Selling Art Vs. Selling Out
by Jessica Verderame
Most people know at least one of those people who only loves underground music, and once their favorite underground band's music video hits MTV or their songs hit the Top 40 radio stations, it's all over. They either stop being fans or proudly proclaim that they only enjoy the band's earlier work, whether there was a sacrifice in the bands' music for popularity or not. Of course this is only a generalization, and one of the ways an artist can have the term "sell-out" unfairly thrown at them.
The term "sell-out" is often thrown around, especially in the music world, in order to refer to an artist's abandonment of his initial ideals and individuality in favor of money and success offered to him. Though it's a simple enough concept, it is difficult to pinpoint since the criteria are all a matter of opinion. Audiences take the word into their own hands and may give the label to a band just because they have made an artistic change or decision that they disagree with. Who is to say whether it is right or wrong?
One infamous example is when Bob Dylan started playing electric guitar; his fans were used to his folk-centric acoustic music and fans were absolutely horrified when he went electric for the first time at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Many started labeling him a sell-out for abandoning the folk style that made him famous, but it doesn't seem fair to name an artist a sell-out for doing what he thinks is best to advance his art and break through a mold that may have been stifling him. At the time fans may have been appalled, but his continuing success proves that it may have not been the worst decision for him. After all, 43 years later he is still a respected musician.
Though some bands or artists just seem to have it coming. A recent and unfortunate example, in my opinion, would be Keith Richards', one of the founding members of the Rolling Stones and one of Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, decision to pose in a Louis Vuitton ad. The photograph features a slightly bored looking Richards pretending to play a guitar in a cluttered but expensive looking hotel room. Casually placed next to him is a Louis Vuitton guitar case acting as a table for a teacup and a book. The picture of rock & roll: a past-his-prime musician, overpriced designer accessories, and tea. I'm sure when he first started playing guitar, the last thing he would have wanted to add to his resume was to be the leathery face of Louis Vuitton. Their most recent "A Bigger Bang" tour was the highest grossing tour of all time, how was a Louis Vuitton ad necessary or relevant? It seemed to me to be less about the music and more about self-promotion.
Though even in this case whether or not you can label Richards a sell-out is, of course, still a matter of opinion. A lot of people will disagree with my thoughts about him, while others will say him and the rest of the Stones sold out long before Richards agreed to do the ad.
There are plenty of artists that have without a doubt maintained their artistic integrity without compromising their work or appearance for money. John Butler Trio is a band that, despite becoming more mainstream over the past few years, still continues to maintain its initial commitment to causes such as human rights, poverty, and disaster relief and which still raises awareness of these issues through its music. Even with their rising success in the past few years, they use their success to help the causes they believe in instead of abandoning them to increase profits. Their shows are humble, not flashy; they also support an organization called Green Notes, which partners up with bands to help their tours produce less waste. The band has also participated in Live Earth and has played at a number of other charity concerts and events.
A band doesn't need to be comprised of philanthropists to escape being deemed a sell-out. No matter what, everyone who listens to music will have an opinion about musicians actions and criticize or praise accordingly. There is no solid way to decide where an artists' choice places him in the music world. In my opinion, the best way is to measure an artists' intentions and integrity, and from there, make one's own decision regarding that particular performer based on whether or not the artist maintained a devotion to the self-stated goals.
