On the evidence so far, it's doubtful. Whatever success the band has had owes more to its many live performances. But Bogguss's Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt, after debuting on the Billboard album chart at No. 42, has since slipped to No. 61, while Wariner's Burnin' the Roadhouse Down opened at No. 6 and fell to No. 21 last week. It can make a good record sell better but doesn't do much for an average one. That's just one reason most record executives are still wary of the practice.
Many musicians are skeptical of the practice as well.
This whole idea brings us one step closer to the infomercial and limits the opportunity of a great song to break through. It puts us on the same plane as the Thighmaster and the Ginsu knife. Nor will it ever substitute for the real emotional connection between a song and a fan, which was once what hits were all about.