You would think that being in a band that’s sold 20,000 copies worldwide would earn you some money. Not if you’re Howard Stern producer/Charred Walls of the Damned drummer Richard Christy, who opened up on the show earlier today about the band and their finances. According to Christy, while he’s gotten some royalty checks, he hasn’t made anything off of the album yet, but is coming close to recouping the cost of making the album.  That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the deal they have with Metal Blade. Apparently, the band is making some money from their merchandise though, as Christy told Stern he got a $2,800 check for merch.

Christy’s conversation with Stern  reveals a lot about what it’s like being in a band these days. 20,000 copies sold worldwide in a year is a relatively modest amount, but more than a lot of bands sell over the course of an album cycle. In short, there’s a lot of bands out there that will never recoup or make money off their albums. Of course, the best way to sell records and merch is to tour, and since Christy has a day job and Tim “Ripper” Owens is in a few other bands, the band is limited to how much they can play out. That’s not discouraging Christy, however. He told the show that during their Christmas break, he recorded 12 new songs for the next Charred Walls of the Damned album in two days.