August 2000: For the Music or For The Money?
Joe's View
To reform or not to reform? That’s a question I’m sure a few
now-defunct bands are asking themselves with the recent successes of
reformed acts such as Crimson Glory, Venom, etc... , not to mention Iron
Maiden’s highly publicized reunion with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and
guitarist Adrian Smith. But what are the real reasons for these musical
reunions? Is it that the band members see a light at the end of the
tunnel after the severe beating Metal took during the 1990's and are
ready to reconnect with their audiences? Or do they simply hope to make
some quick cash now that the metallic tide seems to be turning?
But when you really think about it, the days of becoming a
multi-millionaire by playing Heavy Metal are long gone. It’s possible
to make a comfortable living at it if a band can make it to the
"top of the Metal heap", but for the most part Metal musicians
have to supplement their incomes with regular jobs. This being the case,
how can bands that decide to reform actually be in it for the money?
Like anybody else, they just want to make a living doing what they
enjoy. And until recently, the musical climate was such that they
couldn’t make a living playing Metal. No matter how much they
might’ve wanted to continue making music, if the rent couldn’t be
paid and food kept on the table then a new line of work had to be found.
So before anyone starts screaming "SELLOUTS!", keep in mind
that for a small niche market, Heavy Metal has an incredible number of
bands catering to it and that it’s next to impossible for a limited
number of Metal fans (all with limited incomes) to support every band in
the scene. And of course, musicians are usually the lowest paid members
of the music industry. Even if a band does reasonably well, record
companies, managers, etc... , all get their (bigger) cuts of the profits
before the band members. With this in mind, I think it’s safe to say
that very few (if any) of the reformed/reforming bands are hoping to get
rich quick.
Keith's View
Motley Crue - Reunion For The Money Or The Music?
In late 1991, Motley Crue signed a four-album deal for $25 million
with Elektra Records after the release and success of their best-of
compilation Decade of Decadence. Before the ink had dried, the band
booted lead singer Vince Neil out and replaced him with ex-Scream
vocalist John Corabi as Vince began his new solo career. Neither Vince
nor the Crue had success as separate units, seeing poor album sales and
even worse concert attendance. After Warner Brothers Records dropped
Vince and Elektra told Nikki Sixx that they would not support an album
without Vince, they finally wised up and reunited for a major tour.
Now, you might think that money played a large part of this reunion.
Sure it did, doesn't it always. Yet, I believe the real reason behind
the get-together was the fact that Motley Crue, musically, was known,
and loved for their raw, crunchy guitar sound and Vince's powerful
melodic vocals and they're right. More importantly, their fans missed
their music. Individually, the band members are financially well off and
will continue to make money through future royalties. Since they've
gotten back together, the Crue has released two studio albums,
Generation Swine and New Tattoo, a live album and a Greatest Hits
package that has sold very well. They also took the opportunity to
re-release their entire back catalog with bonus tracks. So musically,
Motley Crue has made great strides which was made possible by the fact
that they put aside their differences and became a band again. The money
is the icing on the cake.
Rick's View
Why do bands reunite? Is it for the love of the music or is it for
the money. I would have to say that they are closely intertwined.
Crimson Glory, Venom, Destruction, Jaguar, Black Sabbath and a
host of other bands have reunited in the last few years. I will not
downplay the importance of money in many of these reunions. Black
Sabbath obviously made a whole lot of money by reuniting, touring and
releasing a live CD. But Black Sabbath are an exception. They were not
hurting for a dollar to begin with. Ozzy has been releasing high selling
CDs since leaving Sabbath and his concerts and Ozzfest make him a bundle
in cash. Tony Iommi has been carrying on with Black Sabbath and Geezer
and Bill have been kept busy with other projects. They make a very
comfortable living on their record royalties alone.
Crimson Glory is a good example of a great reunion. A bit of a cult
band in the 80s Crimson Glory released a few great CDs and then
disappeared after a lackluster release. Jon Drenning had become a sports
critic and was making his living by writing and being a sports analyst.
The last few years have seen an upswing in the popularity of metal. What
could be a better time for a band to make a comeback? Crimson Glory put
out a new CD with a new singer and found great success. Did they do it
for the money or the music? I think that the chance to make some money
which gave them the freedom to make the kind of music that they wanted
was the reason that they did it. I mean its not like they are going to
sell 10 million CDs and become multimillionaires.
Money no doubt played a role in most reunions. Many of these
musicians from other reunion bands such as Destruction, Jaguar, Venom
etc have other "jobs" both inside and outside the music
industry. There would be no way many of them could make a commitment to
leave their other jobs, record a CD and do promotion and tours unless
they were making some money. I'm sure the opportunity to make music and
make a living doing it is the real reason for most of these reunions.
Nathan's View
Band reformation...for the music or the money?
Most of the recent band reformations have interested me very little,
primarily because I don’t listen to many of the bands. Venom,
Destruction, Armored Saint...you name them, I probably don’t listen to
them. Why? I don’t know. Well then again, there was Metal Church,
Artillery, and Exodus. Anyway, I am sure that in most or all cases,
these bands have reformed because of the music and their love of
playing, as opposed to the monetary aspect. Let’s face it, most of
these bands probably didn’t make shit to begin with. They're not Kiss,
who blatantly admitted to having reformed for the money. But that's
Kiss...god damn it, I hate that fucking band!
But here’s a list of bands I would like to see reform and blow the
shit out of everyone once again: Death Angel (I am still praying for Act
IV), Forbidden (well known yet always underrated), At The Gates (with
guitarist Alf Svensson because Alf rules), Pungent Stench (praise the
names of the musical assassins!), Cynic (dream on), Atheist (with
drummer Steve Flynn because Steve rules), Believer (damn those guys were
awesome), Dissection (I hope Jon’s been writing music), Exhorder (hate
metal at its finest...I hear they did reform actually), Eucharist
(sorely missed), Pan-thy-monium (because there’s not enough humorous,
experimental death metal out there), Righteous Pigs (hell yes...and with
the same lineup!), Violence (probably without Robb since he’s too
trendy nowadays), White Zombie (LaSexorcisto lineup because that album
is the greatest Halloween album in existence), and last but not least
Release (anyone know what the fuck happened to this band????????).
EvilG's View
Since I don't have a strong opinion about this I'll keep it short
this time around.
A number of bands have reformed recently and I feel that for the most
part it's for their love of the music and the fact that they miss
playing with people who they know so well and view as brothers. Take
Armored Saint for example - it's not like the boys are raking in the
dough hand over fist is it? This is just one band that's doing it for
the music. There's also Crimson Glory who I think are doing it because
they feel the music is what's important. They did wait until there was
somewhat of a growth in the interest of their brand of metal and I can't
blame them. Musicians have bills to pay like the rest of us, so if the
band isn't making enough bucks then what's the point or the alternative?
--> Sell out and play rapcore or some other shitty music that is the
flavor of the month? Take it to the garage? Or, record self-financed
demos and work your day job hoping that a decent offer might come along
(that's kind of what Jag Panzer did during their down time).
Like it or not, music is a business and if a band is not profitable
then having a professional career playing music is not possible.
Hopefully some that don't "make it" will still plug away with
music on self financed recordings on small labels. This is what
Interzone did - this band features Rob Urbanati (ex-Sacrifice). Metal is
something that is in you and whether or not you make millions, the most
devoted metal musicians will find some way for their material to be
heard and to express themselves musically.