What Does 'selling Out' Mean To You?

[montrealmike]

I'm curious because there are so many different meanings to selling out. I ask this because Crusader mentioned how Jet sold out AND I was watching a new U2 interview and they were confronting the issue of whether or not they 'sold out' by letting their first release be commercialized on tv to promote the ipod. Bono basically said that selling out is a term that refers back to the 60's and selling out to corporations. However, U2 is a corporation in his opinion, so where's the logic there?

 

Anyways, discuss...

Edited January 9, 2005 by montrealmike

[Crusader]

Selling out is driving around in your new Jaguar while they feature your song in a Jaguar commercial.

 

*cough* Sting.

[Sparq]

Being successful.

[HoboFactory]

I think there are "levels" of selling out, some of which are more tolerable than others. I should make it into a chart or pyramid or something when I get the chance.

 

I think first off it depends on how much of an "appearance" in the commercial is made. Also the nature of the appearance, are the artists actually performing in the ad, or are they delivering a testimonial, or shown using the product or some combination of those.

 

If it's just the music playing, the artists themselves don't show up in the commercials, then it's not so big a deal. What's worse is if the artists actually appear in the commercial. The worst thing is if the artists either re-write existing (or create) lyrics actually about the product they're selling.

 

After that goes into account, once can considering the product being sold. Take for example those "Sidekick" commercials with Snoop Dogg. It's a relatively cheap product, that he probably doesn't use in real life. That's different I think, than appearing in a commercial for a product that's of actual quality or that the artists do use and believe in.

 

I think I've brought this up before, but it helps to illustrate the point. A recent Mercedes car commercial featured a short clip of an instrumental version of a Rammstein song playing in the background. It wasn't Rammstein promoting the product, none of the members appeared in the commercials, nor were their vocals even used. Most people who saw the commercial probably didn't know whose music it was that was playing. Something like that is barely selling out at all. To conrast that, we have the rapper whose name I forgot, who rapped about Gatorade for a commercial. That's probably the lowest form; when the product is obviously cheap, when they actually appear in the commercial, and go so far as to writer lyrics about the product.

[cavalier_eternal]

rise against - sometimes selling out is giving up

 

selling out is a hard call. i think it's different for different people.

 

if you go back on your word, by any measure, to me, that's selling out. discarding morals, for whatever reason.

 

i don't want to go into detail right now.

[Kharmalina]

I'd say whoever consented to letting Pepsi use Purple Haze to sell their product sold out Hendrix.

To sell out for yourself, though, would be to allow a company to use your classic song "Rock and Roll" in a car commercial... Regardless of whether your drummer died and your band broke up, you should NEVER allow your song to sell a car. That was selling out [and it hurt my soul, Page & Plant *shakes her fist*]

[spiritofeden]

compromising your personal morals, for money

[derek.]

i would say when an artist changes their music to make money and not for the sake of making music. offspring would be a good example of that. sure, theyre no where to be found now, but americana is a prime example, and whatever garble they spit out after that. to me thats selling out, along with the commercial stuff talked about already

[cavalier_eternal]

good thread. nf$ to the starter?

[montrealmike]

good thread. nf$ to the starter?

Sure, that would be cool.

 

Anyways, I've always wondered what the difference is between putting your song over a commercial in opposed to putting your song in a movie or something? Does that mean that if your song appears on a soundtrack, that's selling out? Cause it's the same thing as putting your song in a tv ad, no?

[Kharmalina]

i think that putting your song into a movie is really different... because you're adding to another art form, not to the appeal of some product. i suppose you could argue that it's just another way to make money, but then recording/putting out a cd looks to make money as well. so to me, the soundtrack thing doesn't count.

[pearanoid]

What constitutes selling out is a very tough call.

 

A lot of underground bands may think signing to a major label is selling out, however signing to a major label may insure that a band gets to do what they want for a living.

 

Then there's other produced bands that are featured in all the commercials. They're not really selling out because it fits with what they do, so I guess you could say that they already sold out, although they probably never were anything else so what did they sell out from?

 

In the case of U2 promoting the iPod and iTunes, I think that was a good move and not selling out. Promoting iTunes is a very responsible way to keep he music industry alive, because trying to ignore downloading is just silly.

[montrealmike]

In the case of U2 promoting the iPod and iTunes, I think that was a good move and not selling out. Promoting iTunes is a very responsible way to keep he music industry alive, because trying to ignore downloading is just silly.

What about a band like Jet who had no hit single until they advertised for the IPod? Very 'American Idolish' way to get to the top right away. Even though I disagree with U2 letting Vertigo be commercialized so cheaply on tv, they didn't get paid and I understand their intent with the IPod...

[ecnarf]

hmm...

 

I'll say it's doing something specifically for the money. For example, writing a song so it can be used in a commercial (justin timberlake), letting the record producers write your songs or change them to the point where it's not yours... stuff like that.

 

I don't regard doing commercials for a product to be selling out, because when people get to that point, they've probably already sold out / been washed up for a while.

[Sparq]

People don't generally get into music with the intent of making no money. If someone offers you a big pile of cash to use a song in one of their commercials, is there any reason to refuse, barring a moral objection against the product/company or just some pretentious notion of trying not to 'sell out'? Money is the motivation for almost everything these days. You cannot escape it. Whether you think it's still 'art' or not really isn't relevant.

 

The use of an artists song in a commercial, for the most part, gets them some money. People see the commercial, and if they like the song they may try to find out more about the artist. Maybe they'll buy the album, which equals more money. You're basically getting paid to advertise your own music at the same time the company is pushing their product.

[supercanuk]

To me selling out is allowing your executive producers to alter your art to create a wider market value. In other words going from hard punk, to popy punk in order to reach a wider audience, to thus, make more money. Obviously most things are done for money, including art, but I feel you should be making art for yourself and your fans, not the execs.

[saturnine]

limp bizkit

[montrealmike]

What constitutes selling out is a very tough call.

That's why I started the thread!

 

Myself, I've always thought that in the past, 'selling out' comes from the hippie 60's where if you joined or aligned yourself with any corporation, then that was selling out. Today, however, I believe that 'American Idol' is the perfect definition of selling out: creating artificial stardom quickly without paying your dues and creating disposable music.

[zebrahead]

I'm not sure what the exact definition of sell out is, but I'm sure if you looked it up in the dictionary there is most likely to be a picture of Gwen Stefani next to it.

[leftofnormal38]

limp bizkit...good call, i cant stand fred durst hes such a chode

[here is no why]

Changing your style of music to improve your sales. Changing your band's sound to make money.

 

I don't know, never really cared for the term, but, that is what i've been told it is.

[sodamntired]

selling out to me means recording an entire album full of radio friendly songs that are intended to sell the album.

 

the definition of selling out that i heard from a friend that i tend to agree with is selling out is doing something other then what made you famous in the first place.

[Ravenous Yam]

Changing your style of music to improve your sales. Changing your band's sound to make money.

That's what i would say, too.

[saturnine]

it's entirely subjective, but when a musician (term used loosely) such as.. oh, i don't know.. uhhh... mark mcgrath starts to.. actually, i don't even need to finish this post.

[rmak]

simple. when it becomes more about making money than making music.