Quoted from CrazyLevi:So, KISS still turns a profit, and people still attend their crappy shows and a few even buy their terrible new records.
Does that mean they are still relevant?
Are they as relevant as other big-name A-list bands? Maybe not. But you can't deny their look isn't instantly recognizable by a lot of people--even folks who haven't heard their music. That alone I'd probably consider them to be a relevant part of our culture.
For years, I avoided KISS because I thought their look was "too weird". However, once I heard some of their stuff on the radio without knowing beforehand who the artist was, I actually found that I enjoyed it. For instance, I find this one pretty catchy:
Lots of artists actually never turned much of a profit throughout their careers, thanks to music labels taking their cut. However--that doesn't make them any less relevant.
As for arcades, it wasn't so much the lack of profits that did them in--that was just a result. It was home gaming that led to the downfall of arcades. Look at how popular some of the virtual pinball table apps are--millions of installations (for example, the android app of pinball arcade is in the 5-10 million slot). How about all the shows, tournaments, and conventions? How about the skyrocketing prices of pins? This forum? All relevant, IMHO.