Not Commercial

Not Commercial
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 8, 2000 (2000-11-08)
Recorded1994
GenreFolk rock
Length40:47
Label
Producer
Cher chronology
The Greatest Hits
(1999)
Not Commercial
(2000)
Living Proof
(2001)

Not Commercial (stylized as not.com.mercial) is the twenty-third studio album by American singer-actress Cher. It was released on November 8, 2000, exclusively through Cher.com, Isis Records and Artist Direct. Cher wrote the album in 1994 while attending a semiannual songwriters' workshop hosted by entertainment executive Miles Copeland III in his castle in France. Upon returning to the United States, Cher enlisted members of David Letterman's CBS Orchestra to record the album. After completing it, she presented the album to her recording company, which declined the material for being "not commercial". Cher kept the album for six years before deciding to release it through the Internet only.

The album's content was deemed "very un-Cher like" and dark, with the singer elaborating she did not have any expectations for the album, explaining she was releasing it for those who might be interested. Not Commercial was well received by music critics. Controversy arose when the lyrics of the song "Sisters of Mercy", which refers to nuns as "daughters of Hell" and "masters of pain", flustered religious groups. A contest was set for those who bought the album, and received the chance to win a trip to meet Cher in London or win her doll.