BIG IN JAPAN
But not everything has translated. For instance, the Lovemakers, a raunchy electro-rock act from Oakland, did not attract much of an audience outside the Bay Area. The Fratellis, a Scottish rock band that released its debut album in the US earlier this year, attracted some critical acclaim and exposure in an Apple advertisement, but topped out at a modest 129,000 copies.
In other cases, however, Kierszenbaum's cross-continental viewpoint is showing signs of promise. There is strong buzz around Robyn, the Swedish singer who - after a short-lived pop hit in the US a decade ago - is returning with a genre-bending album that has already topped the charts in her native country. Potential avenues for re-introducing her to US fans, Kierszenbaum said, might include featuring her as a guest vocalist on a hip-hop artist's single.
And in Japan, the high-concept imagery of the Pipettes, who sport polka-dot outfits and retro, candy-coated melodies, has fueled brisk sales for their album, which was released there two months ago. The trio and one of its songs, Because It's Not Love, are featured in a new music video, paid for by Panasonic, that doubles as a commercial.
Though the Pipettes are also trying to win fans in the US, Kierszenbaum said he thought the trio had a better shot at connecting in Asia early on. The label has advanced money for three Pipettes tours in Japan on the theory that breaking there should come "first and easiest."
"Nothing's easy," he added, "but it's easier than trying to break the Pipettes in Iowa at the beginning. We've got to start a fire somewhere."
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