http://www.nicholasmcdonald.co.uk/
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There is nothing wrong with going low cost, but one has to invest at moments in time.
Cute the gogo support behind Nicky here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krA_lMofxSI
but not really professional, I think.

The website is up again at:
http://nicholasmcdonald.co.uk/

Interesting that there are only 2 Scottish dates, he is spreading his wings. The follow on tour is also mainly down south which is encouraging. Everything is falling gently in to place, he's learned his craft at home and is moving outwards. Enough time has passed since xf to launch a new image and surprise a few people.

This year is going to be good even if the album is still a work in progress. I don't really care how long it takes tbh, if it's worthy of his voice it'll be worth it 😊

Recently posted on the web:

Celtic super fan Jay Beatty joins charity football match with other celebrity names
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/c...685n.127598605
The event saw a host of familiar faces turn out to support the cause including X Factor runner up Nicholas McDonald who was happy to support the cause. He said: "It's all about raising as much money as possible.
"I've not played football in a while but I'm sure it will be a really enjoyable day."


X Factor stars to sing at Hamilton Racecourse this summer
1 June 2015 By Shirley Bartynek
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/lo...milton-5777784
Summer at Hamilton Park Racecourse is going to be a star-studded affair as singing sensations Sam Bailey and Jay James take centre stage this July.
... Sam was pictured earlier this year at a local chip shop.... She joined her good friend Nicholas McDonald, who is also godfather to her daughter Miley, to catch up over a cup of tea and a plate of chips.
Sam will be joined at the races by former Royal Navy fitness instructor Jay James from the 2014 series of the X Factor, who was recently named one of the top ten Hottest Hunks of 2015 by Heat magazine readers.
... Fellow former X Factor contestant Jake Quickenden had been scheduled to appear at the event, but has withdrawn due to television commitments.

Wed 03 Jun 2015 to Wed 03 Jun 2015
On the 03rd of June 2015, Nicholas McDonald runner up from the X Factor in 2013 will be appearing at the Girvan Academy Theatre. The concert is being held to raise funds to help Emma Sinclair to go to India to teach at a local primary school....
http://www.carrickayrshire.com/events

EDIT added:

Pauly Upton ‏@PAULY_UPTONCLAN · 44m44 minutes ago
After @nickymcdonald1 scored yesterday me & @SonnyUptonClan not happy in the background 😂great day ⚽️ #BeattyVHague pic.twitter.com/9g30108fXy
https://twitter.com/PAULY_UPTONCLAN/...535360/photo/1

Let's see how things panned out in the end.

Will Young indeed held on all week and ends the week as the official UK #1 album selling 21,321 copies.

In The Arms Of An Angel sold 11,299 in its first week on sale. Had Nicky released his second album last Monday and sold the exact same amount, he would've entered this weeks album chart at #5.

It will be more intriguing than interesting to see when the second album is released. If the last few years has proved anything, it's that Q4 is when album sales increase - especially leading up to christmas.

This is why an artist like Nicky should avoid Q4. It's when all the big artists tend to release new albums as they know they will sell bucketloads (see Olly Murs, One Direction). If RCA are wise and release Nicky's at a quiet time where there isn't much in the way of competition it would favour Nicky considerably.

Like Alex rightly posted, I'd rather wait until early 2016 for a new Nicky album. That would give the lad plenty of time to record some cracking pop songs and then promote the album in Q1 (after the post-christmas rush has settled).

I doubt that the "plenty of time" Nicky himself eventually needs is the issue.
His first album was recorded in a few days time.
He needs to get good material:
- RCA needs time to find it
- RCA will eventually decide what in their basket is for Luke, for Andrea, for Ollie and for others..
- Some recordings done may be rejected for whatever reason
- When something is about to be ready, the launching strategy plays.
Additionally to that, Nicky lacks a professional manager.

Meet the band for Nicky's tour

https://twitter.com/nickymcdonald1/s...16029357309954

It'll be interesting to see who the support acts are too, all presented by Nickstar Ltd.

I think it's great that Nicky's got a live band playing on stage with him. As you know from the Rothes Hall gig, it just added so much to the atmosphere. There is so much more Nicky can do with the live band whereas backing tracks limit the potential.

Fully agree. He will also learn to "manage a team".

Hope he will record some covers in the mean time. On the continent I still hear airply of "Impossible" by James Arthur. So covers may help supporting one's career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFvmm4kNlhs

Brilliant clip of Nicky from when he was a guest on Peter & Roughie's radio show. Only downside, the clip ends way too soon.

RCA Priorities

RCA is momentarily investing efforts in Andrea

http://www.tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv...nd-single.html
with debut single Give A Little Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OR2AoDivcI
" ..This week Andrea announced that his album would be called Kelly and will be available to buy and download from July 17.
The record will follow his debut single Give A Little Love – one of eight original songs on the album – which will be released the week before..."

EDIT added:

The full track listing for Andrea’s debut album is as follows:
It’ll All End In Tears
Evaporate
The River
Kelly
You Pulled Me Through
Back To The Sea
Give A Little Love
What Would Dusty Do
Lascia Tutto Cosi
I Didn’t Know My Own Strength

Glad to see that it doesn't include "Love again"

So Nicky finished 2nd on X Factor and by April 2014 he had a top 10 album that included 3 original songs.

Andreas finished 3rd (despite being a better singer than Ben Haenow imo) and by July 2015 he will most likely have had a top 10 album too including eight original songs.

Will be interesting to see how it sells in its first week when you consider the collapse of the UK albums market.

Here's the latest video diary (sort of) that Nicky has posted on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/50541660614...9982611353989/

in the press:

Nicholas McDonald will crown gala queen at Blantyre Old Parish Church summer fair
14:11, 4 June 2015 By Leona Greenan
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/lo...-queen-5822238

Haha, there is a certain bonkers brilliance to this. He should post it on YouTube

My favourite bit of the clip (even though it's got loads of funny moments) is the little bit where Nicky sings "so I've been searching".

I'm guessing it's from a song he knows. If not and Nicky just made it up off the top of his head then that needs to be turned into a song. Some of the best songs tend to emerge from the singer/writer randomly singing random lyrics to a random melody and then something clicks.

In the press:

Celtic FC superfan Jay is guest of honour at charity match day
10:00, 8 June 2015 By Leona Greenan
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/lo...s=1%20sitewide
...X Factor star Nicholas McDonald, of Motherwell, also lined up on the day....

when I select the facebook icon at
http://nicholasmcdonald.co.uk/
I get a very odd website:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicho...523814?fref=ts
I think it is a fan page??????

I'm surfing from within my hotel in Halifax NS, but I think that is unrelated and it's rather an error in the set-up of the website.

in the press:

X Factor star plays gig for Girvan’s Emma
Wednesday 10 June 2015
http://www.carricktoday.co.uk/news/l...emma-1-3797874
X Factor star Nicholas McDonald was in Girvan to perform a fundraising gig to help a Girvan Academy pupil....
...Nicholas performed a set including his hit song A Thousand Years and feel good covers of “Happy” and “Uptown Funk.”...


TOP ACTS COMING TO DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY THANKS TO FREE YOUTH BEATZ FRINGE
10/06/2015
http://www.dgwgo.com/news/music-fest...-beatz-fringe/
...Nicholas McDonald headlining on Thursday 6 August at Crawick Multiverse...
...The week is rounded off with an Urban day at Kirkconnel skate park from 12 noon to 4pm followed by Nicholas McDonald live in concert at Crawick Multiverse.

I hate iTunes but since I have a USA account, I can only purchase when in N America. I'm in Canada now and I got some iTunes vouchers (a cash-back replacement) so I'm using them now.

Checking the iTunes store:
The songs of Nicky are all available in the US now (Last year I could only download songs from an other NMcD, album "March Along".)
All tracks of our Nicky go USD 1.29 (against USD 0.99 normally).
Popularity in decreasing order:
- A 1000 yrs
- ITAOAA
- Superman
- If you're not the one
- Someone like you
- Just the way you are
- Answerphone
- Flying without wings
- When the stars go blue
- Smile
- Solid Gold
As for albums ITAOAA goes USD 11.99

As for Luke Friend, I don't find his single, but tracks from an album "Luke Friend Live Ont'Sofa" with most popular track "Sex (acoustic cover)" I suppose it's an other Luke than the one we know.

Tracks of Collabro go also USD 1.29
Their albums: "Stars (special edition)" for USD 10.99, "Act Two" for USD 9.99
Their book "Our Story" sells for USD 10.99

in the press:

dates from a week go, but published yesterday:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/lo...donald-5864052
X Factor star Nicholas McDonald opens Blantyre Old Parish Church Summer Fair
15:00, 13 June 2015 By Shirley Bartynek

An interview with Nicky, from the truck pull challenge earlier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZbupJtkgic

He talks a lot about his time on x factor, and looking back it's quite remarkable that he coped as well as he did with what was obviously completely unexpected, and at such a young age. He also mentions a little about management and how his mum has done a good job of holding things together as he waits for new management to take over shortly. Can't argue with that, putting a tour together must be a huge task. Here's hoping ticket sales go well as we wait for the new album

I know this post might be irrelevant but I still find things like this interesting.

Here are the sales figures for this weeks top 5 UK albums.

1. Muse - Drones (72,863)
2. Florence & The Machine - How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (24,734)
3. Collabro - Act Two (11,532)
4. Ed Sheeran - X (9,884)
5. Sam Smith - In The Lonely Hour (9,344)

Firstly, it's maybe worth noting the last few #1 albums haven't exactly been led by a massive single. These are acts that have continued to build up a strong fanbase over the years.

As I posted in this thread two weeks ago, ITAOAA entered the album chart at #6 selling 11,299 copies. That was a week where George Michael and Kylie Minogue had new albums also released, whilst acts like Paloma Faith and Elbow were in their second week on the chart so hadn't suffered a massive sales drop.

So, if Nicky had released his new album last Monday and done plenty of album signings and TV appearance throughout the week and sold 11,299, he would be #4 this week in the album chart - two places higher than Mother's Day week in 2014.

Taking into account Muse, Florence & Will Young have had the UK #1 album in the last three weeks without a massive single to lead the campaign maybe, just maybe, there's a good chance that Nicky would become a successful albums artist. The type of artist who wouldn't necessarily rely on a big hit single to still sell albums.

Again, this would all come down to how RCA handle Nicky's career and what exactly they want to achieve with Nicky as an artist. As I say, I do find these trends interesting to follow. Just imagine what Nicky's album sales would potentially be if he did have a massive single to lead the album campaign. It would be a lot more than 11k, I'm almost sure of that.

OT; Luke Friend's Hole In My Heart sold more in his first week than Leona's new single Fire Under My Feet which entered the UK singles chart at #51 yesterday. Both songs didn't receive much radio airplay. Who'd have thought Luke would have a more successful single than Leona in 2015?

I'm curious to learn how Nicky's fanbase developped outside Scotland.
We may get an idea from how the tour next month does.
As for records:
- Good songs sell, whoever is singing it (decently)
- (Some) fans buy records from their idol, whatever it is
- There is a public for recycled pop classics, especially for some occasions as e.g. Christmas. "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" continues to do well every year. This is a market for Colabro, Jack Pack...
- Radioplay is essential, CDs are not sold anymore for a nice picture on the cover.
I would prefer Nicky trying to penetrate with some singles that do well, preferably also outside the UK.
"Love again" may do when properly produced and marketed.
Why starting with albums?
(PS. I downloaded some Colabro material from iTunes. I'm quite disappointed about it, I don't feel any of their covers outclasses the originals)