Selling out
 

What exactly does "selling out" mean? I remember back in the day when Windows '95 was just hitting the market, R.E.M. wouldn't allow MS to use "its the end of the world . . ." in thier marketing because they would be "selling out". Why is that? What is the problem with an artist selling thier music? I saw an interview with Moby where he said that he would sell any of his music as long as it wasn't used to promote weapons. He didn't seem to lose any respect because of that, so why do others? Could anyone please define "selling out" in the derogatory sense?

Selling out isn't your song being in a comercial or all over the radio. Selling out is compromising song quality so that it can be well liked and thus in a comercial and all over the radio.

So then in your opinion, would R.E.M. have sold out if they allowed thier song to be used in Win95 advertising?

i dont think they would be selling out. Were they ever proclaiming themselves as hardcore anti-establishment punk rock artists?

Selling out is more off, intentionally making the song dumbed down and easier to like for the masses for a profit. But even that is no reason to get angry at an artist.

I admit, i was kind-off mad when i saw The Fall in a car add, but its entirely up to the artists, me giving the same oppurtunity would definitly "sell out". As long as the music is still good, who cares.

I had the opposite reaction , I laughed.
I thought that if anyone would think they could sell cars using music by The Fall then good luck to them.
And I don't begrudge the old bastard a bit of extra cash seeing he's basically been playing toilets for 30 odd years.
Besides , with bands like The Fall that advert is probably the most airtime they've ever had for a song on national TV.

I'm more against musicians being sponsered by large companies than I am about music being used in ads.

hah, yeah i guess thats true. I thought they had 1 break-out music video though :)

Well there was Victoria , Hit The North & Ghost In My House but that was about 20 years ago now.

hmm..
*goes to view fall documentary again*

im just gonna have to make up what mark is saying as i go a long...

Do you guys think Nirvana sold out with there song Breed coming out for a baseball game?
If a bands song is used in a commercial they are by far not selling out, hell soo many major bands have had songs play in a commercial but when a band alters there sound to make it something there not....That's a sell out.

They sold out when they wrote Nevermind. Listen to Bleach, compare and you should understand.