Support and Recognition for Shinedown

It is my opinion, and the opinion of many others, that Shinedown has not had the proper support and recognition from their own record label, Atlantic Records. They have been on the road for a long 20 months, continually adding to their fanbase. Their album, Leave A Whisper, has achieved gold record status just by the continued support of radio and the fans. Shinedown is the only Rock band that Atlantic has signed, and they deserve some help from their own record company. If the fans are willing to spend time and money on promoting the band, then maybe their own record label should too. Atlantic should not give less help to Shinedown just because Rap is the "thing" right now. The Rock genre has just as many fans, if not more, than the Rap genre. Therefore Shinedown should have equal support from Atlantic Records. This band has inspired so many people with their music and with the emotion they show in their songs and on stage. They deserve to be treated better. Shinedown sends a message of hope throughout the entire album of Leave a Whisper. Inside the album cover itself it states, "This record was written for the dreamers. For the people that have, in one way or another, been cut down or cast out of society for being different or having an opinion. It is an expression of insecurity and frustration, and yet, the will to overcome." All the lyrics that they have written for this album support this statement. And their live show supports it even more. Shinedown doesn't need to use profanity to get their point across. Their strong lyrics and moving music does it for them. For this reason the record label should support them and treat them better than they have thus far. Shinedown deserves all the help they can get because they are providing hope and something positive for a world that is full of hate and pain.