Written by Sangre Sani on 12.06.2011 at 12:38

I don't care about band selling out or not selling out. I like a band as long as I like their music.

Mother Theresa, is that you?

No

I don't think bands 'sell out'. They may however completely change the style of music they play which in turn can become more appealing to a mainstream audience. Some bands need to adapt their musical direction in order to stay creative and maintain that freshness. Nobody wants to listen to the same stale, rehashed sound being churned out over and over again. Evolution is necessary for all bands, some just happen to make the transition more successfully than others.

Written by Zombie94 on 12.06.2011 at 21:28

I don't think bands 'sell out'. They may however completely change the style of music they play which in turn can become more appealing to a mainstream audience. Some bands need to adapt their musical direction in order to stay creative and maintain that freshness. Nobody wants to listen to the same stale, rehashed sound being churned out over and over again. Evolution is necessary for all bands, some just happen to make the transition more successfully than others.

Pretty much my opinion. I've never really believed in the whole selling out thing in the way that most fans do. Selling out isn't changing styles, its dumbing down to become more accessible which makes bands sellouts. ( Children of Bodom).

Written by Guest on 12.06.2011 at 21:52

Written by Zombie94 on 12.06.2011 at 21:28

I don't think bands 'sell out'. They may however completely change the style of music they play which in turn can become more appealing to a mainstream audience. Some bands need to adapt their musical direction in order to stay creative and maintain that freshness. Nobody wants to listen to the same stale, rehashed sound being churned out over and over again. Evolution is necessary for all bands, some just happen to make the transition more successfully than others.

Pretty much my opinion. I've never really believed in the whole selling out thing in the way that most fans do. Selling out isn't changing styles, its dumbing down to become more accessible which makes bands sellouts. ( Children of Bodom).

Which is what most bands do. Even the new black dahlia is dumbed down for the new kids.

Written by Guest on 12.06.2011 at 21:52

Pretty much my opinion. I've never really believed in the whole selling out thing in the way that most fans do. Selling out isn't changing styles, its dumbing down to become more accessible which makes bands sellouts. ( Children of Bodom).

Generally speaking, if this is true, then Pain of Salvation "sold out" big time with Road Salt One. >_>

Written by Fat & Sassy! on 14.06.2011 at 22:48

Written by Guest on 12.06.2011 at 21:52

Pretty much my opinion. I've never really believed in the whole selling out thing in the way that most fans do. Selling out isn't changing styles, its dumbing down to become more accessible which makes bands sellouts. ( Children of Bodom).

Generally speaking, if this is true, then Pain of Salvation "sold out" big time with Road Salt One. >_>

Making your sound more accesible is fine, but only to a certain extent. COB showed how not to do it.

What do I think about that term...

In Flames. lol.

I think it's a great term. A lot of bands are just in it for the money, and as long as their music makes the dough, they're happy. This however seems to be less present in the general metal scene because a lot of metal is fairly anti-mainstream to begin with.

However, bands like Metallica show us, it can be done!

Herny Rollins: "Selling out is what happens when a band makes an album the record company wants them to make, not the album the band wants to make."
I think this pretty much sums it up.

Written by Zombie94 on 12.06.2011 at 21:28

I don't think bands 'sell out'. They may however completely change the style of music they play which in turn can become more appealing to a mainstream audience.

There's quite of a contradiction here.
First, you say that bands don't sell out.
Second, what you describe that some bands are doing is precisely selling out (changing the style of music you play to appeal to a mainstream audience).

Written by RavenKing on 22.12.2011 at 01:35



There's quite of a contradiction here.
First, you say that bands don't sell out.
Second, what you describe that some bands are doing is precisely selling out (changing the style of music you play to appeal to a mainstream audience).

No, he said bands change their style which can become more appealing to a wider audience, not change their style TO appeal to a wider audience. One is just a by-product of the choice a band makes, the other is a conscious decision to aim for the mainstream. Mainstream does necessarily mean poor quality music.

Written by HELLilac on 19.08.2007 at 16:44

Written by KryptoN on 19.08.2007 at 16:35

commercial success (or the seeking of commercial success) does not have direct correlation to the quality of the music.

Sadly in most cases it does. Mainly because most of the "trendy" musics are shallowed, bland and uninspiring. Bands need to sink into that level to gain mainstream success.

Absolutely true.

Written by Guest on 22.12.2011 at 01:38

Written by RavenKing on 22.12.2011 at 01:35



There's quite of a contradiction here.
First, you say that bands don't sell out.
Second, what you describe that some bands are doing is precisely selling out (changing the style of music you play to appeal to a mainstream audience).

No, he said bands change their style which can become more appealing to a wider audience, not change their style TO appeal to a wider audience. One is just a by-product of the choice a band makes, the other is a conscious decision to aim for the mainstream.

I see now.

How many people who make sell out claims about bands can honestly say they wouldn't do the same thing if they were in the band's position?

Written by M C Vice on 22.12.2011 at 04:02
How many people who make sell out claims about bands can honestly say they wouldn't do the same thing if they were in the band's position?

I honestly wouldn't. I know it's easy to say when you aren't in that position but I wouldn't intentionally go the way of writing music I personally didn't love just to make a buck.

I'd have no problem doing the full-time job on the side, write music on afternoons and weekends, etc. so long as it's something I'm personally proud of. Regardless of the profit (or lack thereof) involved.

Written by RavenKing on 22.12.2011 at 01:41

Written by Guest on 22.12.2011 at 01:38

Written by RavenKing on 22.12.2011 at 01:35



There's quite of a contradiction here.
First, you say that bands don't sell out.
Second, what you describe that some bands are doing is precisely selling out (changing the style of music you play to appeal to a mainstream audience).

No, he said bands change their style which can become more appealing to a wider audience, not change their style TO appeal to a wider audience. One is just a by-product of the choice a band makes, the other is a conscious decision to aim for the mainstream.

I see now.

^ what he said

Written by Guest on 22.12.2011 at 01:38

No, he said bands change their style which can become more appealing to a wider audience, not change their style TO appeal to a wider audience. One is just a by-product of the choice a band makes, the other is a conscious decision to aim for the mainstream. Mainstream does necessarily mean poor quality music.

This a million times.

Written by Guest on 22.12.2011 at 01:38

Mainstream does necessarily mean poor quality music.

FALSE!



No, wait...

Typo exploitation = mad tactics bro.

I don't mind the fucking term, the only time this term pisses me off is when a shitty band solds out... when its a good one, im only glad that so many people recognized they were good. Thats about it

Oh and btw, LMFAO sucks thank you

Hardcore fans of any band are almost always stupid. IF they were hardcore fans, they would've accepted what the band has done in terms of shifting their style of music and still be a fan of the band. Leaving the dedication of a band and going to another one in hopes for something more like what the other band used to play makes us no different than scene kids and little kids listenign to their #1 hit artists then moving on when said artist goes to #2.

"Selling out" is the compromising of (or the perception of compromising) integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" (however defined). It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience. Any artist who expands their creative path to encompass a wider audience, as opposed to continuing in the genre and venues of their initial success, may be disdainfully labeled by disapproving fans as a sellout. Sometimes a sellout is seen as a person that is disloyal to one's group that he or she belongs (usually ethnic group) in order to gain money or become "successful". Selling out is often seen as gaining success at the cost of credibility.

-Thank you Wikipedia

It's a stupid term used by 13 year olds who have no effin clue what it means or what real metal is so they just use it every chance they get.

Written by Absak on 28.12.2011 at 12:53

It's a stupid term used by 13 year olds who have no effin clue what it means or what real metal is so they just use it every chance they get.

Mostly this. Some artists DO sell out, but the overuse of the word really irks me.

And as someone brought up, I wouldn't know what to do in such opportunity as well.

The overuse (and misuse) of the term made me distance myself from it a long time ago. Many fans mistakingly think that any band deviating from it's original style is "selling out". Particularly if that deviation includes making the material more melodic and less harsh than earlier material. The huge problem with that line of thought is, any music that is written and played from the heart, cannot be classed as a "sell out", no matter what style of music that maybe.

To me, writing music to please anyone but yourself, makes you a sell out. Which means any band who takes their fans' views into account when making music is just as much a sell out as a band who writes a certain way to please a record company. Because in most cases it's impossible to know exactly why a band experiments with their original sound, I tend to steer away from using the term "sell out" in most circumstances.

@Cill94: Great avatar, Zombies was an amazing game!

I find the term "sell out" is overused and, sometimes, very unfairly. For instance, I listen to punk music when not listening to metal and, from what I've noticed there, signing up to a major record label is considered selling out, regardless of whether the music quality has changed or not. On one level, this makes sense: punk is usually against conforming to expectations and, as such, signing up to a major label is essentially conforming to expectations. However, some reviewers go to the level of marking down punk albums released on a major label just because of that (look up Green Day's album Dookie on Wikipedia and you'll see what I mean), which is actually pretty harsh.

Obviously, some comparison can be seen in metal, but, in the case of metal bands, it's even worse: if a band changes their style for any reason, they'll be criticized for the decision, sometimes for decades after the change (Metallica, anyone?) and even if the decision is the best/only option (Helloween, anyone?).

Because of this, I don't really consider a band to sell out until they say that they have sold out or are just after money (and even the last one isn't necessarily enough to cause accusations from me: look at Kiss, who do everything they do for money, yet are still a pretty big band).

Written by Absak on 28.12.2011 at 12:53

It's a stupid term used by 13 year olds who have no effin clue what it means or what real metal is so they just use it every chance they get.

I agree with selken, Metallica has gone to shit.

Written by Guest on 24.02.2012 at 20:58
:thumbup:

Not a good idea to thumbs up comments of such nature when you're under 18.

Three years ain't that much, really. Fuckin' yippie.