Metallicas record sales #'s decline.

[Goatweed]

you can like the cd all you like, but the point is many people obviously do not - and I dont chalk their low record sales (or anyone elses, for that matter) to the whole file-sharing issue because quite frankly it's not the problem, and never was. If anything, swapping tunes HELPED them and other bands, especially in other countries where these CD's are either impossible to get or it just takes forever to get.

And maiden has indeed evolved, they changed - in fact, prior to bruce their evolution was slow and stagnant - D'Ianno wanted Maiden to be primarilly punk-based and Harris wanted to make it more metal and grandiose - enter Bruce, the evolution started. And if you listen to any of the "new" Maiden and compare it to Piece of Mind or one of the other classics, you'll not only see that it's just if not nearly as good, it's also very different (especially Dance of Death).

If Metallica wants to be an MTV icon, then fine - but look at the company they're keeping with. The MTV generation is full shallow, systematic one-trick-pony "bands", and kids today eat it up. When I listened to music, I didn't need MTV to tell me it was good - and most times what MTV sai d was good often sucked (that trend hasn't changed today, either). The Limp Bizkits, POD's, etc. are awful but MTV keeps trying to shove it down kids throats.

Metallica wasn't some metal act - they were kings. These were guys who, when they opened for Ozzy, people wondered why they weren't headlining! They got critical acclaim and success WITHOUT MTV, WITHOUT radio-play (aside from local radio stations - I miss WSOU), and still sold out arenas. The relied on their writing, and it carried them well. That's not the case anymore, now they're riding on their reputation.

As for Cliff missing out on the $$ 'cause he's dead, he said many times that he'd rather fail and play to play then sellout and play to get rich - in fact, they ALL said that years ago and stuck with that attitude until Elektra and Bob Rock convinced them otherwise. Im sure they wanted to make money and be successful - my point is they were doing just that before they went to shit. They didnt need MTV or any suits to change them, but thats what happened.

if that makes me less of a fan, perhaps - would I still see them live? I might, but ive seen them many times, I dare say more than most people here, and after seeing clips and bits of their live performances over the last bunch of years, I think I'm better off with my memories when they were a better band.