This was part of the Lefsetz letter today. He is so spot on when he says the Metallica record probably won't do so well because there is no place to hear it.
I hope the cornucopia of purchase options for the Metallica CD generates a heap of cash, because I don't expect that album to sell in prodigious quantities after the first week or so. Sales will tank soon. Not because the album is bad, but because there's nowhere to hear it. There's no exhibition in areas where people might be turned on to their sound, whether it be for the first time or once again.
When I managed bands such as Los Lobos and Luscious Jackson, I looked to everything except radio to further their careers. Most of the bands I worked with were not going to get the kind of airplay needed to sell millions of records. Building and keeping a solid fan base, touring, film and TV placements, corporate events, etc were the cornerstone of these bands daily routine. While the bands weren't headlining arenas, it provided a very good living for them. The artists kept their integrity. Now this seems to be the paradigm, when there is no alternative. It wasn't an alternative for these acts or me 10 years ago, which we realized and used it to our advantage.
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