buzzsaw wrote:

No.  What I'm saying is there would have been even less interest in an Axl Rose solo album than there was in a new GnR album (if you can imagine that being possible).  Thus, we have a new GnR album.  They are diehard GnR fans that were either willing to give Axl's solo effort a try or that are going to buy anything under the name GnR regardless of what is on it. 

The old joke was that Axl could fart into a mic and sell a million copies the first week...where does that put CD?

I'm not sure I completely agree with that notion either.  Even in reference to your joke, I didn't go to those lengths exactly but I used to joke that if Axl put out an album of him whistling (he's a damn good whistler) I'd buy it.  I've loved Guns N' Roses since the early 90's, they were my favorite band by far.  I'd put myself in the "die hard" category I guess so I'll assume others have similar passions for the band.  I didn't get into Slash's Snakepit or Gilby, Izzy, Duff, or anyone else's solo projects.  But I welcomed Velvet Revolver with open arms for both their albums.  And like it or not, Axl Rose is the VOICE of Guns N' Roses (although not promotion wise as we can painfully see).  If it was the Axl Rose Band I certainly would've bought it, whistling and all.  The label Guns N' Roses didn't have any factor, just as the label Velvet Revolver didn't have any factor.  I would think all die hard fans would feel the same, although maybe I'm assuming too much.  I think where the "this only sold as much as it did/will is because of the GNR brand name" comes into play is when the non diehards buy it, which both you and I concluded hasn't happened yet.  Will it?  We'll have to wait and see.

Axlin08 wrote:

The only reason CD has done what it's done is because of the brand name itself.

Considering the fact the music itself hasn't spoken, and neither has Axl, Axl should donate his portion of profit to Slash, Izzy, Duff & Steven for building the name - GUNS N' ROSES - into what it is.

'Cause that's the only thing that is selling this album right now. The name.

I'm not so sure I agree with that.  Unless people are blindly buying Guns N' Roses CD's without knowing Slash isn't in the band anymore.  My friends are well aware that GNR is just Axl (in their minds at least) and they didn't buy CD.  They're fans of the old band and have seen the new lineup twice (to see the old songs get played), but the GNR brand name wasn't enough for them to be among the 261K.  I'd say a very small minority of people bought Chinese Democracy last week JUST because the disc said Guns N' Roses on it.  I think we've gone over in major detail about the lack of promo.  How in the heck would they have even known it was out to go buy it?