Snarky Opinions, Issue 4: Selling Out

Ugh. I originally planned on doing something else for today, but things have been a little hectic over here the past couple days (long explanation that doesn't feel appropriate explained here), so I am going to do something quick and get out.

I've seen quite a few upstart bands before. Walk into any college town on a weekend evening and chances are you'll be stumbling over people between the ages of 18 and 25 carrying assorted musical instruments and making small talk about this and that. Most of them are not professionals, just doing what they love. However, start talking about any band that made it big from humble roots, and you run this risk of hearing any of the following sentences:

-"They were good before they sold out."
-"What a pack of sellouts."
-"They sold out and started kissing the @$$ of the mainstream music industry."
-"I saw them play in [insert middle-of-nowhere town/completely unknown venue/parent's basement]; it was cool. That was before they sold out and became a pack of pretentious snobs."
-"They sold out and are dead to me now."

You get the idea. Hang around enough indie kids and hipsters, and you will hear these sentences frequently (assuming you are not one of them; otherwise you would know who is a sellout and not to be spoken about in that company).

The idea behind this manner of thinking is that an artist is more credible when they are less concerned about money and more performing the art for the sake of the art itself. The implication is that the integrity of the work is compromised when the artist steers towards attempts at commercial success. Understandable, I suppose. That which is labored over in silent toil tends to leave a lasting impression. I'm down with that; I know the feeling, being a poet with a limited audience.

But, should someone, somewhere, want to hand an artist a paycheck for his hard work, all of a sudden they are branded a sellout. As though their talent evaporated like dry ice. What's so band about taking payment, signing that big record deal? Yeah, the music sometimes suffers at the hands of the label bigwigs, but all existence is compromise. Making art is one thing; selling it is another.

Perhaps many of us forget the history of art. I remember from my history classes that much of what we consider classics of art were commissioned (i.e. paid for, you know, through contractual agreement) by the wealthy. Fancy that. The history of the arts (not including cave paintings) is populated heavily by those with a talent and using it to put food on the table. Noble patrons want something pretty to look at or a nice piece of music to listen to or a poem extolling their virtues, they find an artist to do so. That's what puts bread on the table. Would we call Michaelangelo a sellout for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

While maintaining your artistic intention is great and preferred, there is a harsh reality to face. Some of the young and idealistic (and old and idealistic) don't seem to grasp that unfulfilling jobs and low-paying gigs are no way to go through life. "Selling out" isn't so bad. If you were offered a way to do something at least vaguely fun and get paid for it, why should anyone look down up that? Hell, if offered the opportunity to play kazoo in an emo band with a record deal sitting on the table, I'd do it. Aside from the fact that I like the combination of an instrument and a music style not known for using that instrument, there's a career to be thought of. Bills must be paid, diapers have to be changed, life has to go on.

Personally, I feel much of the disgust with "sellouts" has to do with hatred of the mainstream music industry. Right about now, I can't say I blame anyone for going to the average music store and feeling nausea at the hot sellers section; much of what is being released on the main market stinks. However, there has been a large amount of amazing music released by the big labels. Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and so on. Admitted, that was the past, but that's not to say that there stands no possibility of great and influential music again coming from the likes of Sony BMG, EMI, Universal, and Warner.

I tend towards being a uptight person, but if you are getting your knickers twisted over who is taking a modest paycheck for the nightmare that is a life in music, then you seriously need to chill out. The quality of the music is what it is, and who they sign with isn't going to change that fact all that much. The merits of a band/artist rely on what they create, so stop worrying over whether or not they have a big record deal and a wad of cash to sit on. You don't like the music or the direction the artist has gone in, send a message with your wallet by not opening it. And lighten up for f#ck's sake; there are other things to worry about in life.