The release of Brooks' latest effort was supposed to coincide with his monstrous, media-friendly concert in New York's Central Park and thereby maximizie CD sales. That's called synergy, by those in the know.
However, the project is still several songs shy of being complete, and Brooks' label is telling retailers the disc could be delayed. A spokesman for the country crooner says they won't know for sure until the end of the month whether the album will miss its August 7 street date.
If late, the damage to Brooks' bank account could be considerable. About 600,000 fans will flock to Central Park August 7 for the biggest concert there since Paul Simon's record-setting show in 1991. Millions more could catch the simulcast on HBO. Without a new product in stores, Brooks will lose out on the sales bump musicians usually see following a TV appearance (remember: S-Y-N-E-R-G-Y).
How could the mega-selling Brooks, who majored in advertising in college and is accompanined on tour by a marketing consultant, make such a major gaffe? Sources blame non-stop gigging, an illness in the producer's family and a case of writer's block.
At least one group should happy about Brooks' folly, though and that's the Beatles. Brooks has sold 62 million albums in the U.S., second only to the Fab Four, and his bad timing secures their place in the record books.