Engine

Okay, true. Black Eyed Peas have always headed the other way though.
Don't know about you but I'm not expecting some surprise experimental BEP album that is actually good. It would be great though if they did that like "Haha, you fools paid so much for that crap music we made and we saved up used it to fund this great music we've had in our backpocket for years"
That won't happen though - they already made way better music with far less money.

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

djchameleon

I agree somewhat, the first two albums were great then they had the third one and it was a big wtf were you thinking? but that's when they added Fergie and continued the same pattern with the fourth one. I think their slightly experimental phase came with their 5th album where they ventured more into electronica. Even though it's the tamer side of electronica, they headed in a new direction and alienated some older fans that didn't like this new direction.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

RandyMarsh

Like I said if you can earn money from your art then great, but changing everything about you and your music just to make it sell is pathetic and disgusting, you betray the art and you betray the culture you're supposed to be representing.

Make money from YOUR music, the way YOU write it the way YOU want it. Not the way you're told to make it so it sells more records. When all you care about is selling records and not the music itself, you may as well be dead.

djchameleon

meh, it's just not realistic though it's a pipe dream. sure you would like to do that but then you fall back into that starving artist arena where your work is so great but you don't get ANY money from it because it just doesn't sell.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

RandyMarsh

Thousands of artists (infact probably millions) do it every single day. How is it not realistic? It's because they have respect for the culture and for themselves, they refuse to change their art to 'fit in' with what sells because when all you're doing is following trends, it's no longer art.


You can make money without betraying who you are, without selling out. You might not make millions but you'll still make money (and hey, who says you can't make millions? People have done it before).


It's not about money, it's about loving the culture. If you can make money from your art then great, if not, there's plenty of other ways to earn while staying true to yourself.

When you start making it about money you lose the passion, you lose the beauty, you just become another pawn for some greedy record exec.

Dirty

A lot of people start making music because they love it, and end up becoming gigantic and filthy rich because they were smart enough to sell out. I'm not a guy who gets his man thong in a bunch whenever a band sells out and changes their style. I don't feel that loyal to anyone and I just kinda move on with my life and place certain albums in the "Albums I like" category and albums I don't like into the "albums I dislike" category. If a band sells out and takes the money over their passion, why should I blame them at all? It's their job. Making music at some point stops just strictly being your passion and at some point start becoming your profession. And I don't blame anyone for saying "I could make this song that isn't really my style but I'll make 10X more money if I make it." You only live one life and respect from strangers who listen to your music only gets you so far. It doesn't get you an indoor pool.

Some bands value their artistic creativity and passion more than getting some extra money. Some bands want to be able to say they "stayed true to themselves." And other bands don't. And I got no beef with either of em.

djchameleon

I know there are artists/bands that can make millions without losing their artistic integrity but it's pretty rare. You make it seem like it's a common thing.

Those thousands of artists that you are talking about that do it everyday. The ones that aren't as successful as say the "evil group/band that sells out" they are pretty much struggling artists. Sure they are passionate and all that BS. but at the end of the day if they wanted to be successful they could turn their art around go at it from a business stand point where they slave for the corp. monster for a little bit then take money and the fans that they gain in the process of being mainstream and do whatever they want creatively. Just because you "sell out" doesn't mean you lose your passion forever that's just bollocks.

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

RandyMarsh

1. You say that like there's nothing wrong with it, like there's nothing wrong with sacrificing your morals and your beliefs to make a fast buck.

2. Very few people have creative control over their music after signing to a major label. That's the point, you get told what to rap about to help sell records; "He's gotta do what he's told, and let them use up his soul so the units are sold. Why would they let the music evolve when it's safer to just fit the usual mould?"

3. It's not bollocks at all. If you love your art, if you love te Hip Hop culture and have true passion for it you wouldn't sell out in the first place. Selling out is a sign that an artist has lost the passion they had for the culture and is now overcome with the passion for money.

FYI to clarify when I say 'selling out' I don't mean making lots of money, if you manage to make billions from your music without compromising your morals and beliefs or being told what to rap about by some record exec then congrats. But when I say 'sell out' I mean the people who compromise their morals and beliefs, the people who change their music completely to start making money. The people who act as puppets for their labels and sponsors, the people who take orders on what to rap about and have the theme for their next album dictated to them.

djchameleon

There isn't anything wrong with it. We will just have to agree to disagree on that point. I don't feel like going into more details about it because that's where we come to a stand still.
You know what people do when they get in those situations? especially theh ones that lack creative control? they ride out their control with all the money they made and leave the label to create their own label or join a different label that will give them more creative freedom.
It's not that serious, bro. Selling out doesn't mean they have lost their passion it just means that they are willing to put aside their juvenile thinking about how the music industry works and use it to their advantage so that they can push through later on the music that they are passionate about.
I know exactly what you mean when you said "selling out"

__________________

Fame, fortune, power, titties. People say these are the most crucial things in life, but you can have a pocket full o' gold and it doesn't mean sh*t if you don't have someone to share that gold with. Seems simple. Yet it's an important lesson to learn. Even lone wolves run in packs sometimes.

poppie

I like this tune from them i gotta feeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSD4vsh1zDA