THE DARKNESS Manager: 'America Destroys So Many Bands'

Billboard is reporting that since the July 2003 release of their debut album, "Permission to Land", on Must Destroy/Atlantic, U.K. band THE DARKNESS have sold 637,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and 3 million worldwide, according to Whitehouse Management, which represents the band.

Manager Sue Whitehouse's role in launching THE DARKNESS has earned her recognition as the United Kingdom's manager of the year from the Music Managers Forum. Whitehouse will receive the honor Sept. 15 at the MMF's annual dinner in London. She recently spoke with Billboard about the group's achievements.

Billboard: Your success with THE DARKNESS seemed "overnight," but you and the band paid many dues, didn't you?

Sue Whitehouse: "Success is never overnight; it's always a slog. We just battled against all odds, building a fan base with no industry interest at all. It was word-of-mouth, especially in London. People were talking about the band, but not necessarily in a good way.

"There were A&R (artists and repertoire) people who loved to come to the shows and actually said to us, 'This is great, but we'd never sign it.' Nobody was prepared to take a risk (that) would have jeopardized their career. They thought it was too outrageous, too different. They were all looking for another RADIOHEAD.

"But there was no getting away from the fact that it was entertaining, and that's what people wanted to see."

Billboard: How have you found the experience of taking a successful U.K. act to the U.S. market?

Sue Whitehouse: "It leaves a bad taste. (After the management changes at Atlantic, whose Warner Music parent was sold to a group of investors by Time Warner),the attitude became all about making a quick buck and not about building the band's career. The album is referred to as 'product,' and they don't consider the band as people. It's quite depressing having to deal with that.

"America destroys so many bands. The band want (U.S. success) enough, but they're not prepared to sacrifice their sanity for it. They want to be around for a long time. When we go back with the next album we'll make sure things are done very differently, and they'll thank us for it eventually." Read more.