Marketing Perspective On Ronnie Radke

If anyone were to be familiar with Ronnie Radke, it would be because of one of two things:

• His music

• His tweets

You can read all about Radke's journey here but I'll condense the important stuff below:

• Radke has been building his music catalog since 1998, founding a band called 3.0 which Radke says "sounded like Blink-182" and eventually becoming the front-man for Escape The Fate in 2004.

• Radke was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in 2008, and Escape The Fate kicked him out of the band.

• While in prison, Radke wrote songs, wrote letters, and spoke with other musicians and formed the band Falling In Reverse.

• Upon his release, the band immediately began recording and released two singles: 'Raised By Wolves' and 'The Drug In Me Is You' (WEVERBERATES).

• Since then, Falling In Reverse have been arguably the biggest name in their respective genre, with songs like 'Popular Monster' and most recently 'Watch The World Burn' debuting and spending a decent amount of time on top of charts on Billboard, Spotify, iTunes Store, YouTube, and more in addition to headlining or co-headlining tours with the likes of Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, and more recently the band's own 'Popular MonsTOUR' tour with Ice Nine Kills and Crown The Empire.

There's no argument that Radke isn't staying in the mainstream (for mostly wrong reasons) but most people would argue that it is because of his tweets. Radke is frequently tweeting back at fans with inflammatory and decisive statements, stirring the pot. And as controversial as he is, it is primarily the reason why his name continues to be said and why his music continues to garner streams and ticket sales.

Is infamy and going against the grain a better marketing tactic than going with the flow? For me personally, when someone is in the general consensus of what is deemed 'politically correct' I don't have a second thought and go on about my day, thinking all is good. When someone, such as Radke, goes against the mass majority I am more likely to pay attention. Not because I agree, but because it can be polarizing and a "what is this guy thinking?" morbid curiosity that typically sends me down a rabbit hole, not too different than listening to a true crime podcast series. Think about the impression Heath Ledger's 'Joker' left on viewers in comparison to Christian Bale's 'Batman', for example.

Not to say his actions do not have consequences, as the up-and-coming (VERY up-and-coming) band Spiritbox recently dropped out of the 'Popular MonsTOUR' tour. While they did not cite Radke's actions specifically as the reason why, context clues can spell it out for anyone familiar with the situation.

To summarize, I do not agree with Radke on probably about 99% of what he says (unless he is boasting about his own music and promoting his shows), but I cannot say he does not know how to make music, market his releases and himself, and keep his name in other peoples' heads. While it absolutely does not excuse him, he has admitted it is all a marketing tactic. As messed up as that is, it seems to be working wonders for him. Radke pushes the idea of "No such thing as bad PR" to the limit.

Take it from a Top 0.05% listener in Spotify's 2022 Wrapped, Falling In Reverse are on par with the popularity, and controversy, we haven't seen since bands such as Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue, and that carries a lot of weight being in 2023 with an over saturated music market and a "dying" genre of rock n' roll. Instead of trashing hotel rooms, Radke has utilized the digital space in a similar, tumultuous fashion. A modern-day rockstar, and arguably one of the few remaining.

Check out Falling In Reverse's music here.

You can read more from the man himself in his book, I Can Explain:

"Rock star, rapper, streamer, criminal, addict, troubled, passionate artist. Father, romantic, genre-bending genius. Ronnie Radke returns with a straightforward message to his devoted fans, loyal friends, and bitter rivals: I CAN EXPLAIN. In this book, Ronnie goes on the record like never before, detailing his triumphs, tragedies, and shenanigans. It’s an intimate look at the uncompromising creative vision behind a catalog of confessional and authentic music, two gold records, and multiple artistic reinventions. Written with longtime journalist and confidante Ryan J. Downey, Ronnie dives into his childhood, early bands, tomfoolery, heartbreaks, the formation of Escape The Fate, and the fateful day in the desert that led to both his incarceration and triumphant resurrection with Falling In Reverse. The first editions of the long-in-the-works I CAN EXPLAIN will arrive as a full-blown coffee table book, in large format packed with color photos, exquisite printing, and of course, Ronnie’s wit."