"Damien Leith Platinum? You're Kidding"

[dededom]

Damien Leith Platinum? You're Kidding?
by Paul Cashmere - December 6 2006

undercover.com.au/News-Story.aspx?id=1007

You've got to love the Australian Music Industry. Platinum selling artists from reality TV shows? They must think we were born yesterday. This year's Idol winner Damien Leith is a platinum selling artist according to this weeks Aria chart, although the song sold less than 17,000 units.

Here we go again. Another Idol, another farce. Australian Idol is stardom by perception.

Leith's single 'Night Of My Life' sold around 14,000 physical singles with about another 1700 downloads giving it told sales of around 16,300 units.

The song was certified PLATINUM. Platinum is Australia is awarded for sales of 70,000 units but the sales for the music industry is what sells into stores, not what sells out of stores to the general public.

Idol artists are notorious for having their CDs over-sold to stores by their label. The label then claims the prestigious platinum award which ARIA cheerfully hands over. Then after a few months when the CDs have gathered enough dust in the stockroom of the store, the store returns them to the label for a refund.

While this charade takes place, ARIA has no reverse policy for taking back the award. Look at Casey Donovan as an example. The poor kid was under the illusion that she was a multi platinum selling artist. Who wants to be the one to tell her the truth?

Luckily, the gap between the number of downloads sold vs physical CDs sold is closing fast. When the CD becomes obsolete, record labels will no longer be able to bullshit the fans with perception. They cannot presell a platinum load of downloads like they can do with the physical CD.

With the momentum of the download sale catching on fast, it will be a lot harder to fool the public with the Idol winner of next year. Damien Leith may very well be the last of the false idols.

[thebraff (Braffy)]

Bah Humbug. I haven't bought mine yet. This week is the one and I'll be buying the DVD too. Going by these forums I would say he has sold extremely well.
Especially when a lot of people have said that they have had trouble buying it.

[Mi chiamano Kami]

Paul Cashmere whining about Idol winners? YOU'RE KIDDING!

I've been waiting to hear his annual Idol b!tchfest. And I respond to it in the same way as I have to all the others: does he not think this same platinum farce nonsense goes on with singles and albums from other artists? Who really cares?

As for the CD becoming obsolete... not so long as I'm breathing, thank you very much.

[Bahamagirl]

Paul Cashmere
What a load of....(where's the vomit smiley when you need it) Like this technique is unique to Australian Idol winners. All the major record labels do this sort of thing for artists they're promoting. I know someone who was in the industry and he told me all about the music industry's little tricks. Again, as I've stated elsewhere, a lot of Damien's fans are older and are not singles buyers and they would rather buy his songs produced at his pace not a rush job. False idol? An artist that has generated more interest in music than I have felt in years! *Calm down girl, take deep breaths*

[Mi chiamano Kami]

Don't worry, I'm fuming a little too - so much that I'm going to need to take a little break from the computer to cool down. This guy sits up on his perch of never having contributed anything positive to the musical world and tries to discredit a brilliant young artist who's just making it big, and it gets to me because Damien doesn't have a chance to defend himself.

14000 physical singles (which is a conservative estimate when you count uncounted sales) is amazing, whether the platinum means sales or shipping or nothing at all. Not to mention a lot of the people buying are probably people who don't normally purchase singles and aren't just susceptible to the Idol hype and would represent a reliable market for him in the future. False Idol - has he not been in a CD store lately? Every time my mother has gone into Big W or Target this week there is someone harassing the staff about when Damien's CDs are out. In a few months he's contributed more to the music industry than this loser and his articles ever will. *curses under breath*

[irishscorpio]

prepares flying smelly missile to hurl at said *cough* reporter...watches, waits (lingures in sordid alley ways lurking)...then decides it's better to just take all anxiety out on Mark

[Wicked Game]

Geez I was just waiting for this guy to come out and say something like this...he does it every year..and funnily enough its the only time I ever see him write something.

Oh well, his nothing but a whinging baby...

Everyone should just ignore him and move on to supporting Damien, cause complaining ain't gonna get ya nowhere, and Paul of course knows thats true...but for some reason he never seems to give up.

Whether we like it or not, Damien will get the idol backlash, but we just have to stay positive, cause even if Damien does do good, Paul will come up with something like that, he always does.

[christyl]

Doesn't gel with the numbers Sanity tell us are sold..OR the problems people are having getting one. If its true that Sony have shipped so many, where the heck ARE they? Lost in the ether somewhere??

Jerk. Loser. Twit. etc etc etc

False Idol my a*se!

[auntybesure]

Who cares how many are sold anyway? As long as it's enough to keep Damien recording new stuff for us all to listen to!

[hyperrune]

Who cares? The surprise and delight on his face when he got those plaques was no joke, so as long as I have that mental picture, I don't need the one where that reporter dies from [explicit violent content].

[irishrokit]

Ah

It happens with all artists not just idol and cd's going obsolete that will never happen especially after my experience with bigpond downloads. I want the cd with all teh pwitty artwork

And it would help if the shops actually had them on the shelf not out the back somewhere like mine was when I got it. And sony needs to try promoting Damo a bit. When I went the other day there was nothing at all about him in the shops

[irishscorpio]

Me thinks the article came about like this:
alleged journalist " umph yet again those Australian Idol people are getting more attention than me..I'm just a pretentious little weasel...oooh looky there's that guy on telly, (sulks, scratches head covered with greasy long hair and flaky scalp) f*** that guy can sing (b!stard) (rubs hands together in demented evil scientist way) 'ah ha!" I'll devise a plan so evil and ruthless I'll destroy this guy and everyone will looove mmee bwahahhaha." Walks over to music stores, trying to look inconspicuous whilst carrying notepad, attired like Dexter (with lab coat, pocket protector etc and taking in funny accent). Notices that talented guy's music is selling out faster than you can say "wash your hair mate" and pangs of jealousy and insecurities... goes home disheartened...writes up sensationalised, opinionated tosh filled with inaccuracies..."ah ha!" he thinks "if they think he's failed, they'll stop supporting him and he'll go away!!" so with selfish delight he nods to sleep...unaware that somewhere in not too distant suburb hoards of Damien Leith fans, were buying his single and CD's in droves.....

[lissa]

irishscorpio said:

Me thinks the article came about like this:
alleged journalist " umph yet again those Australian Idol people are getting more attention than me..I'm just a pretentious little weasel...oooh looky there's that guy on telly, (sulks, scratches head covered with greasy long hair and flaky scalp) f*** that guy can sing (b!stard) (rubs hands together in demented evil scientist way) 'ah ha!" I'll devise a plan so evil and ruthless I'll destroy this guy and everyone will looove mmee bwahahhaha." Walks over to music stores, trying to look inconspicuous whilst carrying notepad, attired like Dexter (with lab coat, pocket protector etc and taking in funny accent). Notices that talented guy's music is selling out faster than you can say "wash your hair mate" and pangs of jealousy and insecurities... goes home disheartened...writes up sensationalised, opinionated tosh filled with inaccuracies..."ah ha!" he thinks "if they think he's failed, they'll stop supporting him and he'll go away!!" so with selfish delight he nods to sleep...unaware that somewhere in not too distant suburb hoards of Damien Leith fans, were buying his single and CD's in droves.....

hahah irishscorpio that is the funniest thing i have read and very well said guy is just a LOSER and needs a good swift kick where the sun doesnt shine....Anyone got a email addy for him ?

[irishscorpio]

I think if anyone did have his e-mail address it would be a bit dangerous (no holding back kind of thing) ;-)..and yes he does need a good swift kick up the proverbial

[flynn]