Why doesn't Morrissey sell more?... Tool sells over 500,000 in one week

[The Seeker of Good Songs]

With so many celebs and other artists claiming Morrissey and The Smiths as influences, why are his sales so low?
Is he just a name to be dropped to look "cool" but in reality few really like him?
Is his fan base not really as big as is thought?

I don't understand.

"Around this time last year, Rock acts were dominating the sales charts, with new music from Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Weezer and many others. History appears to be repeating, with Tool and Pearl Jam claiming the top two spots this week. Tool's first album in five years, 10,000 Days, sold 563,532 copies in its first week out. Their last album, 2001's Lateralus, also debuted at #1, moving approximately 555,000 copies in its first week on the shelves. In related Tool news, a DVD single for "Vicarious" is expected to be released in the next few weeks, according to Billboard.
As for Pearl Jam, their self-titled studio album came in at #2 with 279,137 copies sold. The band benefited from an uncharacteristic publicity barrage, with a Saturday Night Live appearance and plenty of press for the politically-charged, harder rocking new record. Last week was also topped by a Rock band, with Godsmack's IV at #1 (it slipped to #7 this week)."
from: http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=215008

 

[Danny]

http://www.velvetrope.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php

I visit this site occasionally. It tells you all you need to know.

It's the main forum for people in the American music business. As far as they are concerned the most cutting edge artists deserving their praise are Sting and Guns and Roses.

 

[Worm]

I don't understand.

No. You understand the situation perfectly.

 

[Dave]

"Influential" bands often suffer this fate. So do media favorites. Remember when, for example, Courtney Love used to be on every magazine all the time? But she never had the sales to back it up. Same with Marilyn Manson. Not that I'm comparing either of these to Morrissey, but what they all have in common is that they say "controversial" things in their interviews. Even if you hate them, it can be fun to read what they say, at least for a while. Notice we don't see much of them anymore. Morrissey manages to still keep people's interest though. He is also one of the last survivors of his era that is still doing decent work, so he functions as a symbol of that era. If someone says that they like Morrissey it conjures up an image, I think.

Influential bands like Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, and so on, they do inspire people and the people they inspire do talk about them. Later on, they do become sort of accepted as a standard issue influence for a certain type of band. If Good Charlotte says that they are influenced by Velvet Underground, or Morrissey, or anything else really, I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Morrissey fans do seem to be hardcore and loyal even if they aren't that big a group. I think that any band coming up would like to have that sort of support, so they probably try to borrow a little bit of it.

 

[Pokey]

eh I just say Quality over Quantity, Moz might not have the most fans in the world but the ones I've seen are more passionate about his music on average than any other fan of any other band so .. that makes up for it.

 

[Theo]

"Influential" bands often suffer this fate. So do media favorites. Remember when, for example, Courtney Love used to be on every magazine all the time?

I don't disagree with your general points, but I'd like to say that Hole was a good band, both before they were mainstream and after. The tabloid fodder and train wreck Courtney Love allowed herself to become has overshadowed that Hole was a rather influencial band for a time. Most bands cannot last long.

The reason Morrissey doesn't sell more is primarily because he's not supported by the radio and MTV powers-that-be, who have judged him too weird or something.

Although that's not the only reason he doesn't sell as much as the most popular heavy metal bands like Tool. The various sub-genres of heavy metal enjoy a very well-developed fan network and a substantial subculture scene. I doubt that Tool is one of the most respected bands within all that, and they obviously had a lot of support from MTV and put a lot into their videos, but bands of the various metal genres can sell records with or without much airplay because their scene is so huge and popular, much like hip hop. (In case anyone gets the wrong idea, I can't stand Tool.)

Morrissey is not really part of anything like that. He's influencial but he's on his own and one of a kind. Would he have it any other way? He knows his songs won't date...in the future when all will be clearer. And normally artists in that sort of situation don't sell as many records as Morrissey, so he's actually doing astonishingly well.

 

[Jim Rome]

I agree. Few of Moz's material can be dated, therefore, he sells for the long term rather than short. He makes music along his merry way without confining himself to the popular trends of his time nor overreaching his bounds by attempting to change music or make his own trend.

 

[David]

His music is indeed definitely timeless - and it's true that he is not part of any scene, nor can he really be identified with any era or with any other artists. He is undefinable. He is just Morrissey.

 

[Oh my god. it's Robby!]

1st of all Tool is 4 tools &

besides an appreciation for the Moz is just one of the many things that sets some of us Moz fans apart from the masses

 

[veradicere]

Interesting. A user on that site called "platinumhussy" named Morrissey the biggest poseur of all time.

now THAT tells me all I need to know.

 

[Dave]

I don't disagree with your general points, but I'd like to say that Hole was a good band, both before they were mainstream and after. The tabloid fodder and train wreck Courtney Love allowed herself to become has overshadowed that Hole was a rather influencial band for a time. Most bands cannot last long.

Hole definitely had it's moments. For that matter so did Marilyn Manson. I think that both of them, like Madonna, took things that were happening on the fringes and made them popular. Both of them changed their styles and images pretty drastically, too. I don't have anything against artists that manipulate popular culture. I think it takes a really strong person to be able to do it for very long though. Look at Michael Jackson. He was the king of manipulating the media. People actually cared if he slept in an oxygen chamber. As talented as he is, or was (does talent go away?) as a singer, songwriter, and performer, the thing that I respected the most was his ability to hype himself to the degree that he did. Honestly, I don't know how I got on the subject of hype but I wasn't knocking anyone.

As far as Morrissey and MTV, I don't understand it. He must have made someone there very unhappy at some point. They act like he doesn't exist. And they do play some pretty far out stuff. I guess you just can't really go from Pimp My Ride into a Morrissey video. To be fair, his videos are generally pretty weak, though. And most of the people he references, if they were to interview him, are people that the general MTV audience has never heard of. It's funny to read old interviews with him where he talks about selling more reccords in America than anywhere else. I don't know what happened really.

 

[Harsh Truth]

As far as Morrissey and MTV, I don't understand it.

Have you watched MTV in the last 10 years? They target their programming and what little music they play to mindless 12-20 year olds...... not exactly the demographic that a greying 47 year old british crooner appeals to.

 

[Seasick]

Gawd don’t get me started on this. I really don’t care who buys or listens to Morrissey. As long as they are cd’s for me to buy, they can all go to hell. I don’t listen to artists because they are popular, but because I enjoy the music. I’ve had friends tell me they like the lyrics, but his voice sucks. But my response is that’s the point. He doesn’t sound like every other one hit wonder band that hits the airways. They wouldn’t know what good music was if it ran them down in the street. To them I say, ‘Dare to be different’.

The boneheads that run MTV (every damn one of those station) have no clue. Every time I stop on those stations to see what they are playing, 9 times out of 10, it’s either that ghetto hip hop rap crap with some idiot showing you his car and plutonium teeth or one their stupid shows such as Yo Momma, PLEASE.

Our local radio stations exist only to aggravate me to no end. If it isn’t some teeny bobber bullshit, then it the same stale Stone Temple Pilots crap that they insist in cramming down our throats. Isn’t there any justice in this world? Off with their heads.

 

[Hidden By Rags]

I prefer that he continues to make good music that floats just under the radar. Selfish I know, but the day he makes it on to Top 40 radio, I think I would cringe.