Album sales

[mveneck]

Does anyone have a good estimate of the last few album sales numbers?

How many worldwide copies did Unleashed sell?
How many worldwide copies did Metalhead sell?
How many worldwide copies did Killing Ground sell?
How is Heavy Metal Thunder doing?

I'm curious to know if the numbers have gone up or down from album to album. Is this a good indicator of the financial strength of the Saxon regime? Does Saxon get paid by a flat fee from the record contract or do they get paid by album sales?

Who funds their tours and expenses like logding meals and beers?
If Saxon breaks even on a leg of the tour (ticket sales minus expenses) is it still considered a success since they are selling more albums that month in that market?

Has Saxon recently ever returned from a country saying "wow, we lost/won big time on that one"?

Where is Saxon's biggest draw for a gig?
Where is Saxon's biggest bust for a gig? ($$$...keep it clean)

Just curious how they're doing.

 

[Crusader]

In Biff's letter he wrote on saxon747.com a month or two ago he said that KG has selled approx. 100000 copies, and still selling.

And I don't think we can expect any answers to the other questions, just check the "Questions for Saxon" thread, it has been up from late October -02, and still no answers Here's the thread's URL if you want to read it: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=57573

 

[Karsten]

Well, Saxon tours are funded to a good part by the support acts and the record companies that back the support acts...From ticket sales alone, Saxon wouldn't be able to do touring without losing money.

I remember Biff saying during the show that the gig threy played in Salzburg in april although it sold out (350 people) would have cost them money..

 

[strangehighways]

It depends on the size of the venues Saxon play. I mean they would have made money when they played london astoria (2000) and probably when they play germany as well coz they play fairly large venues there.

I think Killing Ground has sold at least 100000 as mentioned in another post, i think metalhead and unleash maybe sold less coz Saxon are more popular now than they have been in last few years. I think in the early 80s at their peak they sold bout 1 mill for wheels of steel, strong arm etc.... i know for a fact that wheels of steel sold 200000 copies in uk alone.

 

[mveneck]

No doubt Saxon is a very hard working band. I hope they continue for a long time. Dio's over 60 and he put out his best album in years with Killing the Dragon. It can be done!

 

[arborist]

Ronnie Dio was born in 1949. Do the math.

 

[mveneck]

Ronnie Dio was born in 1949. Do the math.

get your own facts in line, man!

Before forming his first band in 1957 - Ronnie And The Redcaps (they went under names The Vegas Kings and Ronnie & The Rumblers before choosing their final name) - Dio had played both trumpet and bass. His father bought him a trumpet when he was a child and Dio played it until he started to play bass later on. Ronnie himself credits his voice to that trumpet, he says that without the breath excercises with trumpet he wouldn't have his voice.
Dio supposedly quit his studies around 1957 or 1958 for a musical career - some sources say that he studied pharmacy and got a degree from it. Ronnie And The Red Caps released two singles before changing their name to Ronnie Dio And The Prophets.
This band lasted for several years until it split up in the Autumn of 1967, when Ronnie James Dio and their guitarist left it to form a band called The Electric Elves. The band existed from late 1967 until mid 1969, when its name was changed to The Elves. They were under that name for about a year, when they all were involved in a car accident.
After recovering from the accident, Ronnie James Dio and two of his former bandmates continued in a new band called Elf. This happened in mid or late 1970. Elf lasted over four years and ended in February, 1975. There were some line-up changes in the band, but its name remained the same until they formed Rainbow with Deep Purple's guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. The band faced several line-up changes before Ronnie James Dio left it in November 1978.
When Ronnie James Dio left Rainbow in late 1978, he started to consider solo career. However, he was invited to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in May 1979.
Ronnie remained in Black Sabbath for a couple of years, until he left them along with their drummer in October 1982, in order to form his own band Dio. Dio lasted until early 1991, when Ronnie surprisingly rejoined Black Sabbath. The reunited Black Sabbath made one album and a world tour before Ronnie reformed Dio again in late 1992. See Angry Machines and Magica....

See you at the Garden State Arts Center for Dio/Maiden/Motorhead!

 

[mveneck]

By the way... I didn't actually write that. It's a cut-n-paste from a website I found. Do a search on "Dio birthday" and you will find there's a big secret to his age. I've found everything from 47-77!

 

[labrekk]

From very reliable sources on the net, it seems like Dio was born either in 1940 or in 1942. So, he'll be 61 or 63 this year, whihc is incredible, given the level of performance he still delivers.

But I'd prefer that the 1949 date would be the good one, cause it would mean that Ronnie would have more metal years and albums left in him...