First off, this list is an aggregation of music geeks of the highest order.
(And don't take offense at that;; I include myself in that description.)
None of us need hype to discover a band.  So the fact that some of us found
these bands before the public did is actually to be expected.  I'm still
waiting for the public to discover Cloud Eleven.  I guess I shouldn't hold
my breath.

Second, let's not confuse hype with cold, hard cash.  These bands were
supported with the kind of big money push that many artiusts here only dream
about-- record promootion budgets, advertising, etc.  I saw ads in Radio &
Records for the Strokes, the Hives, and I think the White Stripes.  This
wasn't hype as in, critics darlings or something like that.  It was the
attention that comes with a price tag, that is bought and paid for, because
someone was footing the bill.

If anything, in my opinion it is nice to see bands like this getting some of
that Maria Carey money.  How many kids bought one White Stripes album
instead of one Christina Aguilera album as a result of the money behind the
band?  I don't know, but however many, that's a good thing.