Rarely has a music group generated as much buzz before having even one album under their belt, as it is the case with Quebec band Your Favorite Enemies, who experience an international success, for the most part thanks to the magic of the Internet.
Philippe Renault
Le journal de Montréal
prenault@journalmtl.com
After turning a lot of heads, first on Myspace, then by winning an important popularity contest in a UK radio station last March, the craze does not cease to grow.
Offers from major record labels pour in, fan communities have been formed in a dozen countries, on top of which the band, who starts a European tour in September, have already 30 000 friends on Myspace.
Alex Foster, Miss Isabel, Sef Lemelin, Jeff Beaulieu, Ben Lemelin, Charles Allicy even succeeded in attracting in their region of Varennes, the renowned producer Steve Thompson, who has worked with Metallica, Simple Plan, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, to record their first album, that should come out next September.
A FRUITFUL FIRST TRY
Moreover, the young rock alternative formation has had the chance to get the feel of the music market by launching a five songs EP on June 1st. Without any promotion or support from distributors or record labels, close to 10 000 copies were sold in only a month.
“We’d never expected that it would take such proportions!” said Jeff.
“The people in the industry were saying that we’d fail. A lot of record labels put pressure on us to sign with them, saying that, if we failed, it would be the proof that we were just a buzz. Strangely, these same people now ask us what’s our marketing strategy, but we don’t have a marketing strategy!” tells Alex.
AFFORDABLE COST
As a matter of fact, this initiative to do all by themselves has only one goal: to sell at an affordable cost, no matter where the buyer is on the planet.
“We had calculated with labels that, the Japanese would have had to pay $42 for each 5 songs EP. We wanted to sell it everywhere at the cost of $10 Canadian. It’s our way of saying thank you. Our goal is not to make money since we make about $1 for each EP, that we give to the organism To Write Love On Her Arms”, carries on Alex, who is also spokesperson for Amnesty International.
As for it’s full-length album, the band will rely on big players in the music industry for the marketing, but it is out of the question to sign anything before the recording is over, in order to keep their total musical independence.
SOLID BONDS
Beyond the music, the success of Your Favorite Enemies lies, for the most part, on the ability of the band in establishing solid bonds with their fans.
“The fans are a part of the communities all over the world, and each member of the band takes care of them personally. Japan has been the first community to appear and it’s me who takes care of it. We developed relations and they share with us their preoccupations. It becomes a refuge to express themselves”, explains the singer, Alex Foster.
This bond is so strong that Yoshimi Odaira and Ryunosuke Sudou, two fans from the land of the Rising Sun, have travelled to Varennes recently and stayed in the house of the band members for a week.
“When I listened to the band for the first time, I was impressed. And contrary to the others, they don’t do that for promotion. They care about people. I was surprised to receive long and personalized messages from them. They bring hope. I now want to make it possible for others in Japan who suffer from solitude to experience what I felt while listening to them. They can help them. What’s more, their music is good!” utters Yoshimi Odaira, who even took advantage of her stay in Quebec to have the band’s name tattooed.
To discover Your Favorite Enemies, go to www.yourfavoriteenemies.com