So I feel like I’ve been keeping my composure and my cool as of late about this issue but I finally feel the need to debate this with my fellow readers. Since the passion of our beloved Ronnie James Dio, I can remember hearing people say that they could only hope that Wendy Dio and Co. would not go the route of cashing in on Dio’s legacy. Not long after the passing of Dio, Niji Entertainment announced that they would be releasing a great live set of Dio’s two legendary appearances at The Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donnington. One was from the bands “Holy Diver” tour and the other being from their “Dream Evil” tour. This was a really exciting release and one that Ronnie would have been proud to see happen in his life. It was a true and honest thank you gift to the fans that had waited so long to see these shows given an official release.
I started hearing arguments from people that Wendy Dio and Co. were going to start cashing in on Dio and I stood by them and gave them the benefit of the doubt but now, I’m not so sure. Just when I thought that they wouldn’t go and do some corny type of cash in’s, Niji started releasing things like Dio framed guitar pick sets, high priced “vintage” tour shirts, pop up Christmas cards, Dio statues and wait for it, autographed Dio baseballs. That’s right. They are selling Dio baseballs with, and I quote, “Ronnie’s autograph PRINTED on the back of each one.” They’re not even AUTOGRAPHED but have his autographed PRINTED on them. I’m sorry but these are the kind of things that really put people under fire. All of these things are released AFTER his death just scream “cash in” to me. I really don’t mean any disrespect here but this is just how I see it.
The Official Dio Facebook Page has even turned into one huge annoying “BUY THIS BUY THIS 
BUY THIS” commercial so much so that I had to “Hide” the pages posts because I got so tired of having product run down my throat. If they really wanted to do some cool archive releases and what not, I feel that this is what the fans would really want and what Ronnie would want to give them. Do you honestly expect me to believe that Ronnie would rather us have a baseball and a bobblehead rather than let us have some great archived live recordings or DVDs? Maybe he would and I just hold him in such a high regard but from what I ever read and saw of Dio, he was all about the music and totally looked down on this cartoonish/caricature like behavior.
And the cash in doesn’t just start and end with Niji and their items. It carries on over to the touring show being billed as “Dio’s Disciples.” Dio’s Disciples is a band that features Former DIO members Rudy Sarzo (bass), Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) will join forces with singers Tim “Ripper” Owens and Toby Jepson that has been making the rounds in Europe to spread the music and legacy of Ronnie James Dio. I personally don’t know what I think about this. Part of me thinks that this is a cool concept as the people in this band all had a close kinship with Ronnie and it’s them paying tribute to their friend and helping to spread the music and keep the legacy alive. I personally think it’s kind of a cash in but I probably wouldn’t feel that way if it weren’t for all the ridiculous above listed pieces.
Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, the legacy of Ronnie James Dio does have dollar signs on it. Like any artist of his kind, the legacy of Ronnie James Dio may be tarnished here and there by the cheesy baseballs and Christmas cards but at the end of the day, it’s the amazing music that he left behind that matters and it is this that Ronnie ever cared about. So don’t let the actions of his management change the fact that Ronnie left behind music that still connects with us, pulls at our heart strings and inspires us and will do so for many generations to come.
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