has 2 different best seller lists for them on its home page- one for free and one for purchased apps. I can tell you that they’re very popular among the teenagers I know, and don’t seem any more silly to me than the pet rock I owned back in the 70′s! To each his own, I say, and if it gives David a little more visibility, it’s all good.

Honestly, I don’t think the app matters much, or tells anything about RCA’s intentions. It’s nice to see them think outside the box, but I don’t see anything desperate about it… If the app sales don’t count as single sales, and all it’s for is some more promotion, I say that’s a vote of confidence, if anything.

It’s sort of hilarious to see how everyone is dissecting David’s career prospects based on so little – promotion hasn’t started yet, a video isn’t out yet, some of the fans seem to be waiting for November for things to even kick off.

But you know what? Even if LO will really do poorly, even if the audience doesn’t connect with it (which I think it’s too early to say), the album is doing great in presales as far as I can see, and David already has one hit single, soon to reach Platinum status.

If LO is the wrong single, than there will be others. Honestly? I don’t love LO. I much prefer David’s own writing. I’m really looking forward to hearing the other 11 songs on the album. But LO is the current single, and I’d much rather see RCA using some clever promotion tactics than hearing complaints about lack of support like I did a few weeks ago.

People have been lamenting David’s career since before he even won Idol. What else is new? I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see.

I was very eager to have his first single off his album, but it turns out I don’t like LO as much as I should have. That’s the thing bugging me the most. A lot of things feel off lately, like the mislabeling the single as “pop” everywhere, the way the iTunes email was worded, the article sounding like a press release rather than a report, LO has dropped completely out of the Hot 100 and it “has been burning up the charts”, people in the know would get a chuckle but if others want to see how well it’s doing and find out the truth, that would be embarrassing.

And this app sounds really cheesy to me, if this is David’s idea. If not, it’s pointless, I don’t think the apps community will embrace it enough to make any splash, for the single or for his name. The worst thing is that I really want his single to do good, but I’m like, whatever about it and everything related, just bring out the album and be done with it, kind of feelings.

After all they don’t matter much because I still buy his album and I may have great fun listening to it. But I’m afraid of being disappointed.

ust because there are screamy vocals in a pop song, doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t make LO a rock song. It is classified as a pop song and impacting pop radio, what makes LO a rock song?

I would classify the vocals as powerful, not screamy. To me screamy is Brian Johnson. Now there is a dude who made a good living off of screamy vocals. But in any case, I say if you can air guitar (or air drum, which I do, seriously hurting my rep here this morning) to the song, it’s probably more rock than pop. Mileage, as always…

What is RCA doing wrong?

of course these products are marketed to existing fans

Try marketing the song to people who haven’t bought the song three times already.

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

RCA has a slew of promotions set for LO and David’s upcoming album, including a video with a big name producer that hasn’t even dropped yet. Not to mention his SNL appearance this weekend–they certainly are marketing David to people who haven’t bought the song yet.

This dumb little app is small potatoes, just one more way to get Cook’s name out there.

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

Who says they aren’t? Just not necessarily in this particular instance of the iTunes app, which, I reiterate, is pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of their marketing plans–the bulk of which, I might add, we have yet to see. I’d tend to hold my verdict until at least the album drops– but probably not even then.

Oh, whenever someone here talks about RCA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“likingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  Cook, I always take it to mean that RCA likes him because they believe he will make them a lot of money, not that they like him because they think heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s a nice guy.

That is exactly what I meant.

Every year, imo. the same thing happens. The winner and runner up get signed, the labels involved hire a decent producer and name songwriters. If the contestant involved has decent writing skills, they may even get to write some songs. The contestant spends the tour telling fans how great their album is and how happy they are with everything. Then a song comes out accompanied by a crappy video (if that), the album is dropped accompanied by some TV talk show appearances for “promotion”, and if the whole thing doesn’t pick up on it’s own after, say, a month on the market, the label abandons the project. Fans complain, much angst ensues. Idols are treated like commodoties.

This time, the label seems to feel this one is worth investing in. Perhaps they heard his material and really think it can sell. Maybe his ITunes sales during the show were just that high. Who knows? But for whatever reason, he’s actually being promoted properly.

What does this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“promotionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  has anything to do with Cook as the AI winner?

I mentioned it in reference to the complaints that his supposedly “excessive” promotion was “desperate”. ITunes banners and emails (that RCA does not control), other internet banners, and having an album for presale is not unusual in and of itself. If RCA was giving up on the project after 3 weeks, people would be up and arms lamenting David being treated like crapola. Instead, this is only the run-up to the REAL promotion and we have people complaining it’s too much. LOL. RCA is clearly trying to sell albums and not singles here. Its all good, people. Archie’s getting pushed too. I mean if anyone should be unhappy, it’s Kristy Lee. These guys are being treated well. Are we Idol fans only happy when we’re abused? Hee.

I dunno if this is a direct effort at marketing the song…just one more way to get David’s name out there (and one more revenue stream, however small, for RCA/19/iTunes.)

After all, they did get a piece in USA Today.

But we are not in the SNL thread. We are in the dumb little app thread commenting on this particular promotion. While we are on that, Cook should cut the self-important comments on his album. Wait till fans or critics call your album “amazing” before going around bragging about the White Album again.

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

They are. The are marketing to people who like apps, but may not have heard LO already. It’s one little drop in the big bucket that is the overall promotional plan for David and his album. Not every idea or single will be huge, but hopefully they’ll all add up to a successful career over time. I think this has the possibility of reaching at least as many people as a visit to a high school, for example, does. Thank goodness Cook’s team aren’t sending him all over the country to see a few people at a time. He’s much better served by things like this that don’t cost much in time, energy or $$, and keep him in the public eye. He’ll have his big TV appearances that will reach millions of people at a time soon enough. Too bad all of the Idols aren’t getting such smart promotion.

What’s even more curious than this silly little lighter app is the 100 (now going on 101) comments that the USA today article on the silly thing has generated. Who knew it would be so controversial?

…not to mention the 101 (oops make that 102) here.

“and if the whole thing doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t pick up on ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s own after, say, a month on the market, the label abandons the project. Fans complain, much angst ensues. Idols are treated like commodoties.”

The only winner they give up on early was Taylor. Carrie did fine in her genre to say the least. And Jive has given Jordin great support even when her album sales weren’t great. They do give up on the runners up pretty quick though. The only difference with Cook is that the promo from the show used to be enough. He’s getting above and beyond promo. However, that may be because a)they expect great sales from him b)the music biz requires extra promo even for the AI winner c)he’s underperforming and needs the extra help. Or all three or none of the above.

heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s underperforming and needs the extra help.

LOL. Yeah, only 1 platinum single so far. Poor guy.

I agree that marketing an application has nothing to do with marketing to the same fans. I don’t have an iPhone, but my 16 year old son who cares nothing for AI or David Cook has an iTouch that he got for his birthday. He gets every application that there is available from iTunes since there are so many that are free. He buys really interesting ones as well. I told him about the Light On one, and he thought it was cool and can’t wait to use it in a dark room and at parties just for amusement.

LOL. Yeah, only 1 platinum single so far. Poor guy.

I’m sure he’s contemplating slitting his wrists right about…now. Things couldn’t be worse.

I say if I want the app, I’ll buy it. If I don’t, well…I won’t.

This particular thing, I’ll pass on. Simply not interested. But, someone out there has definitely snatched it up.

It’s all good, I’m sure. Not that I work for RCA, or anything. :wink_wp: I’m actually just a KLC fan, pretending to be interested in David’s career.

We’ll see if this is smart promotion soon, as well as whether David will resign himself to be sent all over the country to see a few people at a time.

The way I see it, any normal artist would love to travel around the country to meet the fans, doing gigs and radio interviews and all kinds of stuffs, however small, look at Kristy. I’d rather have David do that than seeing his name on an obscure app.

TOML and LO are two separate entities. The fact that LO fell of the BB Hot 100 chart last week wasn’t the best news RCA had. Anyway, I did include none of the above as an option. :)

I’m not really worried about Cook’s album sales but I’m not ready to say LO is a smash hit on its way to happening. I don’t think the iTunes app is anything but small potatoes. The most important thing is for the song to stabilize on iTunes and keep getting radio play and gaining new fans. That’s key.

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

I don’t see anything about this promotion that targets existing customers at all. I would not even know about it if I was not on sites like this, and I’ve bought LO already. I don’t have an iPhone and probably would not have bought the app even if I had one, tho I am a huge Cook fan. I would say it is aimed at iPhone owners, period.

As far as the single’s performance, it is picking up steadily on radio with lots of great things being said by DJs about it. I continue to think most people are buying the album rather than the single. If I were not so impatient, that’s what I’d have done. Why bother paying for a single off an album you are buying, unless you are impatient? I’ve never bought a single from anyone else before David came along. I’ve bought what I have because I liked the songs and didn’t want to wait.

The only winner they give up on early was Taylor. Carrie did fine in her genre to say the least. And Jive has given Jordin great support even when her album sales werenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t great. They do give up on the runners up pretty quick though. The only difference with Cook is that the promo from the show used to be enough. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s getting above and beyond promo. However, that may be because a)they expect great sales from him b)the music biz requires extra promo even for the AI winner c)heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s underperforming and needs the extra help. Or all three or none of the above.

Sorta. They have never promoted Idol winners/runners up really, except Carrie. They were expected to do well with a record essentially being thrown out there. No lead single, or if there was it was not released with any real lead time before the album dropped. Now if they performed well enough, the label would keep putting money in the project. But no one actually worked their songs to radio and really stuck with a project that did not perform well out the gate, until Jordin. And a lot of them still got the shaft when it came time to get to a second album, because no one at the label actually gave a damn about them.

Now we have a winner and a runner up that are each being treated like a new artist the label believes in. Archie is getting the Jordin treatment on steroids. Cook is getting pushback because he is essentallly actual, honest to god, advance promotions, which make Idol fans feel like he’s “unusual”. He’s not. He’s getting treated like somebody at the label thinks is good. I know its hard for idol fans to process. LOL.

What I’m hearing is – “Hey, my idol did it with a barbel strapped behind his back and wombats crawling at his face, why can’t yours?!!!!!” Ha. Instead, why should any of them have to perform with bare bones stuff? Can’t somebody get treated like it might actually be worth the label’s time to try to increase awareness? This is a good thing for the future. It might be your guy next year. Be happy attention is being paid to an idol!

This overblown app aside, Doesn’t he make a really cute mouse? LOL

I am not sure this is the right place to post, but based on David’s former work, I feel he is already important in the world of rock music. His past work in my opinion is far better than some of the music by more so called established artists. I don’t care about charts or rankings, I just care about hearing more from this amazingly talented artist. I know many people do enjoy the various charting and ratings of music, but I have never based my buying of music because of how it is doing on the charts. I do believe if he re-released his Analog Heart album it would be a best seller. I would love to have a hard copy of that! I also plan to buy a hard copy of his latest album. I am looking forward to buying it at the store. So, as much as I am a David Cook fan, I have not pre-ordered the album. I have however, purchased LO through iTunes. I have a feeling there are more people out there like me that are going to purchase it the “old fashioned” way. Also, I was wondering if people didn’t purchase LO the single, because they knew it was going to be on the album. Just a thought. By the way, I love the song. Sorry this so long.

Who knew it would be so controversial?

It’s really not. Only a few people are reacting negatively. The rest of us (myself included) are reacting to, in some cases, bait.. The wider world could give a crap.

I’m now pretty much convinced this app is for one purpose and one purpose only–to get his name in USA Today. lol. The app itself is small and probably won’t sell a whole lot. Because… seriously. Come on… seriously. Seriously? Some hard-core fans will buy it, maybe a few curious onlookers with a buck-99 to spare, and that’s it.

RCA was truly desperate they would have had him doing interviews with the major market stations like Z100 and KIIS and would be pushing for airplay there.

You should probably give up on KIIS right now. lol. Ryan may work there but they only pretend to be a CHR/Pop station. They’re rhythmic. Jive is doing its best to get Crush played on KIIS but so far they’re being told it’s not “urban” enough. Not urban enough? This is a pop station. Change formats if you want to go urban. Pink barely got played on KIIS until “So What,” and even that (the #1 song on pop right now) isn’t played very much on KIIS. Rock songs on KIIS? When Ryan sprouts wings and flies between his 20 jobs. Thankfully, next year LA should get a new, real CHR/Pop station.

Z100 is a possibility. They do lean more pop, but they’ll play rock. I’m actually surprised they haven’t tested it yet, but they’re a weird station that plays by their own rules.

Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m now pretty much convinced this app is for one purpose and one purpose onlyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬’to get his name in USA Today. lol.

Yeah, the more I think about it the more it screams “coordinated marketing!” to me :)

Cause, you’re *gonna* have an opinion on the lighter app, pos or negative. It’s *just* weird enough to chitchat about. It drives conversations about Apple product, lol. If they got David Cook and/or iProduct in your conversation today, mission accomplished.

But we are not in the SNL thread.

No, but you made a point that RCA needs to market LO to those who haven’t bought the song two or three times already. What do you think the SNL gig is for? It’s part of marketing Cook and his single to the general public, and there will be other promotional appearances coming up with that goal in mind.

I think it’s too early to say whether or not the general public is responding favorably or unfavorably to LO because I really don’t think enough people have heard the song yet. Sure, those who are fans of either David and those who follow Idol closely have all heard the song, but it really hasn’t had that much exposure on radio yet (although radio airplay is beginning to pick up). The video hasn’t been released yet, the song hasn’t been used in any television promos that I know of, and Cook is performing this song for the first time publicly on Saturday night. In my opinion, we really won’t have a good idea of how this song will do for at least another month or so. We’ll see what happens.

LOL I love the discussion around this.
The thing about the app is that David is seen as a commercial product, and due to his popularity they’re trying to make money with an app. This is not a decision that you make in one or two days.
They probably knew they were going to sell this even before the single was available on Itunes.
And even though it may seem pointless for some of us, I know many people who buy that kind of stuff. Even if they only use it for one day. Instead of a David Cook t-shirt you buy a Light On app.

The way I see it, any normal artist would love to travel around the country to meet the fans, doing gigs and radio interviews and all kinds of stuffs, however small, look at Kristy. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d rather have David do that than seeing his name on an obscure app.

I’m failing to see the connection between an app beeing sold with his song and David not meeting fans or not making gigs and interviews. David will be everywhere next month. TV and Radio, that much many people, including him, have already said. And the app will be sold. The two things can co-exist.

The only thing that could hurt David’s cred is something he has already done, win American Idol. That is what will probably make some not to see him like a rocker. An app? no one cares. It’s just marketing and money.

I could be wrong, but I think LO has sold more copies than any other single did with the same kind of exposure (almost none and without promotion), and Itunes, RCA and probably someone else just want to make money out of it and with David. This has nothing to do with beeing desperate, this is all about exploring the product as much as you can.

But we are not in the SNL thread. We are in the dumb little app thread commenting on this particular promotion.

LOL. So because we’re in the little app thread, we’re not allowed to use other facts to respond to your initial statement about RCA marketing to the same fans? Okay, so fine, I’ll play by those rules. The fact that RCA might not be marketing to new customers on “this particular promotion” means they’re not marketing well to new customers on this particular promotion only. But that’s fine with me, because I don’t perceive marketing well to new customers on this particular promotion was their intention. So what conclusions can we draw, with this logic, on RCA’s overall marketing strategy for DC, or on their perception of LO’s need for new promotional tactics, or on the public’s reception to LO? Absolutely nothing! So what was your point again, ianamy?

What Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m hearing is – à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Hey, my idol did it with a barbel strapped behind his back and wombats crawling at his face, why canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t yours?!!!!!à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ 

Hahhahaha– tinawina, that was glorious. You win!

edit: We heard you the first three times.

sma11ie, you didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see my point? Here is it again:

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

Actually, from what I’m seeing on some DC boards, some of those who have bought the song are saying they see no point in buying it again with the app. If anything, I think this targets those who like new apps.

BTW – I can’t find anywhere organized where people are gifting LO. Can I sign on somewhere? Help?
I want to be one of those who bought it three times already, too! Better start off with number one!

LOL

RCA should learn how to get new fans, not to sell the same song to the same customers over and over again.

How is it marketing to the same fans? It has only been announced, so far, in USA Today and as much as I’d like to think (as a DC fan) that every USA Today reader is a proud LO owner, I don’t think that’s the case. As others have said, the ultimate goal was probably to market DC and get his name out there. Mission accomplished.

As an iPhone owner, I understand the allure of completely pointless apps, so while I probably won’t be buying this one, I get why it was a smart marketing idea.

sma11ie, you didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t see my point? Here is it again:

Try marketing the song to people who havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t bought the song three times already.

They did and will continue to (as I said before), but I thought you said we’re not allowed to talk about RCA’s other marketing efforts like SNL because this is the app thread.

I hope this isn’t OT, but Jolene, thanks for the heads-up on DC the mouse. That quote is FTW: “”What can I possibly say that hasn’t already been said about another mouse that apparently had to pee?” jokes the American Idol, here age 3 as a mouse in Blue Springs, Mo.”

I actually didn’t get the reference in that quote, sma11ie. Could someone enlighten me?

Getting even more OT (except this comment thread is about DC and marketing, so it’s not completely out there), appearantly David Cook & band played the Viper Room last night? Dammit, I wish we had someone who leaked inside information once in a while!

I actually didnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t get the reference in that quote, sma11ie. Could someone enlighten me?

The way he’s positioned in the picture looks like he has to pee really badly.

If anything, I think this targets those who like new apps.

I agree.

David Cook & band played the Viper Room last night?

That’s what I’m hearing as well. Hopefully, video will turn up sooner or later.

Z100 is a possibility. They do lean more pop, but theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll play rock. Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m actually surprised they havenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t tested it yet, but theyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢re a weird station that plays by their own rules.

Z100′s last two Rate The Music survey it was on so it’s being tested to that extent at least.

Getting even more OT (except this comment thread is about DC and marketing, so ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not completely out there), appearantly David Cook & band played the Viper Room last night? Dammit, I wish we had someone who leaked inside information once in a while!

Really? Where did this come from?? My timeline might be off but I think this was the week Daughtry played there back in 2006. They played a 30 minute set testing the songs on the album. Wonder of that’s what DC did.

Ianamy, I reiterate what I and others said before: There is nothing in the marketing that is aimed at people who have already purchased the song at all, much less three times. It was not advertised on a Cook fan site of any kind. If it had been, your statement would make sense. Instead, it was in a USA Today article. How is that focused on people who already have it, much less an imagined 3 times? You have not offered any evidence to support your contention that this is targeted that way.

Jolene, I hear it is no longer possible to gift LO by itself, at least until after the album drops, because of the pre-order freebie.

The way heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s positioned in the picture looks like he has to pee really badly.

Thanks Gwen. In that case, I did get it, just thought there was some popculture reference I was missing because of the word “another”.

Aah, I really need to know more about this Viper Room business, like how many songs they played, and what songs, and damn, why did no one know?

My timeline might be off but I think this was the week Daughtry played there back in 2006. They played a 30 minute set testing the songs on the album. Wonder of thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s what DC did.

30 Minutes?! *sob*

Jolene, I hear it is no longer possible to gift LO by itself, at least until after the album drops, because of the pre-order freebie.

Oh. That’s too bad. Maybe through Amazon through? I’ll explore that option.

Gosh, the American consumer has never been known to buy a gimmick or a totally useless app. Snort. This idea is clearly doomed, like the Pet Rock. Hmm. If somebody would put David Cook’s photo on a rock, I might buy it, lol.

Viper room??

You have not offered any evidence to support your contention that this is targeted that way.

lol, it is asking a bit too much for a scan of RCA’s marketing memo. But given the two options:

Free lighter app in itunes which can play with any song in your iphone/itouch vs.
$1.98 lighter app playing with LO in your iphone/itouch.

Really hard choice for someone who’s not a diehard Cook fan.

Really hard choice for someone whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not a diehard Cook fan.

Quit baiting the posters in this thread. Quit repeating yourself. Quit being rude. If you don’t, I’ll be putting your posts into moderation.

If somebody would put David Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s photo on a rock, I might buy it, lol.

Maybe as another exclusive freebie when you buy the album- it is a ROCK record, after all! :clap_tb:

(BTW, this is my husband’s joke-please throw all tomatoes at him!)

Maybe as another exclusive freebie when you buy the album- it is a ROCK record, after all

Oh, CathyMK, I love your husband’s sense of humor. Loving music is supposed to be fun. :lol_tb:

edit: please keep your remarks focused on the subject, not on your fellow posters.

lol!! NOW we’re talkin’ marketing ideas!

Sorry MJ, just go carried away trying to spread the love. :innocent1_tb:

I think some people may be underestimating the power of the App store. As of August of this year, Apple stated that they had sold over 60 million apps. That is a lot of traffic from people (not necessarily idol fans) perusing the app store. I do it all the time. I sit on my couch with my ipod Touch and just scroll and browse through the app store looking what is out there. People may see this app and look at the info and description and see David Cook mentioned as the artist. That may then prompt them to not necessarily buy the app, but make them see his name, get them curious who this artist is, and then check out his music in the itunes store. I think it is brilliant promotion in getting Gobs of traffic looking at his name and potentially sampling his music. I think that is the intent, not necessarily the greatness of the app. JMO.

LO dropped off the Hot 100 last week because of the Itunes glitch a couple weeks ago whereby people basically got the song for free for half a week. Last week it reached as high as #19 on Itunes, so considering that fact plus the fact radio play doubled or tripled, expect to see it reenter the charts in a big way.

edit: PLEASE Don’t take the bait.

Blurb about the app on this Apple news blog:

David Cook to include his latest hit in iPhone App, will we see more of this?

I appreciate this guys opinion because this is someone obviously neutral who just reports Apple/iTunes news.

I sit on my couch with my ipod Touch and just scroll and browse through the app store looking what is out there.

I do that too! But I only download fun games (so addicted to ms pacman GAH!) and apps that I think will be useful. I’m not interested in neato or cool. But that’s just me.

The push to sell Apps has escalated in the past few months, it seems to me.

On page 2, CathyMK said:

“I think this has the possibility of reaching at least as many people as a visit to a high school, for example, does. Thank goodness Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s team arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t sending him all over the country to see a few people at a time. Heà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s much better served by things like this that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t cost much in time, energy or $$, and keep him in the public eye.”

I assume you are talking about the difference between the promotion (apps, etc.) of Cook and Archie. You might be surprised about DA getting sent “all over the country” and the benefits he is receiving. When DA sings live or talks to DJ’s one on one, he changes many minds about what they thought of him based on what the media said during the AI show. The buzz surrounding his visits to “a few people at a time” is incredible and is all over the internet.

I’m not saying the DA plan is better than the Cook plan. Only time will tell. But DA is somehow gaining new fans and other than the first two weeks his single was out (166,000 and 85,000), it has been selling an average of 50 thousand a week.

I wouldn’t underestimate appearances such as the one at an all girls’ school where he sang, took pictures, and charmed them. He now has 500 new rabid fans. As far as the HS football game. It is a wealthy area (I am from Columbus, Ohio and my sister lives in the town where he sang) and the buzz from the “stampede” after he sang is worth tons of publicity.

Also keep in mind that he has things going on almost every day. His rabid fans are being fed and the frenzy is staying alive (and growing) so that they are hungry for his album. That is contageous.

I tend to think that DC and DA are in very different situations in terms of availability. As soon as DC’s record was done, he had to make the LO video and do a ton of practice with his band to get ready for SNL. So, regardless of the pluses or minuses of the publicity tour that DA is doing, my guess is that it was not terribly feasible for DC. Instead, they’ve done some remote radio interviews, gotten some news stories out there, gotten some itunes love with this trick, and will start the bigger press and appearance push after SNL is done. Seems like a creative way of dealing with the fact that DC is not as available right now as DA to, say, go visit a radio station in person.

That is not to say anything about whether DA’s appearance strategy is a good one in general or for him in particular. As can probably be guessed from the fact that I don’t post in DA threads, I don’t particularly follow him and have no opinion on that. I’m just glad to see interesting strategies of increasing DC’s buzz, increased radio airplay for him, and rumors that a practice session at The Viper in LA went really well for DC and his band.

I do that too! But I only download fun games (so addicted to ms pacman GAH!) and apps that I think will be useful.

LOL MJ. I hear ya! I spend so much time playing with all the games. I hate to count up all the hours I have wasted since I bought my iPod Touch. I absolutely love it though. One of the best things I have ever bought. I think the App store is super cool. New stuff to download every day.

Not nice of you to tempt me with more technology, mac and mj. Not nice at all. [grin]

Good point FolkFan. If you disregard the argument that personal radio appearances are good or not, I think it is more about availability for DC.

If your main goal is to make the best impression on a huge show like SNL I think you would focus all your energy on rehearsing with your very newly formed band.

If I had and ipod I think I would dl the app for LO. I don’t so the point is mute.

I have an iPod, but it’s just an old shuffle without the touch panel. And no iPhone, so… No special app for me. I also only have one copy of LO, and I’m not sure that one works with my iPod, because I got an email from iTunes telling me it doesn’t and I should download another one that does, except they wouldn’t let me when I tried. So… Tough nuggies on buying a billion copies of LO and vaulting him to the top of iTunes all by myself, I guess.

I think this is just a really minor cross-promo. Apple is probably hoping a few more people will buy new iPods or iPhones and jump into the apps addiction by trying out this one, and RCA is hoping a few more people will get the single because it matches the new app. The whole idea of “Light On” matches a light-up app, after all.

Watch out for the Orange Crush and can crusher cross-promos for Archie! Meanwhile, they’ll be wheeling out “Light On/Light Off” clappers as well as flashlights, blowtorches, nightlights, matchbooks and Motel 6 ashtrays. (I’m kidding, but I kind of like the nightlight idea. I might buy one of those myself!)

(Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m kidding, but I kind of like the nightlight idea. I might buy one of those myself!)

Oooh- could it project a silhouette of David’s face, sort of like Batman’s Bat Signal? And would he answer the call? (Hmmm- that would call him to our bedrooms, wouldn’t it?)

I was poking around looking for Cook’s app on iTunes. Can’t find it yet. But I found apps for both Pink and Snow Patrol. I love Snow Patrol, they have plenty of cred–well triple A cred rather than alt rock cred–despite having a pretty giant hit that crossed many formats. Interesting.

So Pink and Snow patrol have apps, well well. I thought it was a neat idea from the start and it looks like Pink and Snow Patrol thought so as well. We will probably be seeing more of it, I wonder when the rest of the idols will be coming out with their own.

Interesting find MJ. So this is definitely a new way to promote artists. That’s cool. I like to see new ways of advertising and new ways that people are being creative, especially taking advantage of new technology.

One of the only thing that classifies LO as a rock single in my mind at all is Cookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s voice. Otherwise, Archie could sing it, without changing the instrumentation or the melody, and it would be a straight-up pop power ballad.

God, don’t make me shudder. That would be as bad as Austin’s version of Cornell’s Billie Jean from the X Factor (youtube it).

Although I am not crazy about the song, Archie could sing it, and people might be really surprised about how good it would sound- just like they were when he sang Hero with Cook and Apologize in the finale. I wouldn’t underestimate the Archulater. The pop classification of the song has surprised me, but what do I know?

I’d miss the grit and passion of Cook’s delivery if Archie sang Light On. Then again I don’t care for Archie’s version of Angels either, and I thought Cook outsang him on Hero. Mileage.

When Axium did “Incarcerate” Live at the Venue in Tulsa back in 2004, about a minute and a half into the song, David says “Thank you for the lighter”.

I’ve read people asking did that mean he smoked?!

So I guess not everybody is familiar with the tradition of waving the lighter at concerts during slow songs, but I have to tell you…those single use lighters heat up fast! And Zippos get hot too. And nowadays, what if you don’t smoke, but you want to join in the concert vibe, and sway with the audience? And what about the venues that ban lighters now?

I think it’s a clever marketing idea that will probably catch on across the board for other artists, if it hasn’t already. So little cash outlay for a win/win situation. Heck, a real lighter costs at least $1.99!

The lighter application does sound interesting. But I wonder whether there will be an option to “mute” the song upon opening the application. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be distracting to use the lighter during a live performance of the song (or any other song) in a concert?

Waffle, if there isn’t yet, there probably soon will be, for the very reason you mention.

But, that’s just my opinion.

Waffle, I asked around about your question “I wonder whether there will be an option to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“muteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬  the song upon opening the application” to some people who had already bought the Lighter App and were happily playing with it – they said all you have to do is turn the volume all the way down.

Such a simple answer (snerk) appeals to a tech dinosaur like myself…we do have a tendency to see things as more complicated than they actually are.

So, as this offering spreads among the performers, one just purchases the song of the preferred artist, and then uses the Lighter App with the volume down for any concert at all. ABC. I’m likin’ it.