All Bands Are Sellouts - Comments

The word "sell out" is I think the most annoying word out there
who cares if they do if they're still making good music

If I like what I hear I buy and listen. I don't care what their reason is. If they love to play and want to make a living with it then great, more power to them. If they just want money then whatever, they better be playing some good music then.

If you have heard of a band that isnt in your local scene, they have sold out.

When youre in a band, that is one of the choices you have to make. Use your music to make money and become famous, or play music because they love to.

Trust me, no band is just randomly 'discovered' because they were just SOOO good. They had to put themselves out there, aka, selling out.

I pretty much agree. Most of the time, bands mature, but sometimes they also become more immature too, perhaps? I don't know. Either way, me and bands I used to like have parted and gone separate ways, and that's okay and i respect that. I don't go around saying, "Wow, man, that band really did sell out, eh?" and I'm glad you feel the same =)
Great thought-provoking article, there!

I still like some of the sellout bands.
But I really do despise the word sellout.

thanks for this. i agree with it mostly, except for i don't think when a band changes, it necessarily matures. i don't think that because for example because i don't like the newest incubus album as much as the older ones means that i'm 'immature.' i just think that they've changed and gone off a different path and so have i, you know? but thank you again because i needed this to pull me out of my wanna-be-indie funk.

Think about it, if Matt Trashes his vocals, he can't scream or sing anymore! and on the LBC, he did some small screaming parts, nothing too difficult or strenuous. If Sanders couldn't sing anymore, there would be a ton of upset fans! A song doesn't need screaming to be hard core either. It is nice to have a different sound :)

As for MCR, it shouldn't really matter that they went from unknown to known in one album. They worked hard on every single one. Their hard work payed off. Each song has alot of emotion to it.

This is all really just my opinion.

"Another good example is Avenged Sevenfold and My Chemical Romance. I’m going to start with Avenged Sevenfold because it was them that made me think and write this. M. Shadows had to have surgery because of all the screaming done in their first two albums, the third one was a little calmer and the fourth and self tiled has rarely any screaming at all. Therefore they’re sellouts, yes? Yes. It doesn’t matter that Matt could destroy his vocal cords, but as long as we keep getting the screaming. But if you’ve noticed, The Rev (drummer) has picked up vocals in the self titled to keep some form of rough edged voice in there."


Regardless whether M. Shadows had to have surgery, a successful band - or any band - has the freedom and will to produce whatever kind of music they wish. To be a band that doesn't sell out you have to write in the same style, look the same way, be the same boring band for a good ten years or more is what ignorant 'fans' determine what a seel out is. Because they change their style or stop screaming for crying out loud, in my opinion anyway, does not make them sellouts. If perhaps they started collaborating with T-Pain I'd start considering it. But until then, they're safe from the sell out bin.
Nice article, btw. =]

Reading your article made me mad, only the part of A7x though. Just because a band changes their singing styles doesn't mean that they're sellouts! M.Shadows stated before the recording of Waking the Fallen that he wanted to do an album of all screaming, one of half screaming and half singing, and one of all singing. Their self-titled one was them making music they liked and not just hoping that fans like it because I personally believe that a true fan will stick with a band even if the band changes their style.

I will end my rant there. ={)

I think the Chiodos drummer said it best: "We do it because we love it- but we have to eat as well." Money is money is money is money is not music. I've noticed that the same people who go on and on and on about money not meaning anything are the ones who complain the most when a band "sells out.

Ugh
Either Way I love My Chemical Romance And Avenged Seven Fold Wether or not they've Changed. My tastes have changed too, but still I love Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge And I Love The Black Parade Just as Much.

Music is music as long as it has some meaning

Good article. People throw around the word "sell-out" way too much. To me, selling out is going against your personal beliefs or morals for monetary gain. If my band got asked to do a commercial for Coke, where we acted in it, or performed in it, or whatever, I would fucking say yes, because I love Coca-Cola products. And I don't think that would make me a sell out in anyway, because I probably would have advertised for them for free because I love their product. The money is just the bonus and what makes it so you can pay your bills and actually earn a living.

Its called marketing and making money. Many musicians from rock, rap, pop, and r&b sell out to stay in the industry. Most of popular culture consists of fads, and anyone who wants continue to make music doesn't want to be the fad of the moment. Thats why in most instances there will be bands that modify their sound to sound like current fads so they can remain famous and make money.

I really don't think you're being fair by saying bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, My Chemical Romance, and Panic at the Disco are sellouts. Firstly, yes, Avenged's album may not include as much screaming as their previous ones. But is that really so bad...if it protects his vocals and keeps M. Shadows around longer? And MCR, seriously, they are not sellouts. So what if their last album was wildly popular? That's not always a bad thing. And just because most of the bands you mentioned as 'sellouts' have a member close to thirty or over thirty doesn't mean they can't rock just as hard as they used to. A good example of this is Vince Neil of Motley Crue, or Sebastian Bach of Skid Row. They're not sellouts just because they still rock just as hard as they used to.
You need to get your facts straight.

And you didn't mention Chinese Democracy why...?

I love MCR. I may not like all of the songs on The Black Parade, but that is because of my own personal taste, not because they "sold out" or whatever the hell they say.

You and Adam Gontier are great! Kudos to both of you. xD

[i]"I really disagree with this... I mean, how the hell are Avenged Sevenfold sellouts exactly? Just because they've changed? Come on! Every band is going to change eventually! If they didn't, we would be basically hearing the same thing over and over."[/i]
That was the whole point of the article.
She wasn't calling Avenged Sevenfold sellouts.

I totally agree with you. well and with adam gontier haha. Bands can't keep making the same sounding music ,record after record. After a while, people will start to get bored with their repetitive sound and will stop listening to them. Bands get new influences all the time and just like the rest of the world, they do grow up. They maybe want to have a different sound to their new album, and maybe they want to experiment with new sounds. I don't belive that any band or any artist can 'sell out'. To me the term 'sell out' is irrelevant. It doesn't mean anything else other than some fans are disappointed with a band that put out a new album, and so they resort to saying they 'sold out' just to make a point. That's all i have to say on that :P

All that I wanted to say has been said already.
Kudos to you.
Bands grow older just like we do.
They will change just like we do.
The people who throw out "sell-out" so casually are being simple-minded.
Their people that will have a change in taste like us.
Most of the time the people who call them sell-outs are the ones who idolize them and think of them as 'perfect'
Now I won't get started on that.
Lol.
Too long of a rant.

I adore you for this.
I've thought about writing something along these lines,
but you definitely would've outdone anything I could've come up with.
It's so true, which is why I tell everyone else to screw themselves.
I explain it once, and if they don't agree with it and come back with the whole 'sellouts' deal, they're not worth it.
Why can't the really selfish, ignorant brats figure it out?