The Tennessean: Comedy Albums = $$$!
The Tennessean might* be a Nashville-riffic filthy gossip rag unworthy of anybody's time or attention, but they've got a pretty good article about how insanely profitable stand-up comedy albums are for record companies. They tie it all in to Nashville very well, mentioning some of the comics signed to Nashville labels.. but do not mention NashvilleStandUp.com or any comedians actually from Nashville.. so, come to think of it, they don't really tie it in at all (filthy gossip rag!).
They do, however, bring up a good point: producing a stand-up comedy album costs next to nothing compared to cobbling up another goofy music act. By the time a comic is ready to cut an album, he or she has plenty of solid, tried and true material tested far and wide by everyone from the drunkest and dumbest bar room crowds to the elite comedy nerds only an obscure niche online discussion board can bring together.
At some point, you can just set up some microphones, hit record and have a hit record.. in theory. The article mentions Jeff Foxworthy "racking up paltry sales" until the label started marketing him in country-themed outlets like CMT and Cracker Barrel. The point, though, is that same record that wasn't really selling at first has since been certified platinum several times over.
The write-up has several quotes that sound pretty good for Nashville comedy. Parallel Entertainment's J.P. Williams was quoted as saying, "Comedy is risk-free.. the sales of comedy albums can pay for a lot of flops at a label."
Tom Becci, COO of Capitol Records Nashville, said of their comedy album sales, "It pays a lot of salaries." He said his executives have asked themselves if comedy was a business worth staying in at the risk of shifting focus away from other projects.. and the answer was yes. He continued, "Will Nashville ever be known for its comedy? I would certainly hope so."
Yeah, me too.
Here's some stand-up comedy albums from a few comedians who are actually from Nashville:
KEITH ALBERSTADT: ONE NIGHT STAND
DAWNA KINNE: JACKIN' AROUND
TIM NORTHERN'S FIRST CD
WIX: I'LL QUIT WHEN WILLIE QUITS
Click each image to go buy a copy and thank me later.
* When I say "The Tennessean might be a Nashville-riffic filthy gossip rag unworthy of anybody's time or attention" of course I use the word "might" in the same way I'd say "getting sued by a huge global media conglomerate might get me some good publicity." Then again, I might be wrong about everything (except for Nashville comedy, that is.. we're waiting for your call Mr. RecordCompanyGuyWithMoney. There's untapped talent here.).
Read the Tennessean article here:
The Tennessean: Laughter best medicine, country labels discover
