is selling out really a bad thing?

[hunt4genetics]

in the last few minutes I saw two interesting commercials.



the first one was a Viagra commercial with the jingle "Viva Viagra"



the next one was a birth control pill commercial to the twisted sister hit
"we're not gonna take it."


If only I could go back in time to 1984 and have a sitdown with Dee Snider!





peace

 

[TheGoodStuff]

I came in here thinking you were talking about wearing a wire/ratting people out.

Phew.

 

[Dr Dog]

I came in here thinking you were talking about wearing a wire/ratting people out.

Phew.

Yeah i was thinking teh same thing

As for Dee snider, a man has got to eat

I am 36, grew up with the 80s metal, still listen to it, i get a kick out hearing these songs, commercial or not

 

[Fatt Daddy]

i dunno, it depends. Fans are really harsh towards bands they love, which you cant blame them for when youve invested your time energy and money into an artist you believe in. I think it depends on the situation...But overall to me "selling out" is such a cliche term now. I don't even know how to put my finger on whats selling out and what isnt anymore. People change over the years, tastes change, ideals and beliefs change. I try not to judge to hard, and accept it for face value.

 

[Guest]

oops I already shot him before reading his post. I guess he aint a rat!

 

[Guest]

Now how could my little girl dance to the commercials if they didn't sell out lol, her favorite not a sell out but funny F R E E that spells free credit report dot com baby lol

 

[varriform]

I'm not in favor of selling out but most of these artists are not so much selling out, because it has always been their intention to make money by capitalizing on their music. It's more like "buying in" rather than "selling out" for most of these mainstream musicians. In my opinion, bands like Twisted sister and all those other bands you see in commercials either bought in or sold out a long time ago. They don't stand for anything other than an image so they probably sold out a long time ago.

I may seem critical and I am, but as an independent artist it's my opinion that basicaly any band/musician you see on tv or even here on commercial radio has probably sold out or "bought in". You can pretty much tell who has sold out by their record label and their stance on pirated music. I have never met a sincere artist who thought people stealing their music was a bad thing. Stealing music basically only hurts record labels not musicians, musicians make money playing music. God forbid a musician have to play music to make money as a musician, i know. Plus it's my experience that most people who actually like your music want your record anyways even if they already have a ripped copy.

 

[ChaosCatalunya]

Selling out is a really bad thing

Selling out is a really bad thing

....if you loved The Clash.

They produced one of the classic albums of the Punk years, then sold out after the first album and produced total garbage in the name of profit.

 

[tuco]

I think the bigger shock is that pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise prescription medicine...that's messed up.

I doubt most popular music performers (not musicians/artists) really ask themselves if they're selling out. Just a caricature of what ever is in that week.

What ever happened to the album? Everything seems 'single' driven. Get the next hot young thing into the studio then dump them. A natural evolution of musical genre or a calculated tangent brought about by large, profit seeking record companies? Money controls everything and the majority of the population are stupid. blah blah blah....

 

[gramsci.antonio]

I think the bigger shock is that pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise prescription medicine...that's messed up.

Quote.

 

[WoW maannnn]

$ellout=diluted soul

 

[Sammet]

What is selling out and how do you measure it? If a band accepts royalties for their song being used in a film or tv show, is it selling out? Or is it only selling out if the band allows their songs to be used in commercials? I think it's more of a scale and to some extent everyone sells out, just some more than others.

 

[gramsci.antonio]

$ellout=diluted soul

can you pay eggs at the supermarket with your 100% pure soul?

 

[bingobongo]

Music is a key communicator because it speaks directly to people. For a long time, Bob Seger's "Like a Rock" was the rallying cry for Chevy trucks and kept many people working at GM in Detriot in the 1990's.

The list of classic rock bands whose songs are tied to automotive brands includes Led Zeppelin (Cadillac), the Clash (Pontiac) and the Who (Saab).

A great question with a subjective answer.
BB

 

[varriform]

definetly more of a scale rather than a did or did not kind of thing, but not every musician sells out.

 

[Youareborg]

Fugazi.
But seriously, what I hate even more is when the dead are exploited. Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, hell even Selena.
They don't have a say in how they art or even image, are sold out by their families.

 

[hunt4genetics]

I agree Youareborg


That's what erked me about Elvis and the Viagra ads.
I know Elvis was fond of the pills,
but would he approve of one of his songs being used for an impotence pill ad?


peace

 

[sirharrynuggz]

Oh, come on! Don't you just LOVE hearing all those Beatles songs on commercials?! Fuck Michael Jackson!!!

 

[Bumble Buddy]

This is just my opinion but the way that some of the music and art has been used for commercial purposes is sickening and crass. A lot of the music used meant a lot to the artists and fans, a lot more than just kicking back and having a good time. Robert Fripp once likened many of the great live rock performers as the high priests of the day, I agree with that and think the spiritual/transcendent aspects of a lot of the corporately co-opted and whored music and art are undeniable to many.

I support the idea that artists should be able to profit from thier works in an equitable manner, but things can be taken too far...

Also, I find the tacit and unthinking acceptance of corporate whorage (especially the corporate indoctrination of children, e.g. McDonalds sponsored shool report cards, etc..) by many in this society to be very disturbing.

 

[tenfeetofganja]

everyone needs money. if you get paid to do someting you love, more power to you