So what constitutes selling out? As far as I know, people used the derogatory term everytime they don't like some artist's new work to make themselves comfortable. Making a living out of what you love is actually pretty good. That being said and despite the excessive whining about changes in style and musical experimentation, I'm going to distinguish two situations:
- What I agree with - I agree that bands and artists should be able to experiment new sounds. It's just part of the job, otherwise it becomes boring for both fans and musicians. Fans don't think about it often, but musicians have to enjoy their job, and doing the same thing over and over and over again must be boring. Experimentation can bring new artistic maturation and good results - Or not, but it's worth a try. You can even experiment within the same genre to avoid displeasing fans. The Beatles were always rock, but since Rubber Soul the experimentation and sound changed considerably and they produced very successful albums. Metallica experimented trash metal and heavier stuff until "And Justice For All" where they did trash mixed with some progressive metal (pretty amazing) and the black album where they did some friendlier metal songs - What's wrong with that? It doesn't mean you have to lose your identity as an artist, you're just trying to be creative. There is a difference between "selling out" and simply disliking someone's work. I don't like Metallica's later work after the black album because they went all blues and hard rock (But I don't hate it as much as other fans) but that doesn't mean they sold out - The albums never sold as much as previous ones, specially the black album. Bands like Muse and Radiohead wouldn't be the same without the experimentation and despite not even listening to both a lot I think some works/songs are pretty good.
- What I disagree with - As much as I support experimentation I can't stand it when bands/artists change so dramatically that they risk alienating the entire fanbase (literally) - It's good to change, to be radio friendly and try new stuff, but please don't go extreme either way. To some degree, the musical genre is part of the musician's identity and it's what makes them recognizable so losing it completely is just plain bad.
So what do you think? And what are the cases of selling out that you agree and disagree with?
- What I agree with - I agree that bands and artists should be able to experiment new sounds. It's just part of the job, otherwise it becomes boring for both fans and musicians. Fans don't think about it often, but musicians have to enjoy their job, and doing the same thing over and over and over again must be boring. Experimentation can bring new artistic maturation and good results - Or not, but it's worth a try. You can even experiment within the same genre to avoid displeasing fans. The Beatles were always rock, but since Rubber Soul the experimentation and sound changed considerably and they produced very successful albums. Metallica experimented trash metal and heavier stuff until "And Justice For All" where they did trash mixed with some progressive metal (pretty amazing) and the black album where they did some friendlier metal songs - What's wrong with that? It doesn't mean you have to lose your identity as an artist, you're just trying to be creative. There is a difference between "selling out" and simply disliking someone's work. I don't like Metallica's later work after the black album because they went all blues and hard rock (But I don't hate it as much as other fans) but that doesn't mean they sold out - The albums never sold as much as previous ones, specially the black album. Bands like Muse and Radiohead wouldn't be the same without the experimentation and despite not even listening to both a lot I think some works/songs are pretty good.
- What I disagree with - As much as I support experimentation I can't stand it when bands/artists change so dramatically that they risk alienating the entire fanbase (literally) - It's good to change, to be radio friendly and try new stuff, but please don't go extreme either way. To some degree, the musical genre is part of the musician's identity and it's what makes them recognizable so losing it completely is just plain bad.
So what do you think? And what are the cases of selling out that you agree and disagree with?
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you
