"Both live performances AND his studio albums": That makes sense. It seems to me an alchemy happens when you have the right music AND the right stage presence (and maybe the right audience, too).

I appreciate your perspective on "Only the Strong Survive," because it's likely that some will blame its poor sales on the end of the album era (that is, poor album sales across the board) era rather than poor songs. Cullen says that Taylor Swift's albums can still sell well, but she's the exception rather than the rule. Thank you!