They Sold Out

[RockinDaMike]

Re: They Sold Out

i hate this word. i don't mind artist trying to make money. and the artist that probably didn't "sell out" are probably sitting on their arse or doing clubs and barely getting paid for it. its very rare for a group to make tons of money without the definition of selling out. they gotta go with what works and if they gotta make a club hit to do so all power to em!

[dieselboy]

Re: They Sold Out

i hate this word. i don't mind artist trying to make money. and the artist that probably didn't "sell out" are probably sitting on their arse or doing clubs and barely getting paid for it. its very rare for a group to make tons of money without the definition of selling out. they gotta go with what works and if they gotta make a club hit to do so all power to em!

Agreed.

If I am a so-so band, and record label presents me with a way to make bank by "selling out", I'm all for it. But that doesn't mean I have to stand by bands when they do.

[conboy31]

Re: They Sold Out

Im sensing a satire-type similarity to the current removal of the EE board and this question.

You arent trying to angle in that OS sold out are you?

In a paradoxal way I was thinking the same thing.

[pk500]

Re: They Sold Out

Then again, what constitutes "selling out?"

There's not a musician alive who doesn't want to get paid for his work. They all want to make money. Otherwise, there would be no P2P downloading controversy!

Seriously, I think a band that "sells out" is hard to quantify. Is it an indie or underground band that changes it sound to be more "pop" or commercial, or is it a band like Coldplay that struck gold with its first record and continues to cash in with the same sound two albums later?

Plus how often has the market shifted to put a certain sound in vogue? You can't say Nirvana sold out; "Nevermind" doesn't sound that much different than "Bleach" to me, but about 10 million more people bought "Nevermind."

That's not Nirvana's fault. Same with White Stripes. "Get Behind Me Satan" most definitely is not a commercial, radio-friendly album even though it sounds different than the previous records.

Good thread, good question. Tough to answer.

Take care,
PK

[bball_1523]

Re: They Sold Out

If you want the best example of selling it is no doubt, and even as a fan I am embarrassed by this.....METALLICA!

They went from pure thrash metal in the 80s to popular rock icons in the 90s. Many say their 1991 self-titled black album was the turning point, because it was very commercialized and a lot of thrash metal elements were lost. You can tell they changed when you listen to their Load/Reload albums, as they bearly have any hint of what true metallica was. St. anger was a wreck, let's not go there.

It is obvious that Metallica sold out because they went for the gold. But it was their choice, so I can't really say much other. I still like them.

[ehh]

Re: They Sold Out

You can't spell sell out without LL..

also, a serious question for true hip hop fans, has any group every sold out worse than the black eyed peas?

LMAO, you are definately correct.

BEP couldn't sell and their career was going nowhere so they added a hot white chick to their group and BOOM!!! They're all over MTV.


I remember hearing about them around the same time J5 and Dialated Peoples started to get big. Here's one review on their debut album from Amazon's staff......


Amazon.com
The Black Eyed Peas' debut, Behind the Front, may sound thoroughly familiar: like A Tribe Called Quest, they sprout positive, deftly delivered lyrics out of their light jazz, R&B, and funk tracks; like the Roots, this multi-ethnic outfit's three MCs drop science in front of a live band that builds its grooves organically; and at their best, such as on the pop and reggae-flavored "Karma," the group can out-Fugee the Fugees. For some reason, though, the mostly mild, largely scratchless and sample-free record can--at times--be downright tepid. But for the most part, it works--sometimes brilliantly--and as a break from the mostly belligerent voices in hip-hop's mainstream, we can definitely use more of what the Peas have to offer. --Roni Sarig



Haha, too bad we had no idea what was on the horizon.

[UNC_Pete]

Re: They Sold Out

i hate this word. i don't mind artist trying to make money. and the artist that probably didn't "sell out" are probably sitting on their arse or doing clubs and barely getting paid for it. its very rare for a group to make tons of money without the definition of selling out. they gotta go with what works and if they gotta make a club hit to do so all power to em!

You would definetly be against it if you were at all any type of musician..

[Scoop_Brady]

Re: They Sold Out

A perfect example of a band that sold out, IMO, would be Sugar Ray. Listen to their early stuff, it's actually quite good. All of a sudden they put out the single for "Fly" and it blows up. That song was so different than anything they had done to that point and everything they made after that single sounded like that. When you purposely gear your music for popularity rather than making music from your heart you have sold out.

[jdros13]

Re: They Sold Out

A perfect example of a band that sold out, IMO, would be Sugar Ray. Listen to their early stuff, it's actually quite good. All of a sudden they put out the single for "Fly" and it blows up. That song was so different than anything they had done to that point and everything they made after that single sounded like that. When you purposely gear your music for popularity rather than making music from your heart you have sold out.

Good Example...another would be the Goo Goo Dolls, who were a punk band but then had a hit with one of their ballads that all sound the same...after that it was bye-bye punk, hello money.

I certainly can't blame them though, I'm sure living in a nice house and touring large venues beats living in a van and playing dives.

[pk500]

Re: They Sold Out

Agree on the Goo Goo Dolls and Sugar Ray. Excellent examples.

I would have said Green Day was heading down that road until "American Idiot" was released. That superb record, with smarts I never imagined could come from that band, restored Green Day's cred with me.

Take care,
PK

[BGarrett7]

Re: They Sold Out

That first cd, "Disfunction" or whatever...is so different than everything else Staind has done.

Tormented is even more different than Dysfunction. It's amazing how they managed to go from Tormented to Break The Cycle in two albums.

[UNC_Pete]

Re: They Sold Out

Yes, if your a Fan of Stainds Dysfunction you should go out and try to find a copy of Tormented, I think it may be even better but its a good listen anyway..The intro is..shocking..to say the least..

[MassNole]

Re: They Sold Out

How can this thread exist without mention of the Goo Goo Dolls?

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: They Sold Out

How can this thread exist without mention of the Goo Goo Dolls?

Because they were mentioned a few posts above you?

[MassNole]

Re: They Sold Out

Because they were mentioned a few posts above you?

D'oh!

And I even searched before making the same thread, hence the insane bump.