To paraphrase an old Chinese proverb, “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now”. Applying that to Rhino Records and their project on Rod Stewart’s Warner catalogue, you could argue they were already a few years too late when they started in 2007-by which time the watery drip-drip of Songbooks was already rusting the rock’n’roll steel foundation – and now, a decade after the campaign hit the rails (with only a brief signal from the dungeon picked up on sensors through 2014’s Live set), maybe it is time to consider whether 2020 is that next best time.
Forgive me for being morbid for a moment: The only time that may be better than now in terms of revenue generating power on this project will be when Rod passes away, and that is no guarantee (well, it is a guarantee that he will eventually pass, but not a guarantee that it will be a better revenue generating time!): firstly because that event is more likely to trigger sales of well known hits rather than the depths of the catalogue and secondly, whilst not wishing to jinx the man’s mortality, Rod is a healthy man and he may well outlive the market for physical box sets and deluxe editions, not to mention the hearing of his fan base – if they still remember his name, not to mind their own.
Of course it’s not just about avoiding future deteriorating sales forecasts – there are positive reasons for reigniting the project now.In the greater scheme of things, of course this blog and all music matters are insignificant –particularly in light of Covid-19. However, the current reality does create a set of circumstances that from a business perspective may lend themselves to the success of some new releases. The fact that some companies and artists are pushing back releases actually creates some space into which some Rod material could nicely fall.
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