Nickelback: As Popular Now As Limp Bizkit Was In 2000

noah | October 17, 2007 10:55 am
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Despite critical disdain and claims of self-plagiarizing hovering over their heads, Nickelback’s All The Right Reasons crossed the six-million-copies sold mark last week, the 15th album of the 21st century to do so and the first since Usher’s Confessions, which came out in April 2004. (Reasons was released all the way back in October 2005.)

USA Today takes a look at the Canadian outfit’s sales achievement, noting via pretty graph that six albums released back in 2000 also reached the six-million mark: those albums were by Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Nelly, Britney Spears, Eminem, and ‘N Sync. (Eminem’s Marshall Mathers LP and ‘N Sync’s No Strings Attached both sold more than 10 million copies, earning the “diamond” certification.) 2002 had four six-million sellers, with Nelly and Eminem reaching that mark again; they were joined by Avril Lavigne and Norah Jones.

USA Today scribe Ken Barnes attributes Nickelback’s staying power to touring, talent, and radio appeal; I’d add that there’s still a market for their straightforward, straight-outta-’96 sound, despite all the A&R freaking out over blog-beloved bands, smudged-eyeliner groups, and outfits that still want to fly the tattered flag of nu-metal. Not that I really want to be subjected to a bunch of retreads of ten-times-Xeroxed Pearl Jam every time I leave the house, but the barreling popularity of Nickelback (not to mention Daughtry) actually has made me consistently surprised by the majors’ resistance toward being more conservative. Sure, Nickelback will never be “cool,” but it’s not like red-cap-era Fred Durst doesn’t look like a complete moron in hindsight.

Nickelback’s ‘Reasons’ joins rare 6M sales club [USA Today]

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