Selling Out

One question that most music critics and music lovers alike have is: Is there such thing as selling out? I personally think that yes, of course, artists and bands sell out! I have seen it happen to some of my favorite musicians! In fact, there are very few bands that I like that have released music I like after I started liking them. Does that make sense? What I mean is, I'll discover a band whose music I love, and become obsessed with the band for a long time, but when they release a new album, it's not the same. It's somehow more pop, more mainstream, more boring. I hate it. It seems to be inevitable with the music industry today, where record companies are obsessed with making money. Bands are obsessed with making money. Money over everything, money over all. And of course, bands want a more widespread audience. They want more fans, who will come to more shows, which will make them more famous. They move away from whatever genre they were originally—grunge, emo, post-hardcore, reggae, punk rock, you name it—and change their music to appeal to more people, somehow all blending together in the end.

I don't want to offend anyone by listing bands that have clearly sold out, but I would like to applaud Ellie Goulding for her new album which I love, and any of the other artists who have gotten famous but kept their original style. Fame is a tricky thing. It comes with a lot of pressure to succeed, and pressure to change and conform. This is why most of my favorite bands aren't famous, or are too old to have had to deal with this problem. I'm not trying to sound annoying and hipster, I just really love and care about music, and as a musician I want to understand this issue and make a commitment to never change my own music for someone else.

Also, for people (like some of my friends) who say there is no such thing as selling out, I will accept the argument that bands grow and mature, but I can't ignore the fact that I consistently love every bands' first albums infinitely more than their newer ones. It is sad, but it helps me value that music even more. I will try to learn from the musicians I love no matter how they have changed over the years. It's still better than most stuff on the radio. Moral of the story: Don't sell out and you'll have my undying respect. Rock on.