Good point, though we're not talking chicken and egg here -- these bands had cold hard cash invested in them AFTER they had shown that they had potential commercial viability. This is not intended as a slight on Cloud Eleven (who, in an ideal world, would probably love to tour and increase visibility, but has to afford rent and stuff like that), but just making a teriffic record ain't enough. Particularly nowadays. And one more note -- The Hives are an even less worthy example of hype -- they had put out numerous records before being 'discovered' with a two year old album. And even if you don't think much of their music (I like it, don't love it) -- the video for "Hate To Say I Told You So" was so killer. Mike Bennett NP: Katrina and the Waves -- ORIGINAL RECORDINGS I remember when a friend picked up their first album on Attic -- I could only focus on how the familiar tunes sounded less produced, and to my teenage ears, not as good as the Capitol re-recordings. Now, they sound fresh and jumping! This is a welcome reissue. Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com >From: "josh chasin" >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. _________________________________________________________________ Fretting that your Hotmail account may expire because you forgot to sign in enough? Get Hotmail Extra Storage today! http://join.msn.com/?PAGE=features/es