Metallica Must Keep Touring to Make Ends Meet

[SAmadei]

1) I will amend my Beetles statement to reflect that, in the last 14 years MetallicA is second to only the Beetles in CATALOG sales.

Please quote a source. I find it really hard to believe that Metallica has moved that much product in the last 14 years... or that even the Beatles catalog sales in the last 14 years is number one. In fact, I'd say Micheal Jackson's Catalog sales have trounced both when he died and nearly every album reentered the charts.

Mission Metallica Video number 1 (it's now on YouTube)

Lets have a unbiased source, not a Metallica commercial, which is still using the 100 million figure, instead of the true certified value of 81 million.

Since 2000, Metallica has had two studio albums... both did 2x platinum in the US... Guessitmating worldwise sales, they probably did 3.5 million copies apiece (foreign "platinum" sales are far shy of 1 million... something like 80K in Canada, for example.)... which means people bought at least 43 million copies of the older albums since 2000? This would be to JUST outsell Nickelback... who virtually didn't exist before 2000... and have sold about 50 million albums now.assuming that 43 million is split equally among their 7 studio albums, thats 6 million in sales... or 500K per year since 2000. This would have forced the albums back on to the Billboard top 200... kind of like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, which spent 19 or so years on the top 200. But they haven't.

Eminem has sold 86 millions albums since 1999... lets assume 6 million of them where all sold in 1999... that would mean for Metallica to outsell Eminem since 2000, they would only have 19 million in sales before 2000 (81 million since 2000). Simply not possible... I recall "Metallica" (the black album) being certified 10x platinum, "Master of Puppets" being 5x and "...And Justice for all" being at least 5x... back in the early '90s.

That video is probably lying propaganda some short sighted PR person came up with. That said, I could see Metallica in the top 8... but the bottom line is some of these old catalogs sell a lot of albums. Mostly because that's where the good music is.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Whatever brah....

That's the only source I have because I don't really give enough of a $h! to find another one....

The point is: MetallicA isn't hurting for money...

Death Magnetic ALONE was up to almost 5 million copies two years ago (again I have no interest to look up what it's at now)

And as far as being relevant/one of the best bands in the world, a quick search of the Sonisphere shows they just headlined on virtually every night puts that argument straight to bed.

Edited June 20, 2012 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[ZL-1]

Lots of different POVs on the table

[balthazar]

Interesting take on sales numbers : http://tsort.info/music/faq_album_sales.htm

[SAmadei]

The point is: MetallicA isn't hurting for money...

And neither is AC/DC, U2, Pink Floyd (back when they still toured before Wright died), Rolling Stones, the Eagles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_concert_tours

Metallica shows up in the top 40 list once... at 18th. Bon Jovi is on the list 4 times since 2000. U2 as, well... but two of those tours blow Metallica away, with #1 and #5 ranking. Rolling Stones are on the list 4 times ahead of Metallica.

Death Magnetic ALONE was up to almost 5 million copies two years ago (again I have no interest to look up what it's at now)

3.5 million, 5 million... they need to have sold 81 million to beat out Eminem... speaking of which... http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/chart-watch-extra-the-top-20-album-sellers-of-the-2000s.html

While these numbers in the article seem very low (perhaps US only, or SoundScan tracked only), according to the article, Eminem outsold the Beatles since 2000... and Linkin Park, Nickelback and Creed have outsold Metallica... who comes in at a weak 14th ranking.

And as far as being relevant/one of the best bands in the world, a quick search of the Sonisphere shows they just headlined on virtually every night puts that argument straight to bed.

Wow... against bands like Mastodon and Anthrax. And only because it drags in wannabe metalheads who want to hear Metallica's post-'91 pop-metal.

Metallica won't be headlining a tour over AC/DC, Nickelback or even Bon Jovi anytime soon.

[z28luvr01]

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that some people like Metallica and some people dont? What is this world coming to?

[G. David Felt]

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that some people like Metallica and some people dont? What is this world coming to?

They have some good songs, but no band makes every song special or something for the masses.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

http://www.rollingst...um-set-20120625

More information on black album sales.... 15.1 million, five songs still in rotation... Yadda, yadda...

If this thread has taught me one thing, it's that I never realized how much of a PITA it is to figure out something as simple as album sales.

Edited June 26, 2012 by FUTURE_OF_GM

[G. David Felt]

http://www.rollingst...um-set-20120625

More information on black album sales.... 15.1 million, five songs still in rotation... Yadda, yadda...

If this thread has taught me one thing, it's that I never realized how much of a PITA it is to figure out something as simple as album sales.

Very True, the old bands seem to be making a comeback.

[Turbojett]

Wait a minute. You mean to tell me that some people like Metallica and some people dont? What is this world coming to?

Like I said, I love Metallica as much as the next guy.

But I'd still skip over every track they've ever done to get to one song by Led Zeppelin or The Who, or anyone like that.

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

[SAmadei]

http://www.rollingst...um-set-20120625

More information on black album sales.... 15.1 million, five songs still in rotation... Yadda, yadda...

Released in 1991, and was 10 million sold by 1995. The most sold since 2000 is about 4 million... which is the issue I'm concerned with. I'm not denying Metallica has not sold lots of albums, singles, tours, T-shirts, etc. Hell, I am a Metallica fan (mostly pre-Black). I just don't see how they can support their claim of second highest catalog sales since 2000. I accept that Metallica has sold 100 million albums... but I'd guessimate that 65-75 million of them were sold before 2000... leaving 25-35 million sold since... a number trounced by Nickelback and Eminem since 2000.

If this thread has taught me one thing, it's that I never realized how much of a PITA it is to figure out something as simple as album sales.

Yeah, it is. It was a lot easier before 1995 when Billboard was the only obvious source. SoundScan, downloads and artists that have forgone the certification process have made it difficult.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

[FAPTurbo]

oh i thought streaming's pittance revenues killed these guys

darn

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

?

[ccap41]

Random old post here and I haven't read through any of it yet, but my wife and I went last year when they were in STL. It was a great show. They were here for two nights, and each night was a different set list. We only went to the Friday show, not the Saturday show.