BY MIKEY MIGO
I know that's a fairly blunt statement, but it's going to be true to at least someone out there. You may not think your favorite band is a sell out, but for every one of you there will be three people who argue your point of view. Here's the kicker. I am going on record and saying that I am perfectly fine with a band selling out... to an extent.
When a aspiring musician gets together with another group of musicians and forms a band, it's usually for the love of music. Musicians want to and some do change the world, but changing the world comes with fame and money. Musician's got to eat, pay taxes, support families, and everything else normal people do. They also must spend money to get their music out there through recording, producing, touring, and all of the business aspects of music that people seem to ignore when labeling a band a "Sell out".
Is it selling out when a band sells CDs, T-Shirts, Posters, Hats, and random merchandise? No. It's a necessity to survive. Yet if they sell any more than that, we have a "sell out" on our hands.
Your favorite band starts off small with a local label and gains respect and popularity and that's all fine and dandy. Your favorite band does all they can with that label, reaches the audience within that range, and sells tons of CDs to the people who are connected to that segment of the "underground". So what do they do? They move on and sign with a major label. They sell more CDs, more merchandise, and more tour tickets. It's not an issue of being capitalist pigs, it's an issue of supply and demand. If you can supply your music to a larger audience then you have potential to have a higher demand. The higher demand means more radio play, more TV appearances, more chances to share your art with the masses. That's one step closer to being able to change the world.
In my parent's era of music, they had the Ed Sullivan Show. Bands like The Beatles and The Doors rocked Ed's stage and those performances are still talked about today. In my era, the early TRL/Carson Daily generation, bands would perform and instantly be labeled a "sell out". Why is that so different? Does Ed Sullivan equal and more credibility than Carson Daily? No. I'm not saying I'm a fan of TRL, but times have changed. People are too possessive of their favorite bands and refuse to share.
I'm guilty of this, just like everyone else. I first heard of bands like The Strokes, The Dresden Dolls, Mindless Self Indulgence, The Colour, and so many more before they "blew up" and was annoyed by the "band wagon fans". In reality, if you've never heard of a band and you finally do and enjoy it you have every right of an "old school fan". One can't be blamed for not being "in the know". Those people who jump on the band wagon buy CDs, Merch, and Tour Tickets making it easier for your favorite band to come back to your city. When it comes down to it, the diehard old school fans need the new fans just as much as the band does.
THEN AGAIN...
Some bands are REALLY "Sell Outs", aren't they? They change themselves to appeal to a larger audience. They change their image, musical style, morals, and go back on their word for the all mighty dollar.
This can happen flat out when bands go from being real punk bands to being pop-punk-emo types. Guilty of this in some circles is AFI, Blink 182, 30 Seconds to Mars(I liked the first album), or Offspring. Are they now suddenly horrible musicians because they are in a bigger market? Not by any means because you can't sell out unless there is a market to do so. 100 die hard fans in a crowd of 10,000 faceless fans are all the same to those on stage. They are going to rock out no matter what.
There's the old school metal/rock bands that people now say are "Sell Outs" like Ozzy or the common enemy Metallica. Are these musicians selling out or not? Did Metallica go back on their word when Napster came out? No, they were around before it and developed their own views on music piracy as they were confronted with it. Did Metallica sell out? The old saying is "Yes, they sold out... every date on the tour". It's not their fault for putting music out there that people like.
Say a band starts off angry and sells millions of albums. You finally have the money to provide for your children and their children, you finally have the cars you want, you finally have a big home, and you are finally a success thanks to the fans who bought your music. At that point, one must wonder what is there to be genuinely angry about. Musicians are just like normal people. They can easily fall into a comfort zone. Some find new muses and influences to be riled up about, some don't. Either way, there's no reason to not enjoy the music that brought you to them in the first place.
BUT THEIR MUSIC IS IN A COMMERCIAL!
The days of commercials only having catchy jingles is gone. The people selling you their product want you to be comfortable watching their commercial. What better comfort is there than listening to music you enjoy and know? It instantly connects you and gains your attention.
But at the same time, what if you never heard the song in the commercial? I think it's safe to say thanks to those dancing raisins I was exposed to "Heard it Through the Grapevine." But what about the kids of today? Maybe that Nirvana song being in the commercial for the new MLB game is going to expose them to the magic that is Nirvana's music.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, but commercials and marketing is a great form of exposure for ANY musician. Does it make the music any worse? I don't think so because a good song is a good song. Is The Who any less of a band because their music was used in CSI? Is The Beatles any less of a band for being in commercials, regardless if it's by their will of not? How about System of a Down for being used in the movie "Disturbia"? U2 doesn't suddenly lose all their talents and credibility for being in an iPod commercial do they? Not at all.
Putting your work out there in forms other than a CD isn't a musician's kryptonite.
Your perception of a band is your perception, but it might not be shared by others out there including the band. Even if a musician sits in a studio and says to themselves "Lets make a commercial album to make some money" it won't be commercial unless people bite the bait. I think the term "Sell Out" is often confused with "experimentation". As soon as a band changes what people are comfortable with, they are sell outs? Where's the fun in that? Are we not allowed to evolve? Sure there are bands out there that are in it just for the money, but remember Music is art. Art should be appreciated no matter what wall it's hanging from.
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