Why does Maiden recieve so little airtime?

well no duh, Sweden is like Metal central!!!! That, and the socialist government are two factors i'm considering moving there... I have to learn swedish first hehe. There are few stations in Mexico that have 'Metal hours' but they are not very popular.
 
Yes, Sweden is a wonderful, wonderful place, and I have no ulterior motives for saying that.
 
Asking why most radio stations don't play metal is like a doctor looking at a symptom while ignoring the underlying disease which causes the symptom. Radio doesn't play metal because it is an underground phenomenon (as previously noted by others). Remember that radio is a business, and radio stations make decisions based on what will make money for them. If metal was popular, it would get played because that would attract more listeners which would attract more advertisers which would bring more money in to the station.

Radio reflects popular taste in music more than it influences the taste; it is an effect, not a cause. This can be seen in the history of every band which started as an underground phenomenon and only got significant radio play after several albums and demonstrated popularity on concert tours. U2 are probably the best example of this phenomenon; though their early hits were occasionally played on radio, it was not until The Joshua Tree became a #1 album that radio fully embraced them. (I'm speaking of US radio here; I don't know that the above applies to other countries.)

If metal were somehow to become a mainstream form of music - that is, if record sales and concert ticket sales began to surpass those of rap or pop - then metal would get played on the radio like Eminem or Britney Spears is now. For this to happen, there would have to be a small number of bands to carry the banner. Remember how Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains virtually created the "modern rock" radio format, not only inspiring a thousand copycat bands but also causing the birth of at least one "modern rock" station in every large US city. A similarly influential group of young metal bands would have the potential to create the same effect.

So, as I suggested above, the real question becomes, "Why don't more people like metal?" I believe that there are a few characteristics of metal which ensure that it will never be embraced by the majority. These characteristics include:
  • Loud, fast, agressive music which is difficult to ignore as "background" music in, for example, a work environment. At least, it's difficult to ignore if you're not already a metalhead. If people won't listen to the music at their job, they'll never hear enough of it to acquire a taste for it.
  • Long songs with complicated structures and time signature changes that make it difficult to dance to metal. If you can't dance to it, it won't get played in clubs; if it's not in the clubs, there are two primary effects:
    • [li]People won't have fun dancing while listening to metal, and it's that association between fun and music which helps make the music popular.
    • Couples won't hook up to metal. Every couple has "their song", but how many couples cherish metal tunes? This phenomenon alone explains why dopes like Billy Joel still have careers.
    Of course clubs aren't the only place for people to hear music, but getting metal into clubs would be a necessary step if metal is to become as popular as rap or pop. Club-goers are a HUGE potential market.

    [/li]
  • Metal lyrics tend to dwell on topics such as violence or death which many people can't relate to on a personal level. The main reason that Nirvana and Pearl Jam became popular was not their music - it was their lyrics. In 1992, the US was in a depression, the first Bush was in the White House, and more kids than ever were growing up in broken homes. My entire generation was full of existential angst. Cobain's and Vedder's lyrics spoke to us in a way that no one else had before. This may be why people 10 years younger than me don't seem to like Nirvana so much; Cobain was my peer and we spoke the same language in a way that is probably somewhat time-sensitive.

    If a few metal bands come along with lyrics that really capture the mood of their generation, then the music won't matter as much; the lyrics alone can make (or break) a band. Sure, a lot of us here relate to metal lyrics. But I mean someone has to write lyrics that reach 60% of the population, not 10%, before metal becomes mainstream.
  • Most metal bands have an image that frankly scares normal people. Long hair and leather simply aren't in, fashion-wise, the way they once were. Look at Fred Durst (if you can without throwing up). His music may be a pile of shit, but he looks like the nice boy next door with the short hair and the baseball cap. Most nu-metal bands have taken their cue from him, keeping their hair short and looking like fraternity rejects. I'm not suggesting that real metal bands follow in this path. I'm just saying that until fashion sense comes around again, metal bands are at a disadvantage. And as much as we'd like to think it's all about the music, image has been crucial ever since MTV debuted on August 1, 1981.
The bottom line is dollars, not the music itself. Unless popular taste takes a very unexpected turn, metal will never be a radio staple.
 
Just what I said! only better [!--emo&:chug:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/beerchug.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'beerchug.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
After reading SMXs' post, I thought "Do I want meta to become main-stream music?" The answer came pretty quick. NO! The reasons are simple. The evolution of metal, this strive for something new and UNIQUE is the effect of being an underground phenomenon. If it would become main-stream, like the others said above: Copy-cat bands one after another trying a hot at the big-time. Not only that, but the good bands, would be corupted. Mettallica for example( i know i'll get flamed, but *sigh*) they got so famous, they got corupted. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But you can't really call Maiden an under-ground band, as the news of the release of Dance of Death made the news in Romnaina on all the channels. Thats' about the strongest point I have right now to back this up
 
I have absolutely no idea what would happen to me if metal became mainstream. I would probably just lose all respect for anything, and I would have no other way to express myself other than through violence. Metal seems like the only sacred thing anymore. It has yet to be taken advantage of, or corrupted( like Black Ace said about Metallica ) by money or power. Metal is like the only thing anyone can really depend on, it's always gonna be there for you. When you need to vent some anger, metal will be there. When you wanna have some fun, metal will be there. No matter what, metal will always be there for you, and I think that if metal became mainstream, all of this would change. Suddenly it would be there for all the wrong reasons. Metal would be there to make money off you, and every asshole would be listening to it. It would become empty and meaningless. For the sake of every metalhead out there, I hope that metal never, ever, becomes popular. It would be like losing your best friend because your best friend didnt think you were cool enough. I think we would feel so rejected, and so betrayed. I know I would. But I have faith in metal, and I'm sure that it will always stay true to itself and its fans. METAL FOR LIFE!!!
 
i totaly agree! [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
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