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10-13-2004, 04:53 PM
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#1 of 46 
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bands that "sell out"... how do you feel about it?
the u2 thread got me thinking about this.
how do you feel about bands that use their name/songs/image/whatever to sell a product?
it seems a lot of people consider this selling out. so, what exactly is the definition of selling out?
why does it bother you (or not) for a band to do this?
just curious. to me, a band should be allowed to do what they want with their creative work and not be slammed for it???
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10-13-2004, 05:06 PM
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#2 of 46
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theted, did you notice the weird links? Messed up huh?
I have a problem with the "sell out" term. I have no reponse to this thread. 
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10-13-2004, 05:12 PM
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#3 of 46
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Quote:
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just curious. to me, a band should be allowed to do what they want with their creative work and not be slammed for it???
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I agree completely. In fact, there are cases where maybe an artist sells a few extra records because of it.
I had never heard 20th Century Boy by T-Rex until I heard it in a Mitsubishi commercial. I thought it was such an ass kicking tune that I did a search, found out what it was, and bought it on CD. Were it not for that commercial, I would never have heard the track.
BGL |
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10-13-2004, 05:26 PM
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#4 of 46
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I'm sure some will disagree but I don't think most would accuse U2 of selling out. The fact is their records are going to sell regardless of them doing an ipod commercial. I define a sellout as someone who does something strictly for financial gain. U2 is a well established band who has sold millions and millions of records over the years. They certainly aren't short on cash or attention. Every time they put out a new album the music industry takes note. IMO they can do anything they wish, they've earned it!
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10-13-2004, 07:56 PM
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#5 of 46
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It does annoy me to hear Led Zeppelin music being used to sell cars. Initially my reaction to hearing a Zep tune on TV was to look up to see why it was there.
Same goes for Hendrix tunes and whatever other rock music is being used to sell stuff.
For me, it's kind of like an assault on my memories...I used to hear Led Zep's Rock and Roll, and I would think back immediately to high school and some very good times.
Now I hear the same song, and instead of going down memory lane, a car commercial goes through my head...Only not a very good one, because I have no freakin idea if the commercial is for Cadillac or Lincoln.
Having said that, artists have every right to do whatever they want with their music...And I'd just call it maximizing profits.
Carl
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10-13-2004, 08:20 PM
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#6 of 46
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With some bands or acts, I expect them to sell out. It's a double edge sword. My prime example would be the Rolling Stones who have had corporate sponsorship to every tour since 1981(I have a Rolling Stones concert poster with the Jovan perfume icon on it) and they sold "Start Me Up" to Microsoft in 1995. Biggest offender: "Fortunate Son" by CCR used by Wrangler Jeans. Wasn't this an anti-war song? I know John Fogerty has no control over his music and that's unfortunate. On the flip side, you have Springsteen, Neil Young and others who refuse to sell their music for ads and they are canonized for their efforts. Why hasn't Levi Jeans get "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix A Lot for its low rise jean?
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10-14-2004, 06:35 AM
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#7 of 46
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Sellout was an anti establishment term that really has no place in today's society.
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10-14-2004, 07:10 AM
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#8 of 46
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Quote:
| Sellout was an anti establishment term that really has no place in today's society. |
Can you explain this? I didn't realize like that people who are anti-establishment don't exist anymore.
Personally, I loathe any and all TV commercials. I do my best to mute them when they come on and if there's an overly annoying one, I go out of my way to buy product from their competitors, and I do the same for commercials before movies in the theater.
As for holding it against the musicians, I take it on a case by case basis. I don't object to the U2 selling IPods for several reasons
1. They're backing a music related product
2. They're supporting the Underdog (Apple vs. IBM/Microsoft)
As somebody already stated, it's not always the musician making the decision. Often, the record company owns and sells the rights as they see fit for profits.
It also depends on the content of the song. If it's a happy pop-song, then I generally don't object, but when a song is taken out of context or worse yet, when the lyrics are changed or reordered, that pisses me off!
Another criteria is the product that is being sold. If I truly believe that the artist supports the product and uses it personally then I don't have an objection. However, if you're selling your song to Coke/Pepsi, Ford/GM, then in my opinion it's a sell-out.
In general, I have a bigger problem with acts that change their music in order to be more commercial and to increase their bank accounts, especially when they used to be anti-establishment 
When it comes down to it, I respect the artist for arts sake. I understand that all artists have to make a living, but if anyone who enters the arts in order to make a fortune I would argue isn't truly an artist as much as an opportunist.
What can I say, I'm an idealist at heart?
"Shoot a few scenes out of focus. I want to win the foreign film award."
Billy Wilder
"This business has come a long way in the last 30 years, but why should I depress you"
I.A.L. Diamond on the Movie Business (1986)
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10-14-2004, 08:12 AM
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#9 of 46
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sellout to me is someone who changes thier sound/music/image to cater to the mtv crowd to sell records. main example; incubus.
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10-14-2004, 08:36 AM
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#10 of 46
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Quote:
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sellout to me is someone who changes thier sound/music/image to cater to the mtv crowd to sell records
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Why are you limiting it to a specific audience? A lot of acts "sell out" to nostalgia audiences as well.
And I don't see why Incubus would be included. They believe in what they do. Any artist that does that is not a sell-out.
As for selling products: we live in a commercial society, this is a fact, and to slam anything and everything regarding advertising is naive. We as the consumer can take measures to make life a bit more tolerable, like Tivo.
I believe Zeppeling used to be adamantly against using their music for commercials. I wonder what changed their mind$.
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