STARPOLISH: Maybe it's more true for more popular artists who have pre-packaged images .

RANALDO: Sure. Also, when you're dealing with popular artists, you're dealing with somebody who's had a hit on the radio that has turned a lot of people on, but on one hand it's kind of anonymous, you know? They don't have a lot of history with these fans, and so the fans are just as liable to be flighty when the next hit comes along by someone else and move over there. One thing, for better or for worse, that we've avoided is the whole super popularity thing. We haven't had hit records and sold millions of records. I think a lot of bands that do that feel that they have this great spike in their career, and then everything else in comparison [seems less], even if they're still doing stuff. Like with Prince, even if all those records he did over the net or whatever were great, he's got to be thinking, "Well, I'm not getting the buzz in Rolling Stone that I had with Purple Rain," or whatever. It must be a weird thing, because even if you're still doing great and selling respectable amounts, compared to that spike it's not. That's why someone like Mariah Carey gets dropped by her record company while she still sells five million records or whatever the fuck it is. It's just hat on everybody's side, the perspective gets totally warped.

STARPOLISH: I remember when Eminem's second album sold 7 million units and not 13 million like the first, and people were disappointed.

RANALDO: It's totally insane. And for us, that's been one of the lucky things that as kept us going. There have never been these crazy spikes that have caused everything to get out of whack. I think we're lucky that way. Aside from bands like the Rolling Stones, who are just this crazy institution, there are a lot of bands that have been around for along time, like blues artists or even the Grateful Dead. They've never had that insane moment of popularity that caused things to get out of balance and go bust. I mean, B.B. King, he's 80 years old, he's probably has a steady, straight popularity for 40 or 50 years. He's had a career rather than a moment. For certain artists it's great to have that moment, but we are much happier having a career.