Mikasounds, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram updates - Part 13

[Marilyn Mastin]

The only thing I see people complaining about is that his music wasn't promoted in the UK, Netherlands, etc. How is promoting his music "bending to market rules"?

 

 

And maybe the Queen should let him live in Buckingham Palace too?

 

This mentality is astounding to me. That everyone in the music industry should just hand over success to Mika on a silver platter and it's all their fault if his promo is lacking. All artists are playing by the same rules, it is not some special case for Mika. If you put absolutely nothing into a market you will get absolutely nothing back. Do you think other artists can spend 40 weeks a year in France and Italy and expect any kind of opportunities elsewhere? Do you think even top pop stars like Katy Perry did not have to pay their dues by repeatedly playing small dive bars of 200 people in London before they earned radio play and spots on TV shows?

 

People are disappointed that Mika and his team have chosen to focus all their efforts on Italy and France and it is not Simon Cowell's or anyone else's responsibility to find opportunities for him elsewhere for heaven's sake.

I agree with you. Artists have to put in the effort, to get something out. I think Mika could have become a judge on UKXF if he'd wanted to. But he'd signed up for Italy again. The problem is that every year now, Mika is in either Italy or France, for a lot of the year. He could plan a UK gig, or some UK promo with his team, but he doesn't seem to want to do that. Therefore, his fans can't be blamed for feeling disappointed.

It's also, not up to his fans to get him onto the radio. Quite a few of us tried, in the past, to request his songs, but there's more to it than that. I think it has to come from the top, so-to-speak. When GK was a huge hit, he was only just forming his fanbase, so someone on his team got his song on the radio, but that doesn't happen now.

It's such a shame, but there's not really anything we can do about it.

[Lunari]

I think that at this point in their careers, we can't really compare Mika to people like Adele or Katy Perry. The latter two have huge promotional machinery behind them and their labels are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on them, because they feel like they have a guaranteed outcome: a number 1 single in pretty much any country they choose. It's unrealistic to expect that Mika and his team could ever afford that much promotion worldwide (at least not without major support from the label, which we know he doesn't have).

 

That's not to say that Mika's team is doing everything perfectly, of course. Obviously opinions on that differ, but I kind of don't blame them for concentrating on the countries where they know their efforts will be successful. (And wasn't there talk that Simon Cowell really wanted Mika on XFactor UK, but there was a schedule conflict because he had already committed to the Italian XFactor?)

Edited October 30, 2015 by Lunari

[Elwendin]

Adele begs to differ.

 

 

[dilarat]

It is understandable that he does more in France or Italy because in those countries there may be a huge will more than others. In my country few people know about him, so I dont expect he can do something. But what bothers me is that apart from tv shows, he does almost all his concert in these two countries. He even performed in the same place just one month later. I just cannot understand this. Millions of gigs in Italy or France but no others I am dying to hear just one gig in my country. So it doesnt make sense for me :(

[Christine]

I think that at this point in their careers, we can't really compare Mika to people like Adele or Katy Perry. The latter two have huge promotional machinery behind them and their labels are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on them, because they feel like they have a guaranteed outcome: a number 1 single in pretty much any country they choose.

 

My point re Katy Perry was that there was a time when she did not have a huge promotional machine and was not guaranteed a number one album. Mika had sold 4 million albums at that point and she had not even released hers yet. But still she went to the UK and played gigs even if only 200 people turned up. Unless someone is some kind of an instant star via X Factor then they all have to start at the bottom. Record companies don't just launch a huge promotional machine behind every artist from the minute they sign a contract. In fact if you're going to compare Mika and Katy Perry, Mika was the one who received massive hype and success surrounding the launch of his project and had a #1 album within a few months. It took Katy Perry many many years from playing in bars as a teen to playing the Superbowl halftime show.

 

If Mika wants to concentrate his energies outside the UK I can totally understand that. He has good reasons at this point. But I don't understand the point of posting here that Mika is doing everything he can in the UK when he has clearly decided to invest his time in other markets instead.

[mellody]

It is understandable that he does more in France or Italy because in those countries there may be a huge will more than others. In my country few people know about him, so I dont expect he can do something. But what bothers me is that apart from tv shows, he does almost all his concert in these two countries. He even performed in the same place just one month later. I just cannot understand this. Millions of gigs in Italy or France but no others I am dying to hear just one gig in my country. So it doesnt make sense for me :(

I agree with you. I used to think that without promo and record sales, he just couldn't tour here... but a few weeks ago i talked to someone who works at universal music germany, and while they said that indeed the label doesn't promote mika here anymore, and they can understand this (due to previous record sales), they can't understand that mika doesn't even do a single gig here, because it doesn't depend on label support or record sales. so well, i can't blame the german label or the music industry or the lack of promo for that. i just hope thast on the next part of his tour in 2016, he'll include more countries than just france and italy.

 

Zel, i can tell you why i complain about the suits: they look nice and stylish, but they're not made for dancing like mad, like mika used to do and still does at his live gigs. why on earth wear a suit on stage when outside it's 30°C, inside it feels like a sauna, and you want to move and dance for 90 minutes?! like he has done this summer. i don't mind the suits for the tv shows,for symphony orchestra gigs or red carpet events. but i don't want to see them at a pop concert. luckily,valentino has shown during this tour, that they're able to make wonderful pieces of clothing for mika, that are suitable for dancing, can be combined with "normal" clothes, and fit to a pop concert. so there's no excuse anymore for suits at the gigs now, except maybe for a few songs.

[Christine]

I used to think that without promo and record sales, he just couldn't tour here... but a few weeks ago i talked to someone who works at universal music germany, and while they said that indeed the label doesn't promote mika here anymore, and they can understand this (due to previous record sales), they can't understand that mika doesn't even do a single gig here, because it doesn't depend on label support or record sales. 

 

This bears repeating because it never seems to get through which is why this discussion never ends. It is a choice he has made and it is not impossible for him to tour. Artists tour all the time even though they could never hope to sell as many records as Mika has in his career.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Christine

[teenagedreamer98]

I don't normally like getting into debates, but let me put my opinion across.

I may be disappointed that Mika doesn't come to the UK but I am not complaining about HIM personally.  I would never do that.  Obviously, I may be a bit biased that I want him to do well in my country and to do lots of gigs, but I am still happy that he is doing well in France and Italy.  All I'm saying is that it would be nice for him to tour in other countries as well, even if it was just a couple of gigs.  But at the end of the day, if he decides never to come to the UK again, that's his decision (or his management's) and I respect that.

I never want to get into arguments.  Since joining, I have had a great time coming on here and getting to know other fans.  But, as mentioned before, this IS a fan site.  In the end, we can all agree on one thing - we all like the same singer, and at least we all have that in common.

[IngievV]

I think that at this point in their careers, we can't really compare Mika to people like Adele or Katy Perry. The latter two have huge promotional machinery behind them and their labels are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on them, because they feel like they have a guaranteed outcome: a number 1 single in pretty much any country they choose. It's unrealistic to expect that Mika and his team could ever afford that much promotion worldwide (at least not without major support from the label, which we know he doesn't have).

 

That's not to say that Mika's team is doing everything perfectly, of course. Obviously opinions on that differ, but I kind of don't blame them for concentrating on the countries where they know their efforts will be successful. (And wasn't there talk that Simon Cowell really wanted Mika on XFactor UK, but there was a schedule conflict because he had already committed to the Italian XFactor?)

Not entirely true. Katy for example is not as popular in Germany as in the US, so she goes to radio stations, does showcases etc etc to make sure it sells. She is there in person. Is Mika as big? No. Does he have the same budget? No. But even Katy needs to show her face and make an effort to sell cds and not every song goes to number 1. Adele is a different story. She just goes to number one with zero effort.

[Christine]

Adele is a different story. She just goes to number one with zero effort.

 

But even that was only a given for this new album. When her last album was released she scheduled a tour of North America and was booked into a club where I saw Mika in 2008. It wasn't until later that the album blew up in way that could not have been expected or they wouldn't have booked her on a club tour. Sadly they moved the gig to a massive hockey arena

[charlie20]

I also don’t like to talk and discuss these things because are complicated and basically it's useless, for different reasons, but I want to say just a few things, then I stop.

 

The only thing I see people complaining about is that his music wasn't promoted in the UK, Netherlands, etc. How is promoting his music "bending to market rules"?


And maybe the Queen should let him live in Buckingham Palace too?

This mentality is astounding to me. That everyone in the music industry should just hand over success to Mika on a silver platter and it's all their fault if his promo is lacking. All artists are playing by the same rules, it is not some special case for Mika. If you put absolutely nothing into a market you will get absolutely nothing back. Do you think other artists can spend 40 weeks a year in France and Italy and expect any kind of opportunities elsewhere? Do you think even top pop stars like Katy Perry did not have to pay their dues by repeatedly playing small dive bars of 200 people in London before they earned radio play and spots on TV shows?

People are disappointed that Mika and his team have chosen to focus all their efforts on Italy and France and it is not Simon Cowell's or anyone else's responsibility to find opportunities for him elsewhere for heaven's sake.

 

 

"My point re Katy Perry was that there was a time when she did not have a huge promotional machine and was not guaranteed a number one album. Mika had sold 4 million albums at that point and she had not even released hers yet. But still she went to the UK and played gigs even if only 200 people turned up. Unless someone is some kind of an instant star via X Factor then they all have to start at the bottom. Record companies don't just launch a huge promotional machine behind every artist from the minute they sign a contract. In fact if you're going to compare Mika and Katy Perry, Mika was the one who received massive hype and success surrounding the launch of his project and had a #1 album within a few months. It took Katy Perry many many years from playing in bars as a teen to playing the Superbowl halftime show.

 

If Mika wants to concentrate his energies outside the UK I can totally understand that. He has good reasons at this point. But I don't understand the point of posting here that Mika is doing everything he can in the UK when he has clearly decided to invest his time in other markets instead."

 

Promoting also depends on other factors and not only by his will. But is it so difficult to understand this?

When I ever said that "That everyone in the music industry should just hand over success to Mika on a silver platter"? and when ever anyone did that? And oh, wow, I didn’t know that the Queen Elizabeth owned a record company and/or was the creator and producer of talent shows like, for example, X Factor!! Joking aside, the question about Simon Cowell was obviously a sort of rhetorical question, but if tv shows in UK aren't interested in inviting him, where he should go to promote his music? Also, seems to you that he is asking or has ever asked for something to anyone or expect opportunities who knows where? But if it's precisely for that reason that he decided to work in France and Italy! And he doesn't stay there all the time and you know it.

 

When I talk about "the market rules", I mean how the music industry works, the way the record companies, especially the majors, decide to whom to do contracts and how they produce and publicize their singers and their songs on media.

 

"All artists are playing by the same rules, it is not some special case for Mika" 

 

Do you really think it? Not all artists have the same possibilities/chances to make and promote their music in the same way and by the same means, the same financial resources, on the same media and live platforms .You can't say that all music, the singers are the same and all the songs have the same quality and have the same chance of being passed in the media, especially mainstream media, in the same way, because it's not true (US radios, for example, have never, or very little, passed songs of Mika, when he was famous and sold millions of albums in the world).

There are singers, singers or artists with songs made on purpose to pander to the tastes of the teen market, and artists who make songs and music, first of all for themselves, expressing their feelings and to say something, music which they like, and that probably isn't very commercial or mainstream. And I'm not talking only about Mika, in fact he isn't "some special case", there are other artists  in this way. Also there are singers/artists who are always on tabloids, for one reason or for another and have therefore more media attention of others.

 

I think that at this point in their careers, we can't really compare Mika to people like Adele or Katy Perry. The latter two have huge promotional machinery behind them and their labels are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on them, because they feel like they have a guaranteed outcome: a number 1 single in pretty much any country they choose. It's unrealistic to expect that Mika and his team could ever afford that much promotion worldwide (at least not without major support from the label, which we know he doesn't have).

 

 

Yes, I agree.

 

Mika has always been defined as an atypical artist and hard to label by media. The lyrics of "Grace Kelly" have a specific meaning and do you know why the record company wanted and asked Mika to be more like Robbie Williams and Craig David in his way of singing and in his songs? It's still relevant even now. The record companies wanted and want even more now commercial products that are like or similar to those that are the success of the moment. It isnt' me who say it, but the authors and producers who work there. He is not commercial enough, he isn't very mainstream, he doesn't make the music like that which has success at the moment, that it's always on the radio or in the top charts, he doesn't want to please someone in particular or be liked by everyone. So comparing him to other artists or singers is like comparing apples with oranges. 

There's a lot of talk about 2007 around here, but at the time he was the trend of the moment, although he wasn't and didn't make the same music of others, and, despite the success, the millions of albums sold, he was very criticized by a lot of the English (and not only English) press and critics, because the point is that he wasn't the usual singer, right?(and please,don't say that they weren't obliged to like him and his music and say nice things, because this is obvious) But he was invited to the programs in UK, because it was at the top of the charts, for nothing else, don't fool ourselves. It was certainly easier, but we are no longer there, we are in 2015. Mika talked about this subject many times in interviews - and those in Italian and French have been translated into English - he said that some things have changed in the music industry, he explained because he decided to do television in Italy and France, and not in UK, provided that there was really an offer from XF UK and it was not just a rumor, that he needs sponsors to make videos, concerts, tours, as well as it takes money to produce and make his music, for recording studios and musicians. I don't know what else you want to hear, and if you have any question or criticism do it directly to him or to his managing team. Or ask directly to his record label in the UK, or in any radio or television there.

 

It is understandable that he does more in France or Italy because in those countries there may be a huge will more than others. In my country few people know about him, so I dont expect he can do something. But what bothers me is that apart from tv shows, he does almost all his concert in these two countries. He even performed in the same place just one month later. I just cannot understand this. Millions of gigs in Italy or France but no others I am dying to hear just one gig in my country. So it doesnt make sense for me :(

 

He did concerts in US, Korea, Japan, China, Canada, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic. In Italy he did 4 concerts, not millions, in addition the concert with the symphony orchestra in Como, for which he needed three sponsors, especially Sky Italia, that will broadcast the concert soon, and of which maybe will be made a dvd, and certainly more in France, where he has probably more request and he performed again in Paris, and maybe Toulouse, I think, simply because of it.

 

[RAK1]

What the hell does X Factor have to do with Mika getting promo in ANY country? It's not the be all and end all of an artists career!

He just has to travel round the world being interviewed on tv and radio, sing on shows like Graham Norton, PDL, The Late Show etc. THAT is how promo has been done for decades, how most artists got their name out to the mainstream, as well as doing gigs in small, medium and large venues.

Adele, an artist who doesn't need promo, she just has to allude to the media that she has a song coming out, last week went around ALL the major radio stations in London with Hello, dud interviews, and everyone went crazy for it. But the fact is she didn't have to, because over the years, she worked her backside off trudging around, doing promo, because she knew she had to to get her music played.

Mik, for God knows what reason, seems to feel he doesn't need to go round the world and do this, just entrench himself in France and Italy, doing these tv shows, and everyone will be ther when he decides to make a new record. Well it dorsn't work that way. We are here, but others who loved his music before move on, and forget, because they think he has disappeared.

I was in a cafe in Swindon the other day, that I frequent in the afternoons, and was chatting about my trip to Madrid, and was surprised that the server, was from Tunisia and had gone to one of Mikas shows there, she too is a fan, and she had no idea he had bought out TOOL, let alone NPIH!

This is a regular fan, who isn't a member here, and I'm sure there are many more like her, who have no idea what he is doing, because he barely does any promo to get his records played here.

This does not make any of these people, not good fans, a term I am getting tired of hearing, because it basically accuses them of being bad fans, which they are not. They are actually not well informed fans, and this fault does NOT lie with them, but with the lack of info being put out there by whoever is running his promo. And this isn't just in the UK, it's every country that doesn't see or hear anything about him on the music media, whatever form that is.

Yes, I guess a spot on X Factor would help, but so would a spot on Strictly Come Dancing (which by the way is more popular in the UK according to the ratings), or the Graham Norton, Alan Carr or Jonathan Ross shows, but we haven't seen him on any of those for FIVE YEARS!

The thing is, Mika himself has to open himself to doing tjis, if he doesn't, no amount of pushing by us is going to come to anything.

[RAK1]

I think that at this point in their careers, we can't really compare Mika to people like Adele or Katy Perry. The latter two have huge promotional machinery behind them and their labels are willing to spend crazy amounts of money on them, because they feel like they have a guaranteed outcome: a number 1 single in pretty much any country they choose. It's unrealistic to expect that Mika and his team could ever afford that much promotion worldwide (at least not without major support from the label, which we know he doesn't have).

 

That's not to say that Mika's team is doing everything perfectly, of course. Obviously opinions on that differ, but I kind of don't blame them for concentrating on the countries where they know their efforts will be successful. (And wasn't there talk that Simon Cowell really wanted Mika on XFactor UK, but there was a schedule conflict because he had already committed to the Italian XFactor?)

Sorry, but that is wrong!

They all started at the same time back in 2007, and they ALL had the same advantages, record company backing, budgets etc.

Adele and Katy did well because they got a solid team behind them and worked like demons.

Mika started well, but instead of keeping the momentum going, for some reason let things slip.

Edited October 31, 2015 by RAK1

[nenartus]

It looks to me that Mika is doing exactly what he wants. He didn't let the machinery to eat him. He still makes the music he likes on his own terms, has his concerts. He concentrates on Italy and France, there's madness about him in these countries and he lives like a superstar there, but has his own peace in UK where he actually lives, so he can have everything to live a fulfilling life.

 

I just have to add I'm happy for him, cause he really looks so content.

Edited October 31, 2015 by nenartus

[RAK1]

Another thing I keep seeing is that he has to be invited on to shows.

Yes, but to do that, the bookers need to be aware of him having something to promote, and how do they find that out?

His promo team of course.

If they don't push him, then how will anyone know he has anything to promote!

[RAK1]

It looks to me that Mika is doing exactly what he wants. He didn't let the machinery to eat him. He still makes the music he likes on his own terms, has his concerts. He concentrates on Italy and France, there's madness about him in these countries and he lives like a superstar there, but has his own peace in UK where he actually lives, so he can have everything to live a fulfilling life.

If that is what he wanted, then why not just start his career in these countries, and have success there?

Edited October 31, 2015 by RAK1

[Lunari]

Sorry, but that is wrong!

They all started at the same time back in 2007, and they ALL had the same advantages, record company backing, budgets etc.

Adele and Katy did well because they got a solid team behind them and worked like demons.

Mika started well, but instead of keeping the momentum going, for some reason let things slip.

 

Or it could be that his music struck a chord with the general public in 2007, but after that the public moved on. TBWKTM never did as well as LICM, and I don't think lack of promo was the problem then. There are plenty of artists this happens to (just think how many one-hit-wonders exist -- at least Mika isn't one of them!). If hard work was all it took to keep the momentum going and become a superstar, there would be many more superstars.

 

Like I've already said, I don't necessarily think that Mika and his team have always made great decisions; I just think things aren't as simple as some fans make them out to be. Yes, he's not promoted well (or at all) in many countries, but if his other albums had sold as well as LICM did, things would be completely different and I bet his label would still be throwing millions of pounds at him. And of course, lack of promo means that his subsequent albums have pretty much no chance of doing that well either. It's kind of a vicious circle.

[Christine]

Promoting also depends on other factors and not only by his will.

No actually it doesn't. Promoting does not only mean your record label booking you a guest spot on the number 1 TV show in the country or automatically being added to high rotation on top 40 radio. It means selling yourself and your product.

 

I know an independent singer songwriter in the UK who is prettier than Mika and his record label also wanted him to be like Robbie William et al. So he quit his record label to make the music he wanted to make and not be turned into the next Justin Bieber. Just like Mika his songs are not played on BBC Radio 1, Simon Cowell is not asking him to be on X Factor, etc. He does not have a record company supporting him in any way at all because he doesn't have a record company! There is no question about whether he can promote in the UK. He MUST do it. And he does do it. Every day of his life. Because he has chosen to make a living doing music in the UK and not somewhere else.

 

Just because Mika has chosen to promote himself in other markets because it is easier and more fruitful doesn't mean it is impossible to tour and focus promotional efforts on the UK. I don't care what he says in interviews. These are the facts. It's a choice.

 

And to be clear I respect his choice to focus mostly on France and Italy for touring and other promotional activities directly related to his music (ie not the talent shows). At this point he would be crazy to give up lucrative opportunities to play bars all the time in the UK or US or Germany. But it is simply not true that he doesn't have that option. Anything is possible, especially for someone with Mika's resources. He has sold millions more albums than the vast majority of working musicians in the UK and these pity parties for him and how disadvantaged he is are absurd to me.

 

You do not have to be Katy Perry or Adele or Justin Bieber to produce albums or perform gigs. Thousands of people are doing it every day. Thousands of people with far less resources at their disposal than Mika has. People without his millions in record sales. People without a record label. People without the best producers in the world. People without a PR firm.

 

I honestly do not care what Mika does at this point but I just can't listen to this nonsense about how it is necessary to do all these things he is doing in order to make an album and perform it for an audience. The only thing that all these things are necessary for is making a whole lot of money. Adele is fortunate that she can make a whole lot of money just by selling records, but neither one of them needs that kind of money to actually make records. Both of them were making fantastic music when they were teenagers living with their parents. And now that anyone can create a finished album on a laptop it requires less resources than ever.

[RAK1]

Or it could be that his music struck a chord with the general public in 2007, but after that the public moved on. TBWKTM never did as well as LICM, and I don't think lack of promo was the problem then. There are plenty of artists this happens to (just think how many one-hit-wonders exist -- at least Mika isn't one of them!). If hard work was all it took to keep the momentum going and become a superstar, there would be many more superstars.

 

Like I've already said, I don't necessarily think that Mika and his team have always made great decisions; I just think things aren't as simple as some fans make them out to be. Yes, he's not promoted well (or at all) in many countries, but if his other albums had sold as well as LICM did, things would be completely different and I bet his label would still be throwing millions of pounds at him. And of course, lack of promo means that his subsequent albums have pretty much no chance of doing that well either. It's kind of a vicious circle.

Indeed TBWKTM did get a fair bit of promo, but with TOOL here, it basically looked like they threw the album out there and hoped for the best, with only interviews on Dermot O'Leary and Graham Nortons shows, and very little else. More was needed, but didn't come. Like I said somewhere else Adele worked like a demon to get where she is, with all her albums, lots of promo, I don't get why Mika isn't doing the same.

[IngievV]

There is a new artist called Halsey who is blowing up right now. Before she even had a record deal, she already had a huge following which she acquired simply by her online presence. The internet is at everybody's disposal. Everybody, especially someone with a following like Mika's can get free promo online. It is all about HOW you use these resources and right now he is not using them well. He should connect more with fans on twitter. Show more of himself with blogs etc and when the time comes to sell s**t, people will buy it because he has invested in that relationship. But he is not doing that now. Missed opportunity.

[Christine]

There is a new artist called Halsey who is blowing up right now. Before she even had a record deal, she already had a huge following which she acquired simply by her online presence. The internet is at everybody's disposal. Everybody, especially someone with a following like Mika's can get free promo online.

Yes there was a time when all I knew about or heard from Katy Perry was on her MySpace page. I did not see her on TV, or hear her on the radio or see her CDs in stores. She just posted her music online and connected with potential fans directly or through the fanbases of other artists (like Mika).

[RAK1]

There is a new artist called Halsey who is blowing up right now. Before she even had a record deal, she already had a huge following which she acquired simply by her online presence. The internet is at everybody's disposal. Everybody, especially someone with a following like Mika's can get free promo online. It is all about HOW you use these resources and right now he is not using them well. He should connect more with fans on twitter. Show more of himself with blogs etc and when the time comes to sell s**t, people will buy it because he has invested in that relationship. But he is not doing that now. Missed opportunity.

Absolutely. He used to write blogs on the old Mikasounds site, but he stopped, which was a shame because on the whole, they were great.

And he started that Radio Mika spot on Soundcloud which would have been a fantastic podcast if he had kept it going, but he didn't.

He starts so many things, but doesn't continue them, so many wasted opportunities, it's frustrating.

[mellody]

At least he doesn't stay off twitter for months anymore, like he used to while making tbwktm and tool. but i agree, he could do more online.

 

Christine, about the making money or needing money to make records: you're right, but i'm not sure mika realizes this, or did until he left the huge studio and made his album in a house instead. Apparently he thought he needs this huge studio, which ofc is expensive. And he thinks he needs star producers like greg wells, which surely isn't cheap either. Dunno if he really needs greg, or rent a house in LA to make his albums - but i think it's his comfort zone, because he has always done it this way, and it's hard to get out of there.

And well, ofc he also needs money for his houses and apartments. he said in some interview this year that he's totally rubbish with money and has to rely on others to tell him how much he can spend - which imo is very dangerous, and maybe also a reason for why he does what he does - someone telling him he needs to earn more money and telling him the easiest way to earn it. Not saying it all isn't his fault, but this dependance on other people when it comes to money surely doesn't help.

[teenagedreamer98]

What the hell does X Factor have to do with Mika getting promo in ANY country? It's not the be all and end all of an artists career!

He just has to travel round the world being interviewed on tv and radio, sing on shows like Graham Norton, PDL, The Late Show etc. THAT is how promo has been done for decades, how most artists got their name out to the mainstream, as well as doing gigs in small, medium and large venues.

Adele, an artist who doesn't need promo, she just has to allude to the media that she has a song coming out, last week went around ALL the major radio stations in London with Hello, dud interviews, and everyone went crazy for it. But the fact is she didn't have to, because over the years, she worked her backside off trudging around, doing promo, because she knew she had to to get her music played.

Mik, for God knows what reason, seems to feel he doesn't need to go round the world and do this, just entrench himself in France and Italy, doing these tv shows, and everyone will be ther when he decides to make a new record. Well it dorsn't work that way. We are here, but others who loved his music before move on, and forget, because they think he has disappeared.

I was in a cafe in Swindon the other day, that I frequent in the afternoons, and was chatting about my trip to Madrid, and was surprised that the server, was from Tunisia and had gone to one of Mikas shows there, she too is a fan, and she had no idea he had bought out TOOL, let alone NPIH!

This is a regular fan, who isn't a member here, and I'm sure there are many more like her, who have no idea what he is doing, because he barely does any promo to get his records played here.

This does not make any of these people, not good fans, a term I am getting tired of hearing, because it basically accuses them of being bad fans, which they are not. They are actually not well informed fans, and this fault does NOT lie with them, but with the lack of info being put out there by whoever is running his promo. And this isn't just in the UK, it's every country that doesn't see or hear anything about him on the music media, whatever form that is.

Yes, I guess a spot on X Factor would help, but so would a spot on Strictly Come Dancing (which by the way is more popular in the UK according to the ratings), or the Graham Norton, Alan Carr or Jonathan Ross shows, but we haven't seen him on any of those for FIVE YEARS!

The thing is, Mika himself has to open himself to doing tjis, if he doesn't, no amount of pushing by us is going to come to anything.

 

Didn't he perform Celebrate on Strictly Come Dancing in 2012?  I watch the show regularly and I'm surprised he hasn't had a spot on it this year.  I agree that any sort of TV promotion would help him.

[Christine]

he said in some interview this year that he's totally rubbish with money and has to rely on others to tell him how much he can spend - which imo is very dangerous, and maybe also a reason for why he does what he does - someone telling him he needs to earn more money and telling him the easiest way to earn it. Not saying it all isn't his fault, but this dependance on other people when it comes to money surely doesn't help.

I am not blaming Mika for anything. He is capable of making tons of money so of course he should do that if that's what he wants to do. He can give it all to a children's charity or spend it on diamond encrusted collars for his dogs if he wants. That is his prerogative.

 

All I am saying is that people who believe that it requires all this money to be a working musician are misinformed. I don't know how much the NPIH set cost, all I know is I went to 3 gigs this year and there was no set. I don't know how much money BMW provided to finance the Talk About You video, all I know is that I preferred the Staring at the Sun video and the budget was probably nothing in comparison. I don't know how much it cost for Mika to rent some star's house to make NPIH, all I know is that he made Lola in a cheap hotel room and I like it more than, say, Hurts.

 

If someone is complaining about Mika not focusing on other country the only valid argument is: Mika is getting lucrative opportunities and being treated like a star in France and Italy and so the expectation that he should effectively waste his time struggling in the UK or Germany or wherever is unrealistic.

 

That is the reality of the situation and I would advise fans to accept it. Telling them myths about how Mika does not have a choice because his record company doesn't throw millions of pounds at him and the whole industry is unfair to him is never going to resolve this discussion because it's not true. And those of us who see gigs of artists who are less successful than Mika all the time in our countries know this for a fact. Those of us who have been to stripped down Mika gigs where there is no set, no opening act, no private limos, no huge entourage and Mika is wearing suits his mother made 5 years before know this for a fact.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Christine