Billboard.com Chart Position

[Layne&Wasp]

I would say overall its the perception since SLDD that they have gone soft.  Kind of the same perception Metallica had before the returned to their "roots".

[lovemachine97]

I've always said that STP's best attribute is their worst enemy when it comes to album sales and fan loyalty.  The fact that they are willing to take chances and experiment.  Really, it started with Tiny Music, perhaps my favorite album, but completely different and "soft" compared to Core.  Purple only had 25% fewer sales than Core and was released less than 2 years later.  Tiny Music's sales were lower than Purple's by 66.7%, and the album was released less than two years after Purple.  Then, after a 3 1/2-year absence, No. 4 lost 50% of Tiny Music's sales.  That stayed consistent, as SLDD was released less than 2 years after No. 4.

Anyway, STP experimented heavily and sales plummeted by 2/3.  All the while, Scott became a punchline as a druggie, tours were canceled and/or postponed, and promotions were delayed by jail.  Experimentation, changing from what made you popular, rehab, jail all spell Billboard poison.  Unless STP release another song that is as single-worthy as Plush or Interstate Love song, they will continue to hope for Gold certification.

[Silvergun Picture Show]

I was to lazy to scroll back but how many records has the album sold thus far?

[cheapsurprise]

According to Neilsen Soundscan, the album has sold 135 000 copies. That's pretty sad.

[wayne gretzky]

I bought another copy as I gave mine to friend ... that should help sales:)

[kshamrock20]

How could this happen? It was a fucking STP reunion. How can only 100,000 people buy the record. I am confounded. Fuck people nowadays with thier horrible, sordid musical tastes. I am just shocked by this. How could nobody care about STP?

[andrew]

How could this happen? It was a fucking STP reunion. How can only 100,000 people buy the record. I am confounded. Fuck people nowadays with thier horrible, sordid musical tastes. I am just shocked by this. How could nobody care about STP?

People have horrible taste in music. Plain & simple, I guess.

We live in a world where Godsmack and Linkin Park more than double (triple by now?) the sales of STP.

As horrible as that sounds and actually is. Society is just on this downward spiral. I've felt that way most of my life. Music keeps getting shittier, people keep getting shittier, the government keeps getting shittier.

[cheapsurprise]

I honestly believe their lack of press did it. The band people constantly bring up is Alice in Chains, who has sold over       500 000 copies of Black Gives Way To Blue. There's a few obvious reasons for this:

1) The album has had three songs in the Billboard Top 10 Rock Songs. Check My Brain and Your Decision were both huge rock hits. Comparatively, STP has Between the Lines, which was bound to hit #1 because of the anticipation. Check My Brain wasn't BGWTB's first single, it didn't make it on hype alone.

2) The amount of interviews the band has done with various groups all over the world. You can't hit up Blabbermouth for one day without reading, watching, or listening to a new Alice in Chains interview. Comparatively, searching youtube I could probably come up with 2 or 3 STP interviews from the last year.

3) Alice In Chains has a successful formula that they have stuck to through thick and thin. They don't have a pop album, a heavy album, or an art-rock album. They are what they are, and they're happy with that. People who buy the new album know exactly what they're getting. STP does not have two albums that sound alike. Core made them who they are, and despite our own personal preferences, the general public wants that sound. Its what made STP relevant and popular.

4) The enigma created by the death of Layne Staley and the 10 years of relative inactivity. STP doesn't really have this, and to be honest, Scott Weiland's PR image is brutal, with immovable rock giants like Slash constantly calling him out in the press.

If they did some more interviews and made an album that sounded like Core that generated a few serious hits, STP would have sold 500 000 copies. Sadly their management seems to be non existent. I'm glad we have an STP album, and I really like it. The only reason I'd be dissapointed in the numbers is because the band might look at putting out new music in the future as being a bit useless. They seem to be turning into a club band...Alice In Chains just headlined MSG with their new tour...

[Pingfah]

^ I would mostly agree with that cheapsurpise.

Furthermore, if they are getting any coverage now, it's mainly bad. Just look up STP on Google news, you won't hear a thing about them having a new single out, all you'll see is stories about drunken rants, cancelled tours and idiotic accusations about lip synching.

Whoever said there is no such thing as bad publicity was talking total bollocks.

[bigemptysg]

They seem to be turning into a club band...Alice In Chains just headlined MSG with their new tour...

I hope to God STP doesn't turn into a club band like Seven Mary Three and other bands that used to be huge and faded into nothing.

[cagedtiger1640]

I would be happy if they were a club band.  It bodes for a much better show.  However they will never be like seven mary three the musicianship is too good.  STP will always be able to sell out a 4,000 capacity club until the day they die.  I wish they would forget about trying to be big and just make music they love.  I would like it if they took more chances then they did on this last record.  In my opinion it was safe in reguards to how slick it sounds.  It tried to be a hit pop album just didn't work out for various reasons.  Good album but with experimenting they could still create a masterpeice.  Unfortunatley this will probably never happen because of one factor "ego".  They need to just do something for themselves for once instead of trying to impress others. 

[Drew06]

It's laughable that stp is playing arena's with no legitimate opener or co-headliner.
 
Between myself and a lot of my buddies who are pretty hardcore stp fans we are all passing on the upcoming gig in Orlando. Sorry but 70 dollars with no legit other acts is just silly in this economy.
 
The new album isn't bad, it is just kind of boring. Which I think you can argue is worse.
 

[loungefly611]

How could this happen? It was a fucking STP reunion. How can only 100,000 people buy the record. I am confounded. Fuck people nowadays with thier horrible, sordid musical tastes. I am just shocked by this. How could nobody care about STP?

People have horrible taste in music. Plain & simple, I guess.

We live in a world where Godsmack and Linkin Park more than double (triple by now?) the sales of STP.

It's a matter of opinion if Godsmack or LP is horrible, but the bottom line is that they are much more relevent then STP. Plus, someone posted that AIC has stuck to a formula that the fans know, which, among many reasons, their album has sold much more then STP. (Plus, I think their fan base is much larger, like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden) Godsmack sticks to their formula, they have their audience, so their records sell. Linkin Park on the other hand, I think they are at that point where they can release a bluegrass album and their fans will still buy the album. (Even though they will continuely bitch that it doesn't sound like Hybrid Theory/Meteroa) The reason that I respect STP is because they bring someone different to the table with every album, but in a sense, that is also their downfall when it comes to record sales.

[Comatose Commodity]

Is 135k really that bad? but I think things are too quiet, where the heck is Cinnamon? That song and its video should be "happening"...

[STP92]

Is 135k really that bad? but I think things are too quiet, where the heck is Cinnamon? That song and its video should be "happening"...

I don't think it's that bad, but with STP's previous album sales, it's hard to ignore how low this one is selling compared to the others.