droid_rage's Journal: Selling out

A buddy of mine said that a band I like is selling out. I happen to still like them, but he claims that since they were signed a few years ago their music has gotten too market-friendly, whatever that is supposed to mean.

So what is selling out? Is it a bunch of guys who're tired of living out of a shitty van they bought from the drummer's parents for 9 months out of the year, then coming home to realize that they're still flat-ass broke and have to pick up the night shift at the 7-11, so they decide to make a few more "Market friendly" songs while attempting to keep the spirit of their music alive? If that's selling out, then what else? Maybe selling out is going to college and getting good grades. Maybe selling out is trading in your Doc's and hoody for loafers and business casual. Or maybe it's the quiet desperation you feel when you're a middle-aged middle-manager stuck in gridlock on your way home to your middle-income home in suburbia and you realize that you've never really accomplished anything worthwhile in your entire life... Or maybe I'm just talking out my ass.

in this case

[subgeek]

selling out could just mean, "i want them to sound this other specific way and they don't."

although unless they are one of the very few exceptions, they're probably still broke now that they're on a major. they're just more famous now.

as far as selling out goes, i think many people are disappointed when a band they like matures. people often mellow with age. and in my opinion, selling out means making something only because it will bring you cash. if it has mass appeal, it may not be sellout material

Re:in this case

[droid_rage]

Yeah, I have noticed that I often like the earlier stuff a band does best, and you can always tell a huge difference between a band's sound pre- and post- signing.