Yes, it is a big cycle, but you also have to consider that Eminem and his record aren't the only force working in the industry. Eminem fans listen to other music, too. The vast majority of people listen to mainstream music, and so probably do Eminem fans. So the reason so many people like Eminem is in part because he is more mainstream than a lot of rappers. His music is more similar to the other stuff they listen to than the music of some other rappers. This isn't to say that he uses the same theme or the same kind of lyrics or anything like that. It could be something as simple as the fact that he sometimes uses catchy background music. But I won't go into a deep analysis here.
There is such a thing as an artist who produces something absolutely brilliant and creates a fanbase around himself purely on the strength of his talent. But such an artist is someone who redefines or completely invents a genre, puts it on the cultural map. I'm talking about something like The Beatles coming onto the scene and ever afterwards every rock and roll band using a strong drum beat and a set of guitars and singing songs with a repeating chorus. So it is with rap. Somebody at a point in time created the form and popularized it (I don't know who, but the genre had to be born somewhere). Afterwards, other rap artists come on the scene. They may be talented, but in the end they are riding on the coattails of this first person. I do not believe that Eminem is such a genre defining artist. He is one of the people who follow. This isn't a bad thing at all, but it gives you an insight into how he got his publishing deals with his record company. He did some songs and somebody realized that his songs would sell because they were in some way like the other stuff that sells. So the record company takes some risks in promoting Eminem, but they know that his songs will sell and moreover they know that marketing is going to have a big effect. How did Scooby Doo make money? The initial approval of the project was something of a gamble, but movie studios also know that having lots of TV commercials, trailers and billboards everywhere is also going to bring in quite a lot of people. They create their own demand. I certainly don't think they benefited from people thinking, "Hmm...a live action version of Scooby Doo. Sounds like a gread idea!"
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