..........This isn't a Billy Milano style knock on Anthrax, but WCFYA is probably going to be worst selling CD since Fistful. It will be lucky to out do Vol. 8 the way the recording industry is today. The RIAA did this to themselve by fucking people out of $$$$$$$$$$ for decades. 17 bucks for a CD Fuck that. People have just wised up, and this isn't anything new. Perennial multiplatinum sold out concert artists are struggling just to get to gold. KISS's Psycho Circus and Aerosmith's Just Push Play are great examples. All the airplay "Jaded" and "JPP" got on mTV, radio, and Dodge ad's and the album stalled and died at platinum. A decade earlier that album would be quintuple platinum. Where did all the fans go? They still like Aerosmith, but several things happened: Some fans wised up and said "I ain't paying that much for a CD, fuck you", and just downloaded it. Others are sooooo swamped with other forms of media: DVD's, video games, what not, they are just done w/ buying music period. Why pay 20 bucks for a CD when you pick up a damn good movie or game?????? Mark my words, even the mighty Metallica are gonna suffer from the depressed RIAA. "St. Anger" will be the worst seller since Kill 'Em All, I gaurantee it. The shame is that bands like Anthrax and Type O Negative suffer the most from this. Their success is only marginal and their back catalog isn't enough to sustain them nor do they play arenas (like KISS, Def Lepp, Metallica etc, etc) Anthrax could benefit HUGELY from just a few thousand copies that first week on the charts, but i don't see it happening.
The concert industry is next. Bands like KISS, Ozzy, and ZZ Top are relying on concert income to compensate for their now sagging record sales (believe me, gold in 2003 is = to double platinum in 1988, people don't buy music anymore) so they've driven ticket prices UP. Also, companies like Clear Channel and House of Blues are promoting shows EVERYWHERE so that they have no competition and can keep prices UP. Eventually people will see this for the joke that it is and stop paying $100 to see Boston and Styx. You can only rip people off for so long, people are stupid, but if you fuck with peoples money long enough, even the stupid ones, they'll catch on.
The concert industry is next. Bands like KISS, Ozzy, and ZZ Top are relying on concert income to compensate for their now sagging record sales (believe me, gold in 2003 is = to double platinum in 1988, people don't buy music anymore) so they've driven ticket prices UP. Also, companies like Clear Channel and House of Blues are promoting shows EVERYWHERE so that they have no competition and can keep prices UP. Eventually people will see this for the joke that it is and stop paying $100 to see Boston and Styx. You can only rip people off for so long, people are stupid, but if you fuck with peoples money long enough, even the stupid ones, they'll catch on.