The Killers

Just how meteoric was the Killers' rise? About three months after they released their debut album, "Hot Fuss," in June 2004, Washington, D.C., promoter Seth Hurwitz of I.M.P. booked the band at his 1,200-capacity 9:30 Club. Just eight months later, he booked them again—at the 16,000-plus-capacity Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md. It was par for the course for the Las Vegas band that went from blogosphere darlings to retail domination. "Hot Fuss" scanned more than 3 million copies in the United States, was nominated for five Grammy Awards and spent 53 weeks in the top 50 of The Billboard 200.

The Killers—lead singer Brandon Flowers, guitarist David Keuning, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci—were arguably the biggest artist development story last year. But for bands hot enough to make the Everest-like climb from club to arena level on one album cycle, getting there is only half the challenge. On the eve of the Killers' follow-up album, "Sam's Town," due Oct. 3 in North America and a day earlier in the United Kingdom, the group is facing the uphill battle of having to prove itself all over again. The toughest part is staying in the big rooms, avoiding a short shelf life and showing the potential for career longevity. The history of rock is littered with tales of bands that blew up big only to fizzle out.

Early signs are promising for the new album and first single "When You Were Young." The track has built steadily on the Modern Rock chart over its first five weeks and ranks No. 3 on the chart. But label Island Def Jam is discovering that while modern rock radio may be onboard, pop, and the massive, crossover success it breeds, is not an automatic slam-dunk.

"In this day and age, you are starting over with every record," says Rob Stevenson, executive VP of A&R for Island Records. "There is no carryover from record one to record two."

Times change, explains Steve Bartels, president of Island Records and COO of Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG)—and labels need to work to keep up. "When they first came out last go round, rock radio had a cume audience of 20 million-plus for a No. 1 record," Bartels says. "Today at the same formats it is less than half of that. To keep focus and continuity, we stayed strong there, had KROQ in Los Angeles present their L.A. secret show, etc. . . . Look at retail. Tower was so active in [the Killers'] first release, and today they are in a different paradigm," he says, referencing the retail chain's fiscal troubles (see Retail Track, page 25).

"There are other avenues that open when some close, but the trick is to find them while keeping the band's vision and integrity intact."

The band has high expectations to live up to. Worldwide sales figures for "Hot Fuss" reportedly top 5 million.