Iron Maiden have been cited by financial experts as among of the best UK success stories of recent years.
They’ve been named one of six organisations spearheading the music industry in the 21st century, and listed as one of the 1000 most inspiring companies in Britain.
And the London Stock Exchange has hailed the NWOBHM giants’ business model of working hard and touring regularly, noting that it’s turned the potential losses caused by illegal filesharing into big profits.
Iron Maiden LLP, the band’s holding firm, oversaw an online fanbase increase of five million during their Somewhere Back In Time world tour. Over the same period they scored well in terms of steady profit, strong online communication, creating jobs and securing contracts.
Greg Mead of analysts Musicmetric tells the Guardian: “The report suggests Maiden have been rather successful in turning free filesharing into fee-paying fans. This is clear proof that taking a global approach to live touring can pay off.”
And Tom Gilbert of the London Stock Exchange says relatively small firms like Maiden hold the key to future economic achievement. “Over the last few years the biggest companies have produced very few jobs,” he explains. “Jobs recovery has come from small and medium sizes companies.
“The vast majority of companies in the UK are small or medium and their success is something of an unreported story.”
source: classicrockmagazine.com