Why is Maiden not selling well in the US?

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The Drifter

Maiden Forever
Guys i am new to the forum but i always come here to check up on news and all...i love Maiden it is my all time band.
My question is the following: Why is Iron Maiden not so big in the US?

I dont understand really!!!! I am originally from Brazil and there Maiden is huge bigger than any band. Is it because the band is very British, so americans have a skeptic mind to the songs?
 
Maiden has one top-5 album (actually, their last one !), two top-ten albums, 5 top-15 albums, 8 top-20 albums, 11 top-50 albuns, 19 albums on Billboard 200 charts. Not counting anything prior to the Live after Death album. Sold probably more than 7 million albums.

It's big as far as the metal world in the USA is concerned. SSOSS spend 22 weeks on charts, some band named The Head and the heart is now celebrating 40 weeks on the charts with their first pop album. It's a world apart, me thinks.
 
I disagree that Maiden doesn't sell in the U.S. Their last 2 new albums both made the top 5 in the charts and received great reviews. Metal music in general goes through trends in this country. For a few years it's the biggest thing since sliced bread, and then for a few years it's treated as being stale bread. But soon it will be back on top. Maiden sure doesn't have any problems selling concert tickets over here
 
I think Daniel's point is compared to the South America, they don't sell well. However, as has been pointed out I think they're doing fine sales wise these days in the US. I mean, compare now to the Blaze era... not having a go at Blaze I'm just stating a fact. Maiden are very much an acquired taste, even among metal fans it's not a case of "yeah I quite like Maiden". Most of the time it's "I fucking love/hate Maiden". They'll never pander to increase sales but again, TFF getting to Number 4 was a decent result IMO.
 
Why is Iron Maiden not so big in the US?

This is the real question here. Obviously Daniel is comparing with his own country, and indeed, one may wonder why Maiden is not so big in the US as in Brazil, or Europe for that matter.

Who knows? I'd say, the USA is more media minded. Most people follow mainstream media.
These media play on safe. In other areas people find their own way quicker without having a conservative school teacher or church on their back.

So, I wouldn't say the American taste is different, it's just that they have less freedom to fully discover certain forms of music.

Naturally, all Americans here will say they are as free as anyone else, but all I do is comparing the masses. I compare the masses of the USA with the masses of Brazil or Europe, where there is less corporate bullshit, and less condemning of churches.
 
I think Maiden's sound is very underground and people in the US are more pop orienteded even when it comes to metal. Another factor i think contributed to this is the fact that Maiden played Rock in Rio in 1985 hence becoming legends in Brazil. I dont know it just pisses me off that we cant sell gold records and things like that over there anymore.

I also dont understand how can Metallica haave already been introduced to the rock and roll hall of fame and Maiden not. Iron Maiden is the blueprint for every single heavy metal band to come out after 1980, simply ridiculous.
 
As an American Maiden fan, I will also discuss my disappointment at my own country's poor music taste. And I believe Forostar nailed it, followed by even The Drifter's post. The US seems to be more into pop these last several years, followed closely by all these horrid boybands and girlbands (quoting Bruce, "WHO CAN'T EVEN FUCKING PLAY!" haha), who are so popular thanks to all the little teeny-boppers.

While I don't know what the coasts are like, as I am near St Louis, Missouri, I will say that our main radio station KSHE95 (they call themselves "Real Rock Radio") NEVER plays Iron Maiden. And I mean NEVER. You will never hear an Iron Maiden song on the radio here, much to my disappointment. Yet you hear bands like Metallica, ACDC, Judas Priest, Ozzy, etc... ALL THE TIME! And I'm not saying anything bad in regards to those bands... but if they are played, then why not Iron Maiden too? I won a contest about a year ago and got to tour the KSHE95 studio and have lunch with all the DJ's, and I discussed with them about Iron Maiden, and to my surprise not a single one of them seemed to care much for the band.

I guess heavy metal is just taboo in the US nowadays. Which is really shameful. But please do not associate the idea that "US don't like Maiden". I'm sure there are tons of Iron Maiden fans here in the US, especially these past few years with Flight 666 releasing, and the spectacular Somewhere Back In Time tour, and soon coming up El Vivo concert.

That being said, the last two times I've seen Maiden (both in Chicago, 2008 Somewhere Back in Time and 2010 Final Frontier tours), the places were full and the crowd was wild (more so during the SBIT tour than the FF tour... I'm assuming just because it was classics compared to new material. While I love it all, I'm sure I am the minority unfortunately). And both times Bruce said that Chicago was one of the best US cities. I'd sure believe it, I was hard of hearing after the SBIT concert, the crowd's cheering was deafening between songs.

Iron Maiden is my favorite band. Has been for the last 4-5 years, and will probably remain so forever. But unfortunately the US just has kind of poor taste in music, I guess.
 
I can. Metallica is the biggest heavy metal band, at least in America. They get played on mainstream rock stations daily. Maiden hardly ever gets airplay, and most people only remember them for 3 or 4 songs.
 
I can. Metallica is the biggest heavy metal band, at least in America. They get played on mainstream rock stations daily. Maiden hardly ever gets airplay, and most people only remember them for 3 or 4 songs.
Most people in the UK would struggle to name more than one, perhaps two, Maiden song(s).
 
From the 20 million people Metallica has on its Facebook page probably 15 million of them only know The unforgiven and Nothing else matters as songs by Metallica.
Maiden stood underground all the way and Metallica didnt, it was their choice.

Both bands are great, but i have to say Maiden is my favorite one and will always be.

All the best!
 
The reason Maiden isn't bigger in America is because in the U.S THIS was considered "Metal":


Those "Hair Metal" or "Cock Rock" bands dominated the scene in the U.S when Metal was cool. Then Nirvana and grunge came along and killed it. Metal was NEVER a mainstay in the American conscious. Culturally The U.S seeks fads, the next big thing, it went from Jazz, to Blues to Rock to Disco to Metal and New Wave followed by Grunge and later Boy Bands.

In Latin America we have strong cultural ties to our past, we acknowledge it and embrace it. We don't give in to fads as easily, and when we do, we don't dismiss our first or even second loves as easily or quickly.

I LOVE heavy metal but this is one of my biggest guilty pleasures and I am sure it doesn't get played outside of gay bars:






To not rant too long, the reasons why Metal and Maiden specifically are not "big" in the U.S, I think, is they have no cultural anchor. Their genesis mythos is one of running away from bad people who wouldn't let them be, there they go again on their own. Yes, their genesis mythos is a White Snake song. Thus, always running, always seeking, first the colonies, then "going West"... always physically and psychologically on the run extending to musical tastes... but that's just my opinion.
 
Those "Hair Metal" or "Cock Rock" bands dominated the scene in the U.S when Metal was cool. Then Nirvana and grunge came along and killed it.

Only after about 1986, when Bon Jovi and "Home Sweet Home" hit big. Even Priest had synths that year.

Before that, there was popular good metal in the US - although by modern standards, some if it is hard rock. Ozzy, Priest and Maiden were all huge back in 1982; remember, "Run To The Hills" was moderate hit. The trend towards "hair metal" started around 1984: Ratt, Shout At The Devil, even Twisted Sister showing that MTV would indeed play harder bands if the videos were good. That's when "pop metal" switched from Van Halen's rougher image to something designed to play well for teenage girls on MTV.

Monstrosities like Warrant, Bulletboys and Winger started appearing around 1988, by which time everything had become formulaic. First single is the upbeat major-key party anthem ("Nothin' But A Good Time", "Gypsy Road") and second single is the power ballad ("Every Rose Has Its Thorn", "Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone").

Nirvana did us all a favor. They put us out of our misery. If I had to hear one more Firehouse or Slaughter song, I might have choked someone.
 
As always, you are correct sir. However, it does not negate my original post. It took the U.S until the mid 80's for it consumerist, fad seeking society to turn the genre into a joke. Nirvana did in fact put us out of our misery, but the movement was laughable then anyway and it is incredibly laughable now (hair metal that is). Like Communism, it was only a matter of time before it imploded. However it was enough to give the entire genre a bad name to this day. In the U.S people hardly think of Megadeth or even Metallica when they talk about Metal. Most people I've polled think of Def Lepard, Motley Crue and yes... Bon Jovi.
 
Well I'm in Texas so that is kind of different than the rest of the USA , IMHO Texas has always been a metal stronghold... and to this day Maiden does multiple cities in Texas and their POM tour stop in San Antonio was immortalized on "'Allo Texas" I remember being a teen (1980?) and Maiden played a tin barn (The Villa Real, Mcallen ,TX) not far from where I live in South Texas opening for Priest (!) I was only 12 and had no way of going ... on the first day of middle- school the few "Metal" guys at school were wearing bad-ass Maiden shirts and I was only just discovering Priest and had never heard Maiden (!) I digress... I like that Maiden is a "secret" in the USA... the biggest "underground" band in the USA perhaps? I took my punk rock fan girlfriend to the SBIT gig in Houston and she was blown away and told me after the show: "I thought you were just a few nuts into Iron Maiden but there was at least 10 thousand people there just like you!" She has respect for Maiden and metal after that show...
 
Texas is no different than the rest of the U.S. Hell Florida has a metal scene even with its senior citizen population. Every state has a scene, Texas is a large state with many populous cities, that is why most bands, not just Maiden, usually play at least three: San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. The U.S has a Metal "scene," hardly a stronghold, even at state level. Something to be said to commend U.S Metal is that it at least PRODUCES metal bands. Latin America with its huge metal fan base has few Metal bands worth noting outside of Sepultura, Rata Blanca and Angra.
 
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