Where is the line between sell-out and talentless nobodies?
 

If a band is too popular they are corporate sell outs, but if they aren't popular enough it seems they are losers, nobodies. Where is that perfect spot between them? Everyone wants thier band to be liked and heard, but no body wants thier band to be commercialized pop idols either (for the most part)

Um, you stay away from being either and just make music you like...

There's nothing wrong with not being popular. I know lots of bands who have purposely evaded commercial success for the sake of making music on their own terms. and yes, they are VERY talented.
Selling out means changing your music or the way you approach your art for the sole purpose of making more money. period. Just because an artists changes his music doesn't mean he's sold out.

talentless nobodies are the bands indie snobs love.

sell outs are the bands you used to like but now your little sister always listens to them.

the ideal spot is between when the indie snobs think a band sold out (because you know about them without their 'education') but your little sister still thinks the band sucks.

Sellouts: Bands that used to be Indie.

Talentless nobodies: Bands that are still Indie.

:)

So, my advice is, sell out as soon as possible, so none of your stupid fans will ever whine about you selling out.

I like how you whine about me bashing the Foo Fighters than you turn around and bash an entire genre. Lolrony.

Difference is, I didn't do it on a thread that was specifically for Indie fans.

If you want to talk trash about the Foo Fighters, make a thread about how much you f*cking hate the Foo Fighters and stay the hell out of a thread that was meant for fans.

But the beginning of the Foo Fighters thread says "Opinions?"

Would it have made any difference for you though?

Probably not, as I've said before I came here to debate/discuss music.

Majority of popular music sucks because its sucked into the marketing crap and they make music that sells. They sell a image, become to commericial and their music is crap. Thats why alot of bands/artists that are non- popular dont want to be mainstream because they don't want to change their style/ music for the market. Then you have some that do because of the sole purpose to be known. It really doesn't matter if you dig that music then thats you it doesn't matter if its mainstream or not. Who cares what other folks think? they don't have to listen to it lol but alot people don't want their favorite band/artist to become commerical because they are afraid the band/artist might switch their whole music style up for the market.

I'm not saying its hypocritical but it is odd when you say that and you have an avatar and signature of who may very well be the most popular music artist in the whole world.

I'm a MJ fan, don't get me wrong, its just that when people usually say stuff like what you said, they have a Fugazi avatar or something.

I thrive on talentless nobodies (such as myself).

Booboo that is true ...Not all popular music is bad, most of it is though. MJ and Prince are probably the last big stars that exactly had talent AND was popular. I was referring to the mainstream garbage of today.

I think the quality of music has always been a mixed bag, weither it be mainstream or indie.

I'd say my musical taste is 70% mainstream, 30% obscure, latter of which is mainly obscure prog and old garage rock but also some Indie as well.

Music
 

^Yep your always going to have good and where there is good there is bad. Popular music is politically incorrect. I don't listen to today mainstream, its crap. I just listen to old school. lol If thats what you like though thats kool, don't worry about what people think.

Hi Satchmo,
I respect artists who decide that they wish to change direction because they wish to explore new musical directions. It can be a little tough if you are a fan and have bought a lot of CD's where the group has followed the same direction, and you are disappointed by the new sound, but no-one forces you to buy any subsequent albums. I would give any CD where a group has changed directions a couple of listens to see if the new style "grows" on me.

my favorite band had to break up because they refused to sell out. i don't really have anything against bands selling out though. let them make their money.

Perhaps in teenageland. :rolleyes:
Somehow this post makes me think you judge the quality of music based on who listens to it rather than music itself. As Satch says, as long as they don't change their music to adapt to the market, they're "allowed" to get as popular as they can.

i think one of the main ways I can tell when a band sells out is when it's 40 bucks to see them live and you end up sitting in the "nose bleed" section.

Blame ticketmaster for that.

Jakob Dylan, Radiohead, Morrissey, Chuck D to name a few.

I will do that.

A band is a sell-out when mini dolls are made of them and their faces are on school backpacks and lunchboxes.

Unless you wanted to do that from the start.

i guess.

See this is why i don't like the phrase 'sell-out', it implies that the artists were set out to play a certain type of music straight from the off and not veer away from that.
That and its often used by people who can't think of any other reason to dislike a perfectly fine artist.

i agree but i definitely appreciate a band that sticks to it's sound and sort of builds a little on it, then lets say, a band who changes their sound completely out of nowhere.

that's really up to the band members, though. some bands change for the better, like the flaming lips, while some change for the worse, like bloc party.

YEAH I KNOW I'M WRONG DUR HUR WUTEV NIGGA

???

i just wanted to agree with the inevitable posts that are going to say that the flaming lips older stuff is better and that bloc party just flat out sucks altogether

ha good call. I wonder if it's true.

lets find out...........


BLOC PARTY IS A VERY GOOD BAND. IN FACT I LOVE THEM!!!

Bloc Party really is complete rubbish though.

well what do you know it did work.

toldja

Paul McCartney and John Lennon used to sit down and say "OK, let's write us a swimming pool."

Nobody calls them sell outs.

</3 :,(

John Lennon did...

^^^moving on isn't the same as selling out.

EXACTLY