Re: Wilco's Begging Letter
Peejay, here's the full text of the newsletter:
Subject Line: "A Modest Proposal (from Wilco HQ)"
Greetings to you all from the east coast branch -- where we've been burning the midnight oil for months getting ready for May 15. And it is finally upon us.
By now, you know that next week is the official release date of Wilco's 7th album (or 9th depending on how you count). Hence the slightly serious tone of this note. Tuesday, to be precise, marks the US release of Sky Blue Sky on Nonesuch Records. If you haven't had a chance to listen to the on-demand stream, by all means click here and take it for a spin. We're pretty sure you'll enjoy the ride.
But once you've done that we hope you'll take a moment to reflect (see, I told you this was serious) on how this dynamic has worked over the years -- the dynamic between us and you. We (and this "we" means the band, first and foremost) expend a lot of time, energy and other resources trying to make this something you are not just a witness to, but a participant in and we genuinely hope you can feel that.
We've been asked many times if we'd consider changing the way we do things, usually by people who are convinced we'd be more successful if we did. And either out of stubbornness or something else, we keep refusing. Instead, we just do what we do and somehow it all works. We continue to make lots of music available free to all in the road case, continue to allow taping/photos at shows, and basically just try to keep the things we do charge for of a quality that make you feel like you got a bargain. You know, mutual respect and all that. We like the way it works... a lot. We really do believe in trying to keep as much of it as free and open as is humanly possible. That seems pretty obvious... but somehow it remains a slight novelty in the modern day music business. So much so that people continually mention it in their stories when they write or speak about the band or the somewhat sad state of the music business.
Anyway, what we're getting at here is that right now we need you to participate in a way that is part of what has made this nice little story work. We're actually asking you to please go out next week and do the right thing for Wilco. That is, vote with your feet and prove the band's faith well-placed and buy the record. It's available from Tuesday at all kinds of retailers everywhere. Ask for it by name. It's also available here, and for those of you who are more digitally inclined, here.
Okay, enough campaign speeches. You get the message. And we trust that you'll act on it as you always have. Other things on this week's extremely busy agenda...
This Saturday (May 12) Wilco are in Minneapolis performing on A Prairie Home Companion. It's on too many stations to list... many NPR affiliates as well as XM, Sirius and online here. Note that there are also some tickets left for the show so if you're in the North Country and wanna check it out click here. It's gonna be fun. On Tuesday (May 15, release day) it's New York City where they'll be musical guests of David Letterman. Check your local listings. After that it's on to the UK, then the continent, and finally back to the States in early June with a US tour to start soon thereafter. Dates and ticket info here. If you live west of the MIssissippi, fear not... the band head that way later in the summer. So be patient, okay? Oh and one last thing, both London Shepherds Bush Empire shows will be streamed live on 20/21 May via Wilcoworld. Info in the Roadcase.
That's all folks. Tune in, turn on, and um, buy stuff.
yours with the usual loving embrace, the Wilco HQ staff.
By eoghan on
Saturday, May 19, 2007