Why does the media ignore power metal in the States?

[Jasonic]

Absolutely. DF has been the closest to gaining commercial popularity...and they get slagged daily by the crowd that should be pushing them the most...on this forum even. DF was almost that "gateway" band.

Right. They "could" have been.

But what happened?

Roadrunner put them on Ozzfest, tours with All That Remains, and then Killswitch Engage.

So, in other words, ZERO attempt to help bridge the gap for underground power metal bands. In turn, Roadrunner, instead of marketing D'Force as the type of band they truly are, simply lumped them in with all the other "modern" stuff they sell and support.

So, yes....."Could" have been is correct.

 

[General Zod]

Agreed on all points made by both Claus and Jasonic.

Zod

 

[Jasonic]

Agreed on all points made by both Claus and Jasonic.

Zod

Thanks,
And for the record, I am not trying to be argumentative against anyone here. If some here do want power bands to be as popular as Maiden and Priest, then that is their wish.

I think to people need to realize that from a mainstream perspective, metal will always be that "dated sounding music that was popular in the 80's"

Go to your co-workers today and tell them you saw Judas Priest this summer. I am sure you will receive one of the following:

1) "They are STILL around????"
2) "Wow, I used to listen to them....20 years ago!"
3) "Breaking the law...breaking the law!! (in Beavis / Butthead voice)
4) "Yeah man! Priest rules!!! I love EDDIE!!!"
5) "Isn't their singer gay????"

 

[Diabolik]

Also dont forget.....there are lots of metal fans who seriously have no clue that the metal world exist today. I was talking to a freind last night and he was talking about a good friend who was talking about how great it was in the 80's with all the metal shows and bands. He had zero clue that there was even still real metal acts out there still playing. he isnt the first that I have run across. Lots of people also just kind of stopped in the early 90's and stopped looking for new bands or even continue buying bands they liked CD's. When I tell these people there are new bands and shows happening all the time...they are always shocked because they thought it was a dead genre or it was basically bands like Slayer / Slipknot / Korn who were still just "metal" bands.

I think there are lots of good points made here. If power metal hit mainstream....how long would it last and how many bands would get signed? Look at the NWOBHM movement....lots of bands were getting signed to major labels and then it all bottomed out....those bands all pretty much self destructed and sealed the fate for that genre. Or even worse...you have bands changing their sound to a more power metal sound to jump on that band wagon and pulling attention from bands who deserve that attention. it is a double edge sword. While not being too much of an elitist and wanting bands I like to make money....I would hate to see something I enjoy be ruined.

 

[Claus / Intromental]

Man, it hurts me like hell when I fully support/agree a post by Claus such as I do here . . .

Haha, I know ... hurts me too

 

[nailz]

Power metal is NOT huge in Europe. Primal Fear honestly don't play for thousands of people each night in Europe either, not today and not 10 years ago.
c.

So, just out of curiosity, if these bands have next to no pull, how is it Wacken sells over what... 40,000 tickets?

 

[Cheiron]

So, just out of curiosity, if these bands have next to no pull, how is it Wacken sells over what... 40,000 tickets?

Wacken isn't filled with power metal bands? It has lots of bands, and lots of history attached to it. For headliners it sometimes includes hair metal bands. It brings both the younger and older metalheads.

Rocklahoma in the U.S. sells over 40k tickets. I promise you its not because of bands like Halcyon Way (no offense guys!).

 

[dcowboys311]

So, just out of curiosity, if these bands have next to no pull, how is it Wacken sells over what... 40,000 tickets?

Just a guess, but bands like Immortal, Iron Maiden, an At the Gates reunion, Blind Guardian, Emperor, etc probably draw a bit more than your Evergreys and your Angras.

 

[Claus / Intromental]

So, just out of curiosity, if these bands have next to no pull, how is it Wacken sells over what... 40,000 tickets?

Why does PPUSA sell 1200 tickets each year when the bands only play to 150 people per single show in USA? Same thing ...

It's a FESTIVAL where you go for the atmosphere and to see (in the case of Wacken) 100 bands over 4-5 days.

c.

 

[Jasonic]

While not being too much of an elitist and wanting bands I like to make money....I would hate to see something I enjoy be ruined.

THIS.

It's 2009 (almost 2010).

The majority of what goes mainstream will have very little staying power.

Few rock bands have figured out the system.
Though I am not their biggest fan, I have to give tons of credit to Pearl Jam for being smart in not relying on mainstream media outlets to have them remain as a going concern as a band. They created a niche for themselves as a live band (IE - they play multiple nights in one city, never repeating the setlist, etc).

Don't forget.......
While underground metal fans know the difference between Blind Guardian and Cinderella, the mainstream audience would still view power metal as hair metal or glam metal. It was popular before. Any resurgence would be viewed as "Revival" or "retro". It would have NO staying power.

Remember 5 to 10 years ago?
Weren't bands like the Vines, JET, the Strokes, the Darkness, and White Stripes going to be rock's saviors??? Weren't these the new Rolling Stones?? Where are these bands today???

Be careful what you wish for!!!

 

[Rider of Theli]

...If you want power metal to be bigger, then you need to show up to all shows. Local, national, international. I don't care if you don't like the 'power metal band from yukatuna, Mississippi. Promoters aren't going to bring the bands down, if they lose money promoting that genre. They will obviously look at the popularity of a band, but the more you show the more they'll bring, and then things can catch up.

QFT - and there are promoters who are definitely willing to make shows happen as long as there's fans who will buy the tickets in order to cover the bills. Trust me, if I was in the live music promotions business to 'make money', I sure as hell wouldn't be working with traditional metal. :Smug: Because there's NO MONEY IN METAL. Period.

I do what I do from the heart. There's nothing that pleases me more than to see a room full of smiling faces at the end of a show and those fans talking about how great the bands performed and how they can't wait until the next show. But I've learned over the past three years that I can't afford to do it if the supposed 'true metal fans' don't support the events.

And then I watch people on these forums and others at least monthly crying about how this tour or that tour skips Atlanta (and the southeast in general). The best way to counter that?

SUPPORT LOCAL METAL!!!​

In Atlanta (as well as other major markets I am certain), venues like the Masquerade rely on local bands to support the 'questionable' touring shows that come through. The local bands would sell tickets to a majority of a crowd that wouldn't normally even bother coming out to a show. Say I was able to help two local bands who each have their own fanbase open a particular tour stop and bring out 100+ extra fans that night, we might have the required 200-300+ turnout that the Masquerade needs to pay the touring bands and their own expenses for the night.
And in order to prove themselves in between the tour support slots, these local bands struggle in venues all across the city to build the fanbase that the Masquerade looks for. But because so many local metal fans have a tendency to wait until a big tour comes through before they get off their asses and come out to supposedly 'support the scene', it devolves into a Catch 22 scenario where everyone loses in the end: local, regional, and national bands, as well as the fans themselves.

so think about it: "Why does the Media Ignore Power Metal in the States?"

because of the fans.

 

[Frode]

It's also a fact that tours in Europe suffer because people see all the bands at the large festivals, like Wacken. Not that Wacken specifically caters much to "our" kind of music - only Kamelot lately because they are now being booked by the WOA people - but the festival season in Europe takes its toll on people's money and even savings. There are simply too many festivals over here now, and though there always will be someone who never gets tired from seeing gigs all year around, most people have had enough come late August.

 

[Palabra de Dios]

Also dont forget.....there are lots of metal fans who seriously have no clue that the metal world exist today. I was talking to a freind last night and he was talking about a good friend who was talking about how great it was in the 80's with all the metal shows and bands. He had zero clue that there was even still real metal acts out there still playing. he isnt the first that I have run across. Lots of people also just kind of stopped in the early 90's and stopped looking for new bands or even continue buying bands they liked CD's. When I tell these people there are new bands and shows happening all the time...they are always shocked because they thought it was a dead genre or it was basically bands like Slayer / Slipknot / Korn who were still just "metal" bands.

I unfortunately run into a ton of these type of "old school" metal fans. They find out I love metal and then they're quoting Pantera or Metallica to me. They know shit like Testament and Megadeth and early 90s stuff like Faith No More or Living Color, but have absolutely NO CLUE that the underground scene has been alive and kicking the whole time. "Morbid Angel? Never heard of 'em. Who? Helloween? This sounds just like Iron Maiden. I like Iron Maiden better, though!" Jesus Christ.

 

[h3adlesshors3man]

I agree with jasonic as well... you would most certainly see things being dropped and just losing there ground due to mainstream bullshit. that is why metal has always been "true" to itself, and never take any bullshit. although i think that's true i also somewhat believe that we can still pull off having an " all rock and metal" channel or something.. that pretty much delivers everything in all accordance from old school nwobhm, thrash/speed, power,progressive, death and black w/e without losing it's ground. kinda like a still underground station but fairly aired etc.. i mean like i remember listening to aol radio and shit a while back and some of the bands they had weren't that bad. so how are they going to have shit like that, but one channel on the radio will offset everything.. i think we can manage to have one pretty badass station or 2.

 

[Jasonic]

Well, it wouldn't be "commercial" radio, which is the difference.
So, in other words, it would all be on someone's dime, and with the internet and online communities, is it really needed?

 

[General Zod]

So, just out of curiosity, if these bands have next to no pull, how is it Wacken sells over what... 40,000 tickets?

Actually, Wacken is more like 60,000+ these days. And as others have pointed out, it's way, way more than Power Metal (Death Metal, Black Metal, NuMetal, etc.).

Zod

 

[adaher]

I don't know that power metal is "big" in Europe, but they chart. Sometimes getting #1s in individual countries. In the US, that would translate to some pretty major record sales.

 

[Creeps]

THIS.

It's 2009 (almost 2010).

The majority of what goes mainstream will have very little staying power.

Few rock bands have figured out the system.
Though I am not their biggest fan, I have to give tons of credit to Pearl Jam for being smart in not relying on mainstream media outlets to have them remain as a going concern as a band. They created a niche for themselves as a live band (IE - they play multiple nights in one city, never repeating the setlist, etc).

Don't forget.......
While underground metal fans know the difference between Blind Guardian and Cinderella, the mainstream audience would still view power metal as hair metal or glam metal. It was popular before. Any resurgence would be viewed as "Revival" or "retro". It would have NO staying power.

Remember 5 to 10 years ago?
Weren't bands like the Vines, JET, the Strokes, the Darkness, and White Stripes going to be rock's saviors??? Weren't these the new Rolling Stones?? Where are these bands today???

Be careful what you wish for!!!

Jet just put out a great rock album after their VERY forgettable sophomore release.

The Darkness split up but we got 2 other good rock bands out of it; Hot Leg and The Stone Gods.

I can't speak for the others you mentioned because I didn't like them.

 

[end]

The media is a profit driven industry. They derive profits from advertising. Advertisers pay more money if a station has more listeners. A station gets more listeners by playing things the listeners want to hear. Pretty simple.

 

[Jasonic]

The media is a profit driven industry. They derive profits from advertising. Advertisers pay more money if a station has more listeners. A station gets more listeners by playing things the listeners want to hear. Pretty simple.

Yes and no.

The radio plays what they think people want to hear.
People who listen to commercial radio for the most part are not aware of the underground.

Believe it or not, there are people who think Nirvana's first album is Nevermind, Green Day's is Dookie, Pantera's is Cowboys from Hell, etc, etc, etc.

But yes indeed. A commercial station is not going to let a metalhead DJ play hour after hour of power metal. The major labels also sponsor radio events, etc, so they are not going to play the latest Slough Feg album on CRUZ DEL SUR straight through during rush hour.