What amuses me the most - and is a clear sign of all the flatness times we live on - is that Axl goddamn Rose had to call them out this way. I mean, Axl who is not relevant anymore in the pop world had to call them out?

Where is the Axls of nowadays?

I'd expect someone as proclaimed of pureness as Dave Grohl - who says way more than he does - would say something but people just don't want to burn bridges anymore. Everybody is so fuckin' afraid of saying something as it is.

Kudos for Axl for saying it. Shame it had to be him.

Kinda sad, to be honest. What we miss on the rock world nowadays is authenticity.

I used to like all the album but lately I've been inclined to cut most of them when listening...

Some friends asked me, now that GNR is scheduled to play here in April, what was the "ultimate GNR tracklist", that led me to this....

I've selected 20 tracks of the catalogue.. It was fun

An album is just a prerogative to tour nowadays. What used to happen in the past: record label finances 100% of album costs, 50% of initial leg of tour costs. Band gets 20% of album sales, 100% of tour earnings.

Nowadays the business model has changed to album costs 50/50 between band (usually tour agency, like ClearChannel that secures the touring act by financing the bands part of the album) and record label (Interscope, not Universal that is the distribution channel basically) with earnings, IF THEY OCCUR, split 70% to label, 30% band. Tour costs and earnings 50/50 between band and label with the risk delivered to the tour agency (let's say ClearChannel).

Without a record out, Axl might be touring either a) earning 100% of the income or b) financing the next album(s).

It has been said in the past that the band didn't want to deliver another album to the record label because they wanted autonomy over when and how to tour and what to earn.

If Axl grew his balls back, I'd say he's touring nonstop for the last couple of years to finance the new album so he is his own man, not in the hands of label or touring agencies FINANCIALLY, using them only as media to publicize his art (that's my only hope to still have some respect for the guy, tbh).

Or, if he caved in, he's just making an easy buck until the nostalgia source is dry, then he releases another album and starts all over again.

Here in Brazil exactly that happened with a band called Engenheiros do Hawaii... They were pretty popular in the 80/90's but in 95 they broke up. In 98, the lead singer released a self titled album with a trio and in 99 he released an album as Engenheiros do Hawaii with the same band plus a keyboard player.

It worked and I can see that working as Guns also.