Why So Blu?

Not early on, though. Maybe within the last 10 years and even then, nothing earth shattering, I don't think. Not saying he's eating bologna sandwiches, neither. I would also say that The Misfits were way popular than Ramones, because they had more visual appeal and men/women LOVED Danzig. Then again, when Danzig left, only hardcore fans stayed for the various incarnations of that band.

It's a toss up.

Josh-da-man

The Misfits probably got most of the money from merchandizing. I used to see so much Misfits shit at Spencer's and Hot Topic that it could make Gene Simmons' dick shrivel up into his abdomen.

Buttmunker

You gotta wonder what The Ramones lacked in light of the people who came after them, became rich, and said the Ramones were their biggest influence.

Was it improper management? Fucked on the contract? Who didn't buy Ramones records, yet claim they were highly influencial in their taste in music?!

It is like a cosmic joke.

Phodg

Just because people are buying Ramones merch doesn't mean the band (or their estates) is getting any of that money. There's a huge market in bootleg merch these days. Also, a lot of bands back in the day were pushed into signing away most of their licensing rights by record companies just to get signed.

statcat

I think the new misfits introduced a lot of people to the misfits. Hardcore fans of the original group detest them. I'd say Jerry has been in some money since the late 90s when the merchandise was everywhere. Only went as far as to even appear on pro wrestling with that band. I would guess he is a millionaire along with Danzig. Danzig's net worth is estimated at 6.5 million online if you can believe that or not.

Josh-da-man

Why the Ramones never struck it big:

1. They were a novelty act. Short songs, kept the same retro look for their whole career. They were like the punk version of Sha-na-na.

2. They were weirdos. They were the kids in high school who sat alone at the dork table during lunch and were ostracized by the "cool kids."

3. They weren't sexy. Girls didn't want to drop their panties for them. As such, their music didn't hold much appeal for men, either. If you take a girl to a Ramones show and she didn't want to fuck Joey, she probably wouldn't want to fuck you, either.

Ringmaster

Danzig has to split up the merchandise profits with Only but that was since 1995. Before that, Danzig sold merchandise, pressed the records, and had his own indie label. Not to mention that he still owns the publishing to the 77'-83' Misfits songs and he's the sole author of those songs. Everytime someone uses the songs in movies, commercials, or covers, he pockets the money. A great example is the recent use of "Where eagles dare" for the Sailor Jerry Rum commercial. At the end, the commercial credits him for the song. I also heard that he received millions for the 3 covers that were featured on Metallica's Garage Inc. album. In other words, he doesn't need to split the money with anyone

Now the Ramones had a major label to deal with, had to split up the publishing/merchandise 4 ways, and probably drank/pissed away a lot of their earnings

Buttmunker

While all three points may be true, it did not deter anyone from buying their records (even though they never reached the Top 40 - that part still bugs me) or enjoying their music.

Buttmunker

Members of The Knack weren't exactly Rico Suave-lookalikes, but they scored both a No.1 hit and No.1 album in 1979 because of their music, not because of how they looked or anything else.

Supermallet

My Sharona isn't a great song, but it's better than any Ramones song I've ever heard.

Also who cares what chart position your favorite musicians got to? All that matters is the music.

Hiro11

They may have (wrongly) been perceived as that in 1976, but not by 1980 and certainly not in the last couple of decades.

It's clear that the Ramones were never going to be millionaires. They weren't alone in this. Read "Our Band Could Be Your Life": Black Flag, The Minutemen, Husker Du, Minor Threat, the Replacements... all of these bands have had a massive impact on popular culture. None of these bands ever made any money. 25 years after they broke up, these bands are still cool, still relevant and kids are still discovering them. Their work is still resonating. "Bastards of Young" is still on the soundtracks to cool movies. I frequently see kids with Black Flag tattoos. "New Day Rising" could be released today and it would still sound current (maybe it would need better production). Incompetant management, underappreciation at the time, lack of the internet: the world of the 80s was aligned against small, cutting edge bands. It's sad, but Husker Du could probably reunite now and make more money in one tour than they did in their entire career.

This is going to continue. Kids these days are now just starting to catch on to early-ninties British shoegaze. Cool bands have been cribbing Ride, Swervedriver, House of Love and MBV for years. The sound is just starting to make it's way into the mainstream. Again, none of the original bands made any money. Ride couldn't give away its music in 1992 and 20 years later, lots of bands sound to me like bad Ride tribute shows.

/losing my edge

Hiro11

I recommed you listen to more Ramones. Comparing them unfavorably to The Knack is absurd.

cungar

Sure you just don't mean you like it better? Saying "it's better" is pretty darn subjective, especially when we're dealing with pop music.

Nick Danger

Richie sued the Ramones saying that he was owed $900,000 in royalties for his six songs. I remember him complaining that he was a member of the band for years, but when it came to split the T-shirt sales, he was suddenly an employee. He probably relished sueing the band for what he could get out of them.

hal9000

They did well enough that they never had to get "real" jobs to support their music. Real indy punk bands like Minor Threat... well, actually Fugazi made a shit load of money for the scale of what they were doing... selling relatively inexpensive vinyl/CD's on a label that they owned, touring/selling tickets for $5. All of the band members from Fugazi own homes and have a decent nest egg.

It's been written that early on the Ramones hardly made a dime from their record contract but they toured their asses off, almost non stop. But much like Fugazi, the Ramones charged a small amount for tickets compared to bigger rock groups.

Why So Blu?

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hal9000

Amen! Rollins nails it.

Buttmunker

What's sad is that Justin Bieber is making what seems like millions of dollars after only a couple of years performing.........and there's no way his music will resonate through the ages like Ramones music.

Life is very, very unfair.

nodeerforamonth

Why does everyone think the Misfits are millionaires? I don't think they're even close to being millionaires. Maybe Danzig, but I even doubt that.

You'd have to sell over a million albums to be a millionaire and that would be split over the whole band. And after costs (living expenses, etc...) and taxes, you'd probably have to sell 8 million records for a band to have each member be a millionaire off album sales. And I don't think the Misfits have sold close to a million albums if you combine every album they've made.

Touring is another way for the bands to make money, but much of the touring costs are offset by expenses (not that the Misfits had a big stage show or anything).

Licensing is where the big money comes in these days, but I don't think the Misfits have that much licensing. Yeah, someone makes money off the t-shirts... maybe that person is a millionaire.

Another thing to keep in mind is that musicians are not geniuses or rocket scientists. Even if they've made a million dollars, it's doubtful they saved it or invested it properly.

inri222

Danzig is a millionaire. The word is that he is worth around $6.5 million. He owns the publishing rights as the sole author of all the Misfits/Samhain/Danzig catalogue (Evilive/Plan 9). Besides being a singer/songwriter he is also a producer, author & publisher. He has written songs for Roy Orbison & Johnny Cash.

I doubt Doyle & Jerry are.

Buttmunker

You might think somebody with all that money would share a little of it with his mates. (yeah, right.)

Supermallet

Of course, it's also entirely possible that he will waste all of that money in a few years as well.

And yes, life is unfair, but there are about a million things I would point to as an example of that before I got to the Ramones not being millionaires. They got to spend their lives recording and performing their own music to fans who appreciated it. Life could be a lot worse.

Buttmunker

That's kinda like my life: things could be a lot worse for me. Instead of being an overpaid order entry clerk, I could be working my ass off in a coal mine.

So yeah, I get ya.

However, I don't know how "appreciated" the Ramones felt. Yes, they were fortunate enough to spend their lives recording and performing their music, and future bands used them as a source of inspiration. But that's the definitive word: "used." Real appreciation would have come in the form of United States Currency, instead of just a pat on the back for a job well done.

Supermallet

I don't know, artists don't always care about having a ton of money. Many of them are just happy to be paid enough that they can keep making their art without also having a day job.

And I would argue that monetary compensation is the least satisfying form of appreciation. What makes you feel better, a birthday present that your friend painstakingly sought out for you, personally tailored to your individual tastes, or a check?

Buttmunker

Kurt Cobain once said, "fame and recognizablilty sucks - but the money's nice."

All the Ramones had was the fame and recognizability, but no money. At least, no money worth speaking of. As has been noted earlier in this thread, they had to scramble their loose change to try and get enough together for milk and cigarettes and beer.

I find that deplorable! For a band as famous as they were, to be living hand-to-hand for the three decades they produced music for the masses. Rockaway Beach alone should have been enough to buy them beer for the rest of their natural lives.