Music Marketing 101

[ant_7000 0]

This is from an entertainment lawyer:::

 

You are an artist, you have to consider your marketability, which I will delineate below, as well as providing some links that fall exactly in line with what I am saying. There are trends to what acts tend to get signed, and what just doesn't fit in today's synergistic world of media.

 

I also want it to be clear that I am discussing strictly major labels and mainstream acts that normally populate the likes of MTV.

 

THE NEW ERA OF MARKETING

 

Before, it didn't really matter unless you had a good song to sell. How times have changed! In the mid-nineties, media companies, along with MTV (as well as several colluded mega-majors like Universal, and Time Warner) made qualitative analyses of the lives of youths usually between the ages of 12-17, or the "teen" generation if you will. They went into kid's houses, asked kids about what they liked, didn't like, trends in clothing and consumption of goods, and came back to the table with two distinct psychological profiles of female and male teens that would be a cookie cutter methodology to which female and male teens could be marketed to by record companies in collusion with major brand giants like Procter and Gamble, shoe companies, etc.

 

What came out of the research was a change in MTV as well as the signing of acts by record companies. Record companies and MTV sought talent that appealed to either one of the following:

 

1. A disassociated, angry teen male. (known as a "MOOK")

2. A hypersexualised, pierced, "belly showing," sophisticated, teen female. (known as a "MIDRIFF.")

 

Know, the recalculation of programming at MTV was changed to fit such predicates, as well as programming for a more brand friendly a promotional program approach. That's why they don't just "show music videos" on MTV. They have 1/2 hr. to 1 hr "shows" that are meant to appeal to either the MOOK or the MIDRIFF. "Jackass" was meant for teh MOOK, and the MIDRIFF had other shows as well. Furthermore, advertisers could do pertinent brand placement and MTV which would make MTV have higher advertising rates than before, because they are appealing to the consumption habits that teens make during their "brand formation" years. That's basically where teens get brand identification that they will hold on to later in life, like using Guess? jeans, Ralph Lauren or even Phat Farm, and having an affinity for it.

 

How does this all fit in to getting signed?

 

MARKETING AND GETTING SIGNED TO A MAJOR

 

Korn, Staind, Eminem, Metallica, 50 Cent, most gangsta rap, Linkin Park, appeal to the MOOK. Most acts signed have to fit into this generic category that promotes anger, depression and violence, because that is what the MOOK has been psychologically profiled as by researchers.

 

Haven't you ever accused a band or act for getting "soft" if he/they come out with a "love song?" Why would Ja Rule switch from his harder image on Venni Vetti Vinci to the "Thug Love" he croons now?

 

The midriff!

 

Female teens are the largest consumers of music in Western Europe, the United States and Australia. That's why N'Sync was so successful. So is Britney Spears and Hillary Duff. That's why Fabolous raps love songs, B2K sings, or Ja Rule sells 6 million love raps, and you hate him, but your girlfriend loves him. They are all appealing to the midriff demographic, and love songs about relationships, etc., are all appealing to the female teen demographic, and if they like the image of the artist, then you're even a bigger star.

 

An group I think treads finely between the MOOK and MIDRIFF is Nickelback, who tended to make sappier love songs, and now is trying to get "harder" a little bit with their last single. ("I Know Who You Are")

 

SO GOD, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?

 

This means that YOU as an artist, if you want a higher probability of getting signed, and I mean this... have to throw away your "artistic" idealism and indeed think if you want to "sell out" and actually make some money by formatting your music to sell to a MOOK or to the MIDRIFF

 

Usually an exec won't let you do both, it's increasing the probability of failure if they try to market you to both, plus it's cheaper to promote you in one way than both. Remember, you're selling your image, and that image has to be consistent. Either your appealing to angry kids who can identify you, or to females that identify with your love lyrics.

 

Rarely is there middle ground.

 

You have signing potential if you appeal to one and only one of these demographics. Also, it gives you the ability to cross-promote, like signing with a clothing company for men, if you're a MOOK artist, or sell make-up, like Mandy Moore. Also, your image can make you able to be a movie action star (something 50 Cent should do, and DMX tried).

 

The thing is that if you cater to a MOOK or the MIDRIFF, you more options to make money for your record company, management, agents, and self.

 

GOD WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS? I'M MY OWN ARTIST F*** EVERYBODY

 

Hmm, is that what you really want to do? If I want to sign you, and you're a hardcore rapper appealing to the MOOK, I can immediately put you on tour with other harder rappers like 50 Cent/Jay-Z/Xzibit, or if you're a band, I can get you on that Korn/Limp Bizkit tour, which gives you instant exposure for your band, which equates to more money and more sales.

 

It's about making music that SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIES with a target audience, like angry 12-17 yr. old males.

 

If I represent you, and you appeal to the midriff, I'd have you doing all the cheesy photo shoots, Tiger Beat, your face would be on make-up, backpacks, all the things you hate about "selling out" and going "soft." But guess what, YOU WOULD BE PAID MASSIVELY.

 

If you do your own thing... great, just don't come looking for a massive deal unless you are so different that it's worth to sign you. That doesn't happen often. That's saying a lot considering most people that do get signed beat dramatic odds over other people.

 

CONCLUSION

 

What you should get out of this is that MTV won't play unless your image appeals to the MOOK or MIDRIFF demographic. Your video has to have a certain format, and record companies know that their artists should appeal to such standards because they have a better chance at being promoted and paid by advertisers, etc.

 

It is the whole "sell out dilemma." But think about it. You're not just an artist, you're an image, you're somebody that a kid should look up to. You're not really yourself, you're somebody else pretending to appeal to a demographic. Dre knows this, look at his artists, they all pretty much cater to the MOOK. Boy bands were great money makers appealing to the MIDRIFFS.

 

A lot of successful "industry" people know this, in radio, television, and music. THAT'S PREDOMINANTLY HOW MAJORS SIGN THEIR ACTS. Or at least, good A&R.

__________________

[Ripper 0]

But...what about the people that are really pissed off and want to write about what pissed them off.

 

I mean really, what was DMX, former crack addict, homeless, neglected child whose best friend was a fucking dog going to write about...puppy dogs and candy drops? He writes angry music because he is a angry motherfuck.

 

I just don't buy into that all artist are product of the record company and sell outs, kinda like this suggest. What ever the fad is I think they go look for it.

 

Alisha Keys 6 grammys led to quick of rush of cute females that wrote their own songs and played an instrument. Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton and others didn't go back in time and learn instruments so they could appeal to some demographic...the execs saw artist that appealed to what they wanted.

[Skywarp! 0]

I knew all along that Linkin Park's angst sounded forced. All their lyrics are vague references to "the pain inside" and "darkness". I really can't stand that sort of bad high-school notebook-margin poetry.

 

And the guy lost all credibility when he gave a blowjob to Nickelback, the one band that's a big mainstream artist and I have yet to meet someone that LIKES them.

[ant_7000 0]

But...what about the people that are really pissed off and want to write about what pissed them off.

 

I mean really, what was DMX, former crack addict, homeless, neglected child whose best friend was a fucking dog going to write about...puppy dogs and candy drops? He writes angry music because he is a angry motherfuck.

 

I just don't buy into that all artist are product of the record company and sell outs, kinda like this suggest. What ever the fad is I think they go look for it.

 

Alisha Keys 6 grammys led to quick of rush of cute females that wrote their own songs and played an instrument. Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton and others didn't go back in time and learn instruments so they could appeal to some demographic...the execs saw artist that appealed to what they wanted.

I agree with you, some artists lived fucked up lives growing up, and its just them being themselves and giving you their outlook. Well the piano playing cute chicks created a market. Honestly, I couldn't tell difference from any of them except Alecia Keys. Hell, before Alecia Keys became a piano playing 6 time grammy winner she just a generic R&B hook singer.

[Ripper 0]

I knew all along that Linkin Park's angst sounded forced. All their lyrics are vague references to "the pain inside" and "darkness". I really can't stand that sort of bad high-school notebook-margin poetry.

 

And the guy lost all credibility when he gave a blowjob to Nickelback, the one band that's a big mainstream artist and I have yet to meet someone that LIKES them.

But whos to say they aren't just a bunch of angsty little fuckers and the studio was trying to find some angsty fuckers.

 

Its like guys like Stained. Their first few albums were full of pain and shit, then Aaron Lewis kicks his drug habits, get married and has a daughter and their last album was nowhere near as dark.

 

I think these guys are writting what they feel, its just if one of them is successful, the studio flood the market with more guys who feel like that, instead of creating them.

[Skywarp! 0]

I knew all along that Linkin Park's angst sounded forced.  All their lyrics are vague references to "the pain inside" and "darkness".  I really can't stand that sort of bad high-school notebook-margin poetry. 

 

And the guy lost all credibility when he gave a blowjob to Nickelback, the one band that's a big mainstream artist and I have yet to meet someone that LIKES them.

But whos to say they aren't just a bunch of angsty little fuckers and the studio was trying to find some angsty fuckers.

 

Its like guys like Stained. Their first few albums were full of pain and shit, then Aaron Lewis kicks his drug habits, get married and has a daughter and their last album was nowhere near as dark.

 

I think these guys are writting what they feel, its just if one of them is successful, the studio flood the market with more guys who feel like that, instead of creating them.

Sometimes, yeah, I think the angst is real. Jonathan Davis of Korn, for instance, went through a lot of fucked up shit and you can tell he's not an image that was created.

 

Everything about Linkin Park, though, from lyrics to song structure and even how all the songs sound the same, feels too much like a strict formula. I think that they are more image than anything. Who knows though, I've never seen "behind the music" type stuff on them, so I can't rightly say. It's just the vibe I get from their music is artificial.

[Ripper 0]

I knew all along that Linkin Park's angst sounded forced.  All their lyrics are vague references to "the pain inside" and "darkness".  I really can't stand that sort of bad high-school notebook-margin poetry. 

 

And the guy lost all credibility when he gave a blowjob to Nickelback, the one band that's a big mainstream artist and I have yet to meet someone that LIKES them.

But whos to say they aren't just a bunch of angsty little fuckers and the studio was trying to find some angsty fuckers.

 

Its like guys like Stained. Their first few albums were full of pain and shit, then Aaron Lewis kicks his drug habits, get married and has a daughter and their last album was nowhere near as dark.

 

I think these guys are writting what they feel, its just if one of them is successful, the studio flood the market with more guys who feel like that, instead of creating them.

Sometimes, yeah, I think the angst is real. Jonathan Davis of Korn, for instance, went through a lot of fucked up shit and you can tell he's not an image that was created.

 

Everything about Linkin Park, though, from lyrics to song structure and even how all the songs sound the same, feels too much like a strict formula. I think that they are more image than anything. Who knows though, I've never seen "behind the music" type stuff on them, so I can't rightly say. It's just the vibe I get from their music is artificial.

I admit, it sounds like more like "Cindy said she would rather go to the prom with Billy instead of me" type of angst, but I give people benifit of the doubt. They are obviously fake like Vanilla Ice or someone.

[haVoc 0]

I think these guys are writting what they feel, its just if one of them is successful, the studio flood the market with more guys who feel like that, instead of creating them.

I agree with this. Some band or artist comes out with a style and sound that catches on and the record companies do a quick search and sign a ton of copy cats. Some who were actually playing that style, others who are willing to be made over to be successful. MTV obviously doesn't pick who they play because it's great music. They go with how the "artist" looks or the flashy gimmick the kids will eat up.

 

Also, record companies pay MTV to play their artist videos or promote them on TRL. A lot of it is who they have deals with. Pretty much anyone from Jive records will get played because MTV does business with them like producing movies like Britney Spears' one from a few years back.

[Cran Da Maniac 0]

GOD WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS? I'M MY OWN ARTIST F*** EVERYBODY

 

Hmm, is that what you really want to do? If I want to sign you, and you're a hardcore rapper appealing to the MOOK, I can immediately put you on tour with other harder rappers like 50 Cent/Jay-Z/Xzibit, or if you're a band, I can get you on that Korn/Limp Bizkit tour, which gives you instant exposure for your band, which equates to more money and more sales.

 

It's about making music that SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIES with a target audience, like angry 12-17 yr. old males.

 

If I represent you, and you appeal to the midriff, I'd have you doing all the cheesy photo shoots, Tiger Beat, your face would be on make-up, backpacks, all the things you hate about "selling out" and going "soft." But guess what, YOU WOULD BE PAID MASSIVELY.

 

If you do your own thing... great, just don't come looking for a massive deal unless you are so different that it's worth to sign you. That doesn't happen often. That's saying a lot considering most people that do get signed beat dramatic odds over other people.

 

This makes me think of this interview that I read with The Roots' Drummer ?uestlove. He talked about how Jay-z said he would love to make an album that shows how good of an MC he is, with no choruses, no hooks, no hit singles, just a straight album. But at the end of the day, he knows that he wont' make any money, nobody will care about it, so he has to dumb it down. And that's quite sad if you think about it. The fact that a great artist like himself and others have to take what is there artistic property and "dumb it down" so people will listen to it. The current state of Mainstream music is sorry. Hopefully we'll get out of this era where our music is picked by 12 yr old girls and wrestling fans (No offense to wrestling fans, I'm one too, just quoting Moby)

[razazteca 0]

Linkin Park is the modern day version of Poison.

[LJSexay 0]

call me slow, but what's the Poison reference to? As in how are they like the band Poison? =/

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

They both suck.

[snuffbox 0]

Correct

[razazteca 0]

Image is everything.

[Red Baron 0]

Linkin Park is the modern day version of Poison.

No. Linkin Park is more like Winger.

 

 

Poison had some talent (which lied in C.C. Devielle basically).

 

 

Ever since the beginning of MTV, well especially in the mid 80's when hair bands were at its peak, bands were trying to copy the same style as Motley Crue, which had the biggest success of them all. They had the image, good songwriting, a great formula for the time, and appealed to many people at the time, and when Home Sweet Home was a major hit on MTV, which instated the "Crue Rule" later hair bands can take it into formula for success, such as Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Poison, and the later bands like Winger, Warrant, Skid Row, and all those one hit wonder hair bands. If you did not like hair bands, then you went to like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and the lesser thrash metal bands like Testament, Overkill, Motorhead, etc...Power Metal was a dying breed as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest being the only two bands really lasted the entire decade successful.

 

In the beginning of the 90's we had the grunge movement, though no one knows what the hell what is the exact term of grunge is minus the actual attire. People weren't hanging up their Brett Michaels, Nikki Styx poster for Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder. A new sound, darker, moodier, with angst lyrics, completly different than something Poison would write, and try to write. As again, we see bands like Nirvana, Jane's Addiction and Pear Jam starting out, then following; Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Blind Melon, Tool, Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins coming along. While you never see some of these bands one the same tour with the exception of Lullapalooza, Alice In Chains, Tool, Soundgarden would hardly tour with other grunge acts, and usually tour with other heavy metal acts, like Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, etc..

 

When Kurt died, a whole culture was simply vanished. There was no real poster boy anymore, and nothing was easily marketed as Kurt Cobain. A plethora of different styles, marketable people were being looked at. Green Day, Bush, Silvercahir all new bands, making it huge after the death of Kurt Cobain, while the grunge bands were fading away, except for a few, like Smashing Pumpkins and Tool, were successful during the 90's, and Pearl Jam was driving away from the mainstream, and focusing on their core fans. This era between 94-97 was now focused on Rap, Hip-Hop, with the big East vs West fiasco which the media started and was blown out of preportion, and saw the lives of two talented musicians/lyricist as Tupac Shakur and Christopher "Nortorious B.I.G." Wallace was both shot, and killed, both the same way, and neither of the cases are solved.

 

During between 96-98, we see something happening. The Backstreet Boys, Hanson and Spice Girls were the new popular thing, especially for the Spice Girls, and Girl Power. Hanson was teenagers playing simplistic pop music for teens, and the Backstreet Boys came out and grabbed nearly every teenage girl heart. That formula later carried when N'Sync came out in the later 90's, while Hanson and the Spice Girls went M.I.A, but that formula still exists.

 

Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera, Pink, Destiny Child were on the rise, eye candy for the guys, and girls suddenly started to dress like them. Boy bands were coming and going, with O-Town and 98 Degrees, as you can look on MTV and not see one of those artists on MTV.

 

Also resurging back was the dominance of rap, with Nelly, Puff Daddy, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and of course, the person to take most of the credit in bringing rap so popular, is Eminem. White Rapper, sure, he's not going to last, making a parody video, but when his second album came out, people bought it up, and the dominace figure showed that rap is very popular with all sorts of culture's, and how one person can be so marketable.

 

In the beginning of 2000 "Rock" went in all sorts of directions, we get the nu-metal style, where Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Papa Roach were the successful artists, while Sevendust, Godsmack, Staind, were getting their fair share of radio. Later we see a later wave of pop-punk, from bands like Blink 182, Sum 41, and with lesser bands like New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, hitting the scene. In 2002, we get the retro, classic rock vibe, from The Strokes, The Hives, The White Stripes, The Vines, The Led Zeppelins (okay lame). With this people start looking back to the classic rock stuff like Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Who, etc, looking back at the time where it was harder to be succesful.

 

In 2000, we have the introduction of Napster, a globalization of media sharing music files to be stored on the computer. With this and with additions to programs like Morpheous, Kazaa, and many other programs, people can listen to music that is currently being popular with out paying a price, or for people who want to branch out from the music today, and explore new music, and bands people might not heard much about. With this and the combination of the internet, and message boards such as this one, people can discuss on different types of music. With declining sales for buying CD's especially to popular artists, the surprising thing is that some bands benefit from this because people are listening what they like instead what they are being fed.

 

Now we are in 2004. A year so far filled with different types of music mix into one bowl, yet the good stuff is the salad, and the crap that is fed to us is the dressing. Everyone talks about the dressing, yet no one talks about the salad.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I don't care if they were really that fucked up, or if they really went through what they did. Find a creative way of expressing yourself. I *hate* DMX, Linkin Park, and Korn. But that's because their music is shitty, and the lyrics are tired.

[Red Baron 0]

I don't care if they were really that fucked up, or if they really went through what they did. Find a creative way of expressing yourself. I *hate* DMX, Linkin Park, and Korn. But that's because their music is shitty, and the lyrics are tired.

It was great when it was first started, but it was overdone when Korn even first started, because you just look a few years back, to Alice in Chains, Nirvana lyrics, and it was the exact same thing. Its not bad when you mentioned it, but in every song basically, you get stale real old real fast IE Papa Roach

[MrRant 0]

Yeah the return to classic rock is odd the song Cold Hard Bitch comes to mind.

 

Good song though.

[haVoc 0]

The Led Zeppelins

 

Who the fuck is this? I can't imagine actual Led Zeppelin cover-tribute bands being this unoriginal. Gee, maybe I'll start a band and call it "Guns AND Roses" or "Arrow Smith"

 

Also, I never really thought of Blind Melon as grunge. They had that retro classic rock/flower child thing going at the time along with Black Crowes, 4 Non-Blondes, etc,.

[Red Baron 0]

The Led Zeppelins

 

Who the fuck is this? I can't imagine actual Led Zeppelin cover-tribute bands being this unoriginal. Gee, maybe I'll start a band and call it "Guns AND Roses" or "Arrow Smith"

 

Also, I never really thought of Blind Melon as grunge. They had that retro classic rock/flower child thing going at the time along with Black Crowes, 4 Non-Blondes, etc,.

it was a joke, a parody from a Sum 41 music video, thus I threw it in.

[razazteca 0]

Now we are in 2004. A year so far filled with different types of music mix into one bowl, yet the good stuff is the salad, and the crap that is fed to us is the dressing. Everyone talks about the dressing, yet no one talks about the salad.

I'll take a South East salad please featuring ?uestlove as the lettace base, some Outkast as the tomatoes, Cee-Lo Brown as the bell pepper, BEP as croutons, Lil Jon + NERD to for the oil & vinegar dressing, manybe sprinkle some Beounce bacon bits.

[Guest Doyo]

Linkin Park is the modern day version of Poison.

No. Linkin Park is more like Winger.

 

Poison had some talent (which lied in C.C. Devielle basically).

 

As far as being able to play their instruments goes, Winger has more talent than Poison.

Drummer Rod Morgenstein is #14 on that list someone posted here. Guitarist Reb Beach

was in the top guitarist list. No member of Poison made the lists over there. Not that

lists mean that much, but the guys in Winger were always considered good

with their instruments. Kip Winger used to be Alice Cooper's bass player.

 

Nice little write up you have there, but the timeline is off in places. Def Leppard and

Whitesnake came before Crue. Korn went platinum around 1995 and they broke big

with mtv around 1998. Blink 182 broke out before 2000, I believe.

 

A lot of journalists try to make it sound like people were only listening to music like

Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90s. The fact is Guns N Roses, Metallica, Aerosmith,

MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Dr Dre/Snoop, Garth Brooks and New Kids On The Block are just a few acts

that were just as popular.

 

File sharing services have not cut into sales as much as the record companies want you

to think. One example of this would be 50 Cent's debut album shattering first week sales

records.

[NoCalMike 0]

File sharing services have not cut into sales as much as the record companies want you

to think. One example of this would be 50 Cent's debut album shattering first week sales

records.

The one thing the record labels never want to mention about file sharing services is that they open an entire pandora's box of artists that otherwise would never be heard. Yeah you could walk into a record store and buy a cd purely on curiosity, but for your average teenager, they don't have the money to do that once or twice, until they give up.

 

Record Labels want to control what we listen to basically, and file-sharing cuts into the mind control. I mean look at American Idol, can you believe they were able to convince people to go buy a "Clay Aiken" cd!?! I mean seriously, WTF?

 

Now like I have said before, the indy/underground scene has as much CRAP if not more then Top 40/MTV/mainstream(whatever you call it), but the fact remains, CHOICE and LOTS OF IT, is our best friend in this matter, and the RIAA/clear channel, wants NONE OF IT for us.

[cynicalprofit 0]

Image is everything.

Drink Sprite.

[Red Baron 0]

As far as being able to play their instruments goes, Winger has more talent than Poison. Drummer Rod Morgenstein is #14 on that list someone posted here. Guitarist Reb Beach was in the top guitarist list. No member of Poison made the lists over there. Not that lists mean that much, but the guys in Winger were always considered good with their instruments. Kip Winger used to be Alice Cooper's bass player.

 

The only reason why I decided to put Winger in there was that I was listening to them at the time. I did not know that Kip played bass for Alice Cooper

 

Nice little write up you have there, but the timeline is off in places. Def Leppard and Whitesnake came before Crue. Korn went platinum around 1995 and they broke big with mtv around 1998. Blink 182 broke out before 2000, I believe.

 

I wouldn't say Whitesnake was around before Motley Crue, and Def Leppard started around the same time as the crue. Its just when Motley Crue released Home Sweet Home as a music video, a ballad can make you a number one hit, and it showed with so many artists that it can.

 

With the Korn and Blink reference, I was just pointing out where that style of music really hit its peak.

 

A lot of journalists try to make it sound like people were only listening to music like Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90s. The fact is Guns N Roses, Metallica, Aerosmith, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Dr Dre/Snoop, Garth Brooks and New Kids On The Block are just a few acts that were just as popular.

 

Agreed, but like I said, it was the scene that changed the music industry, thus I had to focus on the Grunge part. I agree that bands like Metallica and Guns N Roses, were successfully huge, and put out landmark albums.

 

File sharing services have not cut into sales as much as the record companies want you to think. One example of this would be 50 Cent's debut album shattering first week sales records.

 

 

Its not hurting the sales, but its hurting the executives that these pop stars aren't getting much sales back to them, simply because no one really wants to buy them as much anymore. For a first single you need a real catchy hook to get people to actually buy your CD's, unless people will start looking for newer music. Last year Cradle of Filth became the first ever Black Metal band to crack the Top 200. Its just how well you are marketed, and marketed poorly, people will branch out to other music.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Last year Cradle of Filth became the first ever Black Metal band to crack the Top 200.

 

Coincidentally, on the absolute worst album they've ever produced.

[NoCalMike 0]

Last year Cradle of Filth became the first ever Black Metal band to crack the Top 200.

 

Coincidentally, on the absolute worst album they've ever produced.

This is true. I haven't bought an album of theirs since Mideon, but I really don't like their stuff beyond the Cruelty & The Beast years.

[Guest Doyo]

Whitesnake started out in the late 70s, but they didn't become popular in North

America until the late 80s.