As the Oct. 3 release date of Mariah Carey's sixth album, “Daydream” approaches, Columbia Records is preparing a multifaceted marketing blitz that is geared toward increasing the pop diva's status as one of the world's top-selling artists.
Although the label was still confirming some of its plans at press time, executives at Columbia say they are looking at a year-plus commitment to Daydream that should include a major network-television special, an Internet World Wide Web site, and her first live performances abroad.
The 25-year-old singer's 1993 release, Music Box, has sold 23 million copies worldwide, according to the label. Carey also issued the seasonal Merry Christmas last year, which moved 8 million units worldwide. Those releases sold 6.3 million and 2 million units, respectively, in the U.S, according to SoundScan. These figures account for one-third of the 60 million-unit global sales mark that Carey has achieved since her 1990 self-titled debut, according to Columbia.
“I don't think the industry at large knows the full extent of her impact on a worldwide level, because we tend not to play the P.T. Barnum role with her — we prefer to let her artistry tell the story,” says Don Ienner, president of Columbia.
The first chapter in the story of Daydream began at 10 a.m. Aug. 23, when the single “Fantasy” became available for radio airplay via satellite. Stations that did not have access to a satellite feed were hand-delivered a promotional CD of the song at the same time. Co-produced by Carey with Dave “Jam” Hall, the uptempo pop tune sports a plethora of multiformat remixes that include hip-hop versions featuring guest rapping by Ol' Dirty Bastard and post-production by Sean “Puffy” Combs. A club-oriented rerecording of the song was produced by Carey with club icon David Morales.
Early radio reaction to “Fantasy” has been overwhelmingly positive, with a total of 183 pop, R&B, and crossover stations jumping on the track out of the box, according to Broadcast Data Systems. Erik Bradley, music director at the rhythm/crossover WWBM Chicago, describes the single as “pure pop at its best. It's fun, it's fresh, and it sounds incredible over the air. Mariah has always been real successful for this station. We're excited about eventually getting the album and exposing different cuts to our audience.”
Mike Morgan, PD at the top 40 WFLY Albany, N.Y., adds that the lively pace of “Fantasy” will be a plus for Carey's image at radio. “It's a nice change from the ballads that closed out the last album,” he says. “It should go over well with our audience, particularly since we play a lot of Mariah in recurrent rotation. She's one of those artists who is very strong with young listeners, as well as in the 18-34 age range.”
With “Fantasy” off and running at radio, retail will enter the picture on Sept. 12, which is when the single becomes commercially available. “This is the kind of project that makes everyone happy, because we all know that it will probably sell tons,” says Roy Burkhert, buyer for Harmony House, a 37-store chain based in Troy, Mich. “Mariah has an across-the-board audience that is just waiting for something new from her. I have no doubt that the album and single will be a smash.”
The next promotional step will be the unveiling of the videoclip for “Fantasy” on Thursday (7), for which Carey makes her directorial debut. The singer is slated to do a round of appearances on MTV, VH1, the Box, and BET in support of the video that week. Several additional options for exposing the project on VH1 are in discussion, including the possibility of a live, on-air performance. Carey is also under consideration for December Artist of the Month status on the network.
MTV will premiere the clip for “Fantasy” worldwide during its MTV Video Music Awards “pregame” show, which Andy Schuon, senior VP of music and programming at MTV, says is the first time the network has unveiled a video in this setting.
“Our audience has always responded so well to Mariah, and her popularity just continues to grow,” Schuon says. “This was the perfect clip for her to make. It's real fun and youthful. It's going to go over real well.”
Other television-related ventures connected to exposing Daydream include a possible network special, which the label is still negotiating. According to Julia Eisenthal, VP of marketing at Columbia, details of the program, which will likely air in November, will be confirmed in the next couple of weeks.
The interests of technologically advanced Carey fans are being met with an Internet Web site for the artist that can be accessed within the larger Sony Web site. Later this month, the Carey site will offer an extensive menu that will include CD and single-sleeve pictures of the singer by famed photographer Steven Meisel; footage from the “Fantasy” videoclip; biographical information; recent magazine and newspaper articles; and sound bites from Daydream.
“We will eventually do online chats with Mariah, which will be an excellent way for her to talk to her fans,” says Eisenthal, who notes that a computer screen saver with portions of the “Fantasy” video is being developed for release in the coming weeks.
A considerable amount of effort will be devoted to promoting the project in the international market. “Fantasy” will be released overseas Sept. 11, with Daydream due abroad Sept. 28. High on Carey's agenda of personal appearances will be a live performance of “Fantasy” on the U.K. television program Top Of The Pops Sept. 13, as well as a live satellite performance for Asian television from a London sound stage. Julie Borchard, VP of international at Columbia, says that a Carey concert tour of Japan, Europe, and the U.K is being considered for early 1996.
“There is a lot of excitement and anticipation for this project all over the world.” Borchard says. “There are so many people [abroad] who are dying to have her over and see her perform.”
According to Borchard, the Latin market will likely be treated to a Spanish-language rerecording of a song from Daydream later this year. “At the moment, we're trying to decide which would be the appropriate song,” she says. “Mariah rerecorded ‘Hero’ from Music Box in Spanish specifically for this market, and it was an effective tool in selling an additional 500,000 albums in Latin America.”
“Daydream” shows Carey deftly walking a tightrope between the romantic pop balladry that has become her stock in trade at radio and a leaner, more R&B-driven sound. She co-produced each of the set's 12 cuts, working primarily with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff — though Hall, Morales, and hip-hop luminary Jermaine Dupri also contributed to the production of the project.
“The first song I recorded for this album was ‘Underneath The Stars,’ which has a real '70s soul vibe,” Carey says. “We even put those scratches you hear on old records to give it that kind of flavor. [That song] was a good place to start, because it got me into the head of making an album that was more R&B — more in the vibe of the Minnie Riperton era, which has always been an inspiration to me.”
Superstar sparkle is brought to Daydream by Babyface, who co-wrote the rhythmic slow jam “Melt Away,” and Boyz II Men, who help out on the set's next single, “One Sweet Day.” Carey says the latter song, a poignant ballad about losing loved ones, is the result of her unexplainable karmic connection with Nate Morris from Boyz II Men.
“This past year, I lost a lot of people who were very close to me, and I started to write a song about how it affected me,” Carey says. “I already had the chorus and the melody down when I met with Nate, who had written a song for his road manager who was killed. When we looked at both songs, half the words were the same, so we put the two together. The whole thing was kind of eerie, but also kind of magical.”
In addition to the results of Carey's musical exploration and development, Daydream includes elements that will be familiar to supporters of her previous albums. Among them is her reverent rendition of Journey's 1982 No. 1 power ballad “Open Arms,” which is already slated to be the set's third single. But even the moments that the singer describes as “traditional for me” are delivered exclusively on her own terms.
“I had the desire to be in full control early on,” Carey says. “But how could I at the age of 19 and just starting out? To get to the point where I am today, I had a lot of learning to do, and I had to prove myself — which I feel like I've done. As truly proud as I am of my work in the past, I feel like more of me is coming across now in my music.”
Once Carey completes her promotional commitments to Daydream, the singer will likely launch her own Sony-distributed label. The label is still in the early stages of discussion.
“I love the idea of working with other artists,” Carey says. “I'm not only about writing songs for myself. I enjoy the process of writing and producing songs that fit voices that are different from mine. And I love collaborating with different people.”
