Why did Axl Rose give Guns N' Roses' first studio album in 17 years a title that he had to know would damage sales in China—where GN'R has a legion of loyal fans—if not preclude them altogether? A snap decision made poorly perhaps? No; he chose the title more than a decade ago. Perhaps he simply doesn't care much about the market? Not true either.
GN'R developed a major following in China in the late 1980s, when the young Mr. Rose was recording early hit songs like "Welcome to the Jungle." China was in the throes of its own rebellious era, and heavy metal was its protest music. GN'R's popularity soared in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators. Learning the band's 1991 ballad "Don't Cry" was a rite of passage for a generation of Chinese guitarists.
And the affection has not gone unrequited. Mr. Rose in recent years has visited Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Xian... He now worries, though, that he won't be let back in.
The new album, Chinese Democracy, is unlikely to be released in China and the band's promoters in China have dropped plans for two shows there.
In reality, the lost ticket sales may be the only significant financial sacrifice. A press release from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) early this year asserts that more than 99 per cent of all music files distributed in the country are pirate and China’s total legitimate music market, at US$76 million, accounts for less than one per cent of global recorded music sales.
This was obviously a very deliberate decision by GN'R with some idea of the ramifications. Unfortunately, organizations make bad calls on product names, imagery, iconography, color and subject matter all the time that are not intentional and can prove much more costly. More often than not, they're probably not a big enough transgression to merit front-page coverage in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, some may be so subtle that they simply chip away a few percentage points of visitors to your website, dollars in sales or off-the-radar negative word of mouth. The only way to prevent this is to be sure everything you release is reviewed by someone who is not only an expert in the target-market language and culture, but preferably in the target industry, as well.
Stay tuned for more on this in future articles...
Guns N' Roses' New Album Is Up Against a Chinese Wall | Wall Street Journal
