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My point is, if for some strange reason, we find out that Beethoven just wrote the 9th Symphony for cash, or F Scott Fitzgerald wanted to strike it rich, so he wrote The Great Gatsby, does it diminish the end product?

I think that we are prone to believe that the more inaccessible an artists work is the more validity it has. I don't think its really relevant to question an artist motives for creativity, even though in many cases they're easily apparent. Musicians rarely sell out. More often than not its the industry and the media that does it for them. I don't think there is a damn thing wrong with wanting to make money with what your good at. Even in music. Music fans tend to be more elitist than we care to admit to. We want artists to be popular enough to have a following but obscure enough to be esoteric. I think an artist only obligation is to his own muse and sense of artistic license. If they betray their own sense of artistic integrity then that is selling out.

this is very :offtopic: but I just saw a commercial for that band Panic At The Disco. what do people think of them?

I m pretty sure they have there own thread.

Well obviously theres going to be different examples of the two happening. For the most part i like it when a band changes gradually, but there are instances where a band changing completely has been very good. If the Beastie Boys had kept playing punk instead of switching to hip-hop then the music world wouldn't be as good.

It's more about when artists compromise thier art for making money is when it's wrong, if they can make money and make quality music, good for them it just rarely happens that way. When people are motivated to do something for money you get products like cigarettes and lottery tickets. Art shouldn't be motivated by money, there is no problem making money off of it, but when you're being drivin by money instead of creativity and inspiration, that's when you lose respect.

Or pens, lighters and lanyards.

Well, if you're talking about Oomph, they don't manufacture pens and lighters and there's nothing wrong with pens and lighters and lanyards any way. Need something to write with, and start grills with and so forth.

What are you talking about? They manufacture that stuff it's on there website, I showed you pictures.