Winners and Losers of 2007
Posted on December 30, 2007
Filed Under Music |
Hello friends,
Rather than contributing a “Best of” list…I thought we could take a look at who came out ahead in 2007…and who crashed and burned. (Note: just because an artist is in the “Winning” category does not mean that said artist released a good, or even mediocre, album).
-tower
Losers
Linkin Park: This being the year that Chester Bennington and Co. discovered that A). Rap-rock died during Dubya’s first term in office B). Most people who want angry political rock are still listening to Green Day’s American Idiot C). Sometimes even expert production from golden boy Rick Rubin and a tour with My Chemical Romance can’t bring a band back to the level of popularity of its debut.
Britney Spears-Apart from her personal problems, Brit’s latest release debuted at number 65 on the Billboard charts…a big disappointment, considering the incredible commercial success of her past.
Axle Rose: He’s more than 7 years late on the “new” Guns & Roses album Chinese Democracy, he’s still notorious for not showing up for his band’s concerts…and he honestly believes his hairstyle is a good idea.
Smashing Pumpkins: If you bought the band’s “comeback” album (featuring only drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and the ego that is Billy Corgan), you already know why the Pumpkins are on this list. If you didn’t waste twelve valuable dollars on Zeitgeist..don’t.
Dr. Dre: Promised to release Detox in 2007…which never materialized. Oh yeah…and he admitted that Eminem writes most of his lyrics. So much for street cred.
Blake Lewis: Lost American Idol, and managend to market his debut album withone of the most ridiculous album covers the world has ever seen.
Winners
Radiohead: Band quits label. Band lets fans pay whatever they want for new album. Band still makes millions…and possibly changes the music industry forever.
Bruce Springsteen: Two years shy of 60…still fresh yet classic.
Rilo Kiley: Followed Death Cab for Cutie’s route in turning a cult following into quasi-commercial success. Plus, frontwoman Jenny Lewis is one of the two hottest redheads in music right now, alongside Paramore’s Hayley Williams (sorry…had to go there).
Aaron Gillespi: …and speaking of Redheads, the carrot-topped Underoath drummer took a break from his screamo outfit to sing and record every instrument for his side project, The Almost. Crafting a sound that took the melodic parts of his metal band and mixing them with his own musical loves (the chug-chug guitar in “Say This Sooner” sounds like a tribute to Johnny Cash), Gillespi filled a niche that took him to MTV, Warped Tour…and nearly eclipsed the popularity of his main band.
Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus: Stop acting like you don’t know who this is. The 14 year old daughter of one-time country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus is pretty much The Beatles to Gen-Y tweens.
Arcade Fire: Great album? Check. Authentic Canadian heritage (a plus in the indie scene…for whatever reason)? Check. Props from everyone from David Crowder to Bruce Springsteen? Check.
Pete Wentz: While it’s doubtful that anyone old enough to hold a driver’s license would call Fall Out Boy’s latest effort, Infinity on High, a masterpiece…there’s no denying the pint-sized bass player’s knack for hitting commercial gold. In addition to F.O.B. hitting #1 on the Billboard Charts, Wentz also helped build the careers of Gym Class Heroes, Panic! at the Disco, Boys Night Out, Cute is What We Aim For, and The Academy Is… He talked Jay-Z into a cameo on F.O.B.’s latest release, worked with R&B producer Babyface, and is rumoured to be courting Brit rockers Tonight is Goodbye, who very well could release the next homecoming-dance anthem. Even if he annoys you, be glad Wentz is a big supporter of Invisible Children.
As a closing note…check out Chicago rockers Made Avail. They’ve steadily grown a very loyal support base in Chi-town as well as in the east coast cities they’ve played. The band had a great year in the Chi-area music scene, and I’m excited to see what these guys do in the future.
Comments
15 Responses to “Winners and Losers of 2007”
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Made Avail kick ass!!!
I love them and every single one of there shows is amazing.
made avail will blow you away!
’nuff said.
linkin park didn’t have a successful year? just because a band doesn’t sell a bajillion records doesn’t mean it was unsuccessful. it’s also laughable that you mentioned my chemical romance as a group that would be pivotal in terms of success for linkin park.
You’re absolutely right. Selling a “bajillion albums” doesn’t equal success. Linkin Park may have been very happy with 2007. However, Minutes to Midnight didn’t come close to being the commercial blockbuster that it was anticipated to be. Personally, I didn’t care for it. But neither the lack of sales or my taste means that the album was “bad art.”
As far as the tour with My Chemical Romance…it looks like the tour was “designed” to pull in the younger (teenage) MCR fans (of which there are a lot), and make them fans of Linkin Park’s music. When teenagers really grab onto a band…the effects can be seen in ringtone purchases, on TRL, and in album sales (the 15-30 crowd buys the most music). None of this happened to LP as a result of the MCR tour…which is why I called it a flop. (Again…not a judgement on the band’s art. Just an observation that the tour didn’t have the intended effect).
Anyway, thanks for reading, and for adding to the conversation. Dialogue is always welcome.
tower
well….i absolutely understand why Linkin Park is in the loser list.
I mean they have millions of fans and sell out concerts (worldwide). And the album got platin status and what the hell they archieved with that album.
I think its a big slap in the face to put Linkin Park in the same category as Britney Spears.
BUT dont forget people! You can see it in the ringtone purchase!
Question: The Blake Lewis comment: Was that about his music or just the cover?
I understand if its about the music, he has pop slash borderline techno slash 80s goin on, not the best combo for most folks. I happen to like it, but to each his own.
BUT if the critique is solely based on his album cover and second place finish on AI, then I think you’re being a bit short-sighted.
Mick,
Thanks for the question. Putting Blake on the “loser” list had to do with the public’s response to his music.
In the pop world…it takes a lot of money to finance a project. For example…Britney Spears has to sell over a million copies of an album before she breaks even. Marketing, recording, promo tours…it all adds up. That means that if a pop act doesn’t “catch” fairly quickly, the label will move the funds to other projects.
So, Blake needed to have a Jordin Sparks or Daughtry sized launch in the pop world to ensure that his label will continue to fund him. While that still can happen, we haven’t seen it yet. If Blake wants to stay around, then his record needs to move. (Not just first week sales…like every ex-Idol has. Consistant chart position over a period of months).
tower
hey! I totally agree that ol’ Blakey Lewis album really sinks in the ship. I mean, c’mon! I was peeing my pants with anticipation for that to come out on iTunes and, well, it wasn’t worth the time. He’s really hot and has a great voice, but that can only go so far. Aside from the single, there are only 3 songs worthy to be called “good”, the rest really just need a straw.
Well, I’d like to end this very critical comment with my favorites this year:
As I Am, Alicia Keys- beautiful, well-rounded cd. The girl can sing and play the piano like no other on the radio that I’ve heard of. Better than her sophmore album for sure.
Dreaming Out Loud, Onerepublic- ol’ Timbaland can claim this song all he wants, but he never wrote it. Besides, the original version of “Apologize” is way better. Ryan Tedder writes beautifully and the cd is rockin’-hey, what other album have you heard of is rock+cellos, violins and pianos? Entire CD is tight for sure.
All of the Above-Hillsong United. They are paving the way musically and lyrically for worship music all the time. This album was greatly anticipated and did NOT disappoint.
Cities, Anberlin- Love it! Really, the band knows how to use music and lyrics to challenge themselves as well as listeners. One word: masterpiece.
Lastly, Graduation, Kanye West. Hmm, I know the cd has a few songs that have you slack-jawed thinking “what the..?” but the rest of the cd fresh! The guy is probably the best rapper on the radio and has realized that life isn’t just about sex and money. He might be crazy, but his lyrics make you think he’s a mastermind
Honestly people.
That there are people defending the likes of Blake Lewis and Linkin Park on a Relevant Magazine dot com forum is just terrible. Who are you people? Honestly making someone into a crappy but remotely popular “artist” by TV show is so sad. And gaining popularity with some lame wishy washy version of pop hard rock rap is just as sad. Get your act together people.
PS I make no apologies about the pretense here, it really is as bad as I make it sound. So Tower, I know you wanted to be subjective and not make any over the top claims, but I went where I know you kind of want to go. haha.
I think your assessment of Linkin Park was off. The album is actually good and it doesn’t really sound like a rap-rock or rap metal record at all. I count at least two singles now that have gotten heavy video play on MTV and VH1 and seriously I can’t turn on the radio without hearing one of them.
Dr. Dre on the loser list? No street cred?? Seriously?? Go to L.A. and say that.
The list wasn’t all bad though. Radiohead shook up the music world certainly. How about a little love for The National “Boxer” album or Silversun Pickups??
Adam,
Hey, just thought I’d jump in here one more time. My assessment of Linkin Park was mainly about the fact that this album (Minutes to Midnight) has sold about 2 million copies…which means that the band may have actually lost money on it. Hybrid Theory went diamond (10 million units sold). That’s a huge difference.
Part of it is that, thanks to more ways to get music, there are a lot more bands out there to choose from….and so it’s much harder to be a “super-group.”
I’m telling you that Linkin Park’s latest was a COMMERCIAL flop. Whether it is great/mediocre/poor art is for the listener to decide.
As for covering The National….they’re definately a good band. But they’re already been covered on other parts of the site. I was trying to bring a unique perspective, and not just echo the voices of other writers.
Thanks to everyone who posted.
Oh yeah…one more thing.
The RIAA lists Linkin Park as the 28th highest selling artist OF ALL TIME.
They have sold 45 million albums total. And only 2 million of Minutes to Midnight.
That might put it in perspective a bit more.
I agree with the Linkin Park assessment. I loved every single song on their past albums only to be disappointed that I got their new CD the day it came out. 2 maybe three good songs on the album, I sold it the next week on ebay to make up for my disappointment.
First Let me say I am by no means a Linkin Park fan and have never supported them in any way, shape, or form.
However i can’t heLp but ask:
Why is it that no one has pointed out the fact that albums don’t sell like they used to anymore?
NO ONE is moving 10 million units (and i think its pretty safe to say that no one ever will move 10 million units in the US alone again)
So the fact that “Tower” (being a professional in the field of radio) would even be ignorant enough to compare the current sales against past sales for Linkin Park (or any artist) without taking some kind of adjustment based upon the current state of the music into consideration is truly dumbfounding!
Likin Park’s huge debut was released in The fall of 2000 which was a completely different time for the music industry.
Most importantly to be noted was that people STILL bought albums back then.
…today, that is not the case. (which is a shame)
Even when people enjoy an artist they still seem to think there is nothing wrong with stealing the album off p2p download sites.
Now a days the success and popularity of an artist can not be measured merely based off album sales …
but! when an artist today DOES manage to sell 1 or 2 million albums that is a very impressive thing and is pretty much the equivalent to 3 or 4 million albums (potentially more) back in the day.
So, although I understand the point you made in reference to the failed plan of pushing Linkin Park onto the young fans of My Chemical Romance, I feel you were VERY out of line and wrong to knock Linkin Park for sales of 2 million albums and then further wrong (and ignorant) to trying comparing to sales of an album released in 2000.
thank you.
comments? questions?
synch@stribmail.com
Are they from Chicago? Made Avail?