Dream Theater's New Producer: John Petrucci

[TL]

Obviously they do. They're not gonna pay someone to come in and give them a new creative perspective when the last album was generally hailed as being a significant improvement over the last three and is the best selling to date (I think).

It MAY have been the best selling of the last three, but their biggest seller ever is Images & Words.

There are things to consider there though.
When IaW came out, that style of music was still pretty big in the mainstream. It also got mainstream radio play, as well as video play back when music videos still had some effect on sales. It's likely that some of the people buying IaW were buying it because they liked Pull Me Under, but for one reason or another never really got into the band beyond that.

With the more recent albums, the sales are almost entirely the kinds of people who really get into the music they listen to, and get behind the bands they like. There are fans that have been around for years, and new fans. The key there is that they're actually fans, and not just someone taking a passing interest.

Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with buying an album because you like a song or two on it. I'm just saying that, while none of DT's albums have outsold IaW (at least in North America), their actual fan base is probably larger than ever.

[ariich]

In terms of total sales, I think I&W has sold more, but that's because it's been around for 20 years, so it's not a fair comparison. BC&SL was their highest charting album and I think had more early sales than any other DT album.

[hefdaddy42]

In terms of total sales, I think I&W has sold more, but that's because it's been around for 20 years, so it's not a fair comparison. BC&SL was their highest charting album and I think had more early sales than any other DT album.

Well, it almost certainly had better first-week sales than any other DT album.  But then it started falling off the sales map.  I&W wasn't a hit its first week of release; it didn't become a hit until the video for Pull Me Under had been in steady rotation for a while on MTV.  But then it blew up.

[ariich]

Well I meant general early sales, rather than first week specifically. I&W has had the benefit of 20 years of prestige to sell the number that it has.

[hefdaddy42]

Well I meant general early sales, rather than first week specifically. I&W has had the benefit of 20 years of prestige to sell the number that it has.

Yes, but it went gold (500,000 sales) in 1992 or 93.  It didn't take 20 years to do so.

[Perpetual Change]

Well I meant general early sales, rather than first week specifically. I&W has had the benefit of 20 years of prestige to sell the number that it has.

Yes, but it went gold (500,000 sales) in 1992 or 93.  It didn't take 20 years to do so.

Yeah but that was before filesharing too.

[ariich]

1995, but yeah I take your point.

Still, the original point was that BC&SL was more successful than (almost) anything else they've done, which is true.

[hefdaddy42]

1995, but yeah I take your point.

Still, the original point was that BC&SL was more successful than (almost) anything else they've done, which is true.

OK.