cungar

Here's the official line being hoisted by the bands publicity machine. Notice the number of qualifications in this statement:

"With over 30 Million albums sold, NICKELBACK is second only behind the Beatles as a top selling non-domestic act in the USA between the years of 2000 and 2010."

The original statement

is patently false. They don't even have the best selling album of any year in the decade.

Best-selling albums by year in the United States

2000s


Year[I]

Performing artist(s)

Nationality

Album

Ref.


2000

*NSYNC

United States

No Strings Attached


2001

Linkin Park

United States

Hybrid Theory


2002

Eminem

United States

The Eminem Show



2003

50 Cent

United States

Get Rich or Die Tryin'



2004

Usher

United States

Confessions


2005

Mariah Carey

United States

The Emancipation of Mimi

2006

Various artists

–

High School Musical Soundtrack



2007

Josh Groban

United States

Noël



2008

Lil Wayne

United States

Tha Carter III


2009

Taylor Swift

United States

Fearless

Shazam

As an Albertan, I would like to apologize to the rest of the world for Nickelback.

foofighters7

^

No Deal!

Dan

Ditto. We could have stopped them... we just didn't think it'd ever get this bad.

As a Canadian, I'll extend the apology for Celine Dion and Justin Bieber.

cungar

Something has to suck about Alberta. It certainly isn't going to be the beautiful landscapes, natural resources, culture, national parks etc...

Obi-Wanma

So they're only counting album sales over the last ten years in the US, and even over that period, they were outsold by the Beatles.

Yeah, that's not so good.

Dan

NO! They're SUPERstars! Don't you understand! What is wrong with you people??

cungar

Well it would be impressive if it weren't for the fact that Brit Rock has basically been ignored for the last decade. Bands like Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Libertines and Bloc Party have been huge overseas but never really cracked big time the US.

So other than that, they're basically using the fact that they happen to be from Canada and they happened to sell a lot of albums the last 10 years making them almost as big as the Beatles.

DRG

I love the 'Why People are Signing' section on that petition page.
Some of my favorites....

"NICKELBACK TORE MY FAMILY APART"

"I am a bears fan, and despise the lions, but nobody deserves this. Especially on thanksgiving."

"I imagine hell is nothing more than an endless Nickleback concert. That fear is what keeps me from doing bad things."

"I would like to keep my food down on Thanksgiving."

"Because Creed totally sucks, man!
Oh, wait..."

"I don't want to be sitting around with my family and have to listen to even more annoying people."

"The suicide rate in Detroit is high enough"

"Because fuck nickleback, thats why."

nothingfails

My main issue with Nickelback has always been the fact they've been shoved down our throats as an "alternative" band and that for a long time, the local alt-rock station played them, not so much now. But I remember a time when the DJ's would say on message boards they wouldn't play (actual alternative bands) because they didn't want to scare off Nickelback fans... and I think that's total BS because they represent everything grunge was supposed to do away with. I think that's sad because it'd be no different than if we went back in time 25 years and an "alternative" station wouldn't touch R.E.M., The Cure or Depeche Mode because they would be afraid a Journey or Bon Jovi fan might not like it.

Supermallet

They were outsold by catalog sales for a band that hadn't released an album of new music in 30-40 years. They were outsold by a catalog comprised of CD's that had been unaltered since the 1980's with the exception of 2009-2010 when we finally got remasters.

d2cheer

I like them. Their last couple of CD's were kick ass rock. For all the shit that has come out post grunge their sound has at least evolved for that type of shit to basically 80's style head banging music. And that is alright with me. Flame away.

cungar

JordanGLC

Sorry, but I like them. They remind me of early 80's hard rock. I suppose everyone here hates Wolfmother too.

nothingfails

Actually if someone still harbors hate for Nirvana for "taking my Warrant and Nelson away" (grunge did not kill hair metal... hair metal killed itself with all the poodle hair pop bands that came out in 1989-1991 that made the genre succeptable to burning out and being vulnerable once the next thing came along), they are the perfect demographic for Nickelback.

xraybies

Nickelback are the worst type of corporate rock where they craft every single song to be radio friendly for a certain demographic, that's why all their songs sound the same and that's why anyone who has a sense of musical integrity think they suck.

nothingfails

I agree. Some people try to say people have a problem with "good ol' rock n' roll" but that isn't the issue, Nickelback are just generic and as vanilla and safe as anything that comes out of a Simon Cowell talent show (is it any wonder that Daughtry sounds exactly like Nickelback's music?). They make housewife and soccer mom music for women who consider Maroon 5 too soft and Coldplay too lyrically complex. They fill that niche that Creed used to pander to, and who still follows Bon Jovi.

You cannot begin to put these AC hacks in the same category as Wolfmother or Mastodon as modern day hard rockers. Those two bands actually have a set of balls and don't just make music to appeal to Adult Contemporary radio stations that play Celine Dion and Matchbox 20, like Nickelback does. They get more airplay on the local easy listening station than they do rock at this point, same with Daughtry.

PopcornTreeCt

Can't believe they have over 50,000 signatures and Detroit is still having them play. I hope they get booed off the stage.

Dan

There can't be a single person on the planet over the age of 5 that finds Coldplay lyrically complex. Right?? I submit Yellow as Exhibit A (early Coldplay) and Paradise as Exhibit B (brand new Coldplay):

nothingfails

keep in mind we're talking about people who love Nickelback. Coldplay's Paradise may as well be Radiohead's Kid A.

d2cheer

at thinking that is even a significant number. Thanksgiving Day games are some of the best viewed of the year. Maybe if they got several million someone would pay attention. 50K+ is nothing.

foofighters7

They should throw, no, shoot frozen turkeys at them.

nothingfails

I heard their new song on VH1 yesterday, "When We Stand Together". If this is rock, then you are likely more into country than rock (especially if you're still bitching about grunge in 2011) at the present. This sounds more like something Rascal Flatts or Keith Urban would do than any rock artist (besides Daughtry, who have always been a Nickelclone anyways).

Mabuse

Their songs do all sound the same, but I will give them credit for one song. I can't even remember the name of, but the video had a bunch of hot chicks at a pool party. Not only was the video great because of the hot chicks, but the song actually sounded different! It was astonishing. It was a good old fashioned "fun time in the summertime" sort of song--unabashed pop. I think they did a better job at being totally pop then they ever did trying to be grungy alt. Anyone remember this song? I think it came out in '09 or '10.

nothingfails

Well I can give them credit for actually making a decade-long career by doing that brand of southern-fried white trash country-rock, just don't play it on "alternative" stations, they are everything alternative rock was rebelling against 20 years ago.

I seem to recall a video some years back on VH1 where some guy was sitting on a toilet lipsynching to their song, ever since then I always associate that with Nickelback LOL