LAMB OF GOD Frontman Says Record Industry Is 'Dying'

Vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD has posted a lengthy rant on his Twitter account about the current state of the music industry following today's announcement that MARILYN MANSON's new album, "Born Villlain", debuted at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart with first-week U.S. sales of just 38,000 copies.

Blythe's rant in its entirety follows below (edited for clarity):

“So Marilyn Manson's new record debuted at #10 [with] just over [38,000] sold, including iTunes. He released it independently on his own record. This is a guy with 3 platinum records, 3 gold, 5 top 10 debuts including two NUMBER ONE RECORDS in the U.S. He also has a HUGE CULT FOLLOWING.

"A #10 record? 38,000 sold first week for arguably one of the biggest 'underground'-type acts? IT'S FUCKING PATHETIC. The industry is DYING.

"All the people who argue about not feeding the record labels, the corporate machine, etc., about how artists should just release their albums THEMSELVES and THE FANS, THE REAL UNDERGROUND FANS will back them to support the artists? There is your fucking answer.

"I don't listen to [Marilyn Manson], but dude has cred for making his own artistic choices. He hasn't released a record in 3 years and his fans, his HUGE-ASS FAN BASE, could only chart 38,000 records? That's fucked up. MARILYN MANSON is a MUCH LARGER BAND than LAMB OF GOD, and we outsold him by over 10,000 first week. Not because we have gotten bigger, but because we had a label, a promotional machine behind us. So so much for the 'release it yourself and we will support the artist and not the greedy corporate label pigs' theory. Amazing.

"Marilyn Manson is rich as fuck and this won't put him in the poorhouse by any means, but if a huge-ass rock star like him can only sell 38,000 records first week, RELEASING IT HIMSELF, then how are the bands putting out their FIRST record when nobody knows who they are supposed to survive?

"Don't cry for me, Argentina — I can tour 'till the cows come home and pay my bills.
But I feel sorry for the young bands.

"Good luck, guys and gals — yer gonna need it.

"'Support the artists, not the labels…' GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE.

"Anyway, the whole point of that was not to draw comparisons to my band's and MARILYN MANSON's quality of music (thanks for the compliments y'all, haha),differences in styles, who is more popular, etc. — I'm just saying that when a 'underground' music star THAT BIG sells THAT LITTLE amount, it shows me that things will only get harder for younger bands as the labels sink further and further into disrepair.

"There's solid underground labels with ethical owners (I am friends with some of them) who do this thing for the love of MUSIC, TO GET IT OUT THERE, AND TO HELP YOUNG BANDS — but if truly (comparatively) no one is buying records, even from the independents, then eventually no one will be there to help the younger bands get where they need to be.

"I have a good life. I'm smart with my $, and I don't 'live large' (i.e. STUPIDLY) — don't need to, and I don't want to. I have a solid career as long as I want it. So I ain't worried about ME — I'll be FINE — but I do worry for those young bands. Because I LOVE the younger bands that KICK MY ASS and make me feel OLD and feel like I BETTER step my game up OR ELSE. I just want those bands to have a goddamned chance at making it, same chance I had. Someone has got to sing the new songs, and somehow those songs NEED TO BE HEARD."