Bands that you believe have sold out...

[skeels]

Bill Withers sold out?















I love Bill Withers.

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Originally Posted by broj15

That's because Meshuggah doesn't have to sell out. Everyone's taste just conforms to what Meshuggah is creating because they are that good

I think "selling out" would be the last thing I'd think of when I hear "Meshuggah." If anything, their first album and some of their 2nd albums are their only radio-friendly songs, IMO. They've gotten progressively less radio-friendly with each release.

[SenorDingDong]

Originally Posted by DLG

I'm fine with someone wanting to take a more commercial approach like Metallica, but they did it their way, they weren't hopping on any bandwagons, the success came to them, they didn't chase it.

The thing I find disgusting is trend-hopping and jumping on the dick of every new trend in order to stay relevant. Bands like Machine Head come to mind. Those kind of bands will never have my respect no matter what.

I don't buy the hate for Metallica--they followed what they saw as the next step in their career.


What I don't enjoy, as stated, is a band that will change their entire sound to keep up with the latest trend.

[Don Vito]

Originally Posted by HeHasTheJazzHands

I'd have to say Children of Bodom. They ditched their neo-classical power metal sound and went for a more melodic death metal sound which, strangely, sounds easier to sell.

What? I'd say they just naturally switched their sound to melo death, and THEN sold out to play Lamb of God infused keyboard metal, or whatever the .... they play nowadays.

I just don't see Follow the Reaper as the album they picked to become the cash cow. Also, they started out playing regular death metal, so one could just assume they sold out from that to play neo classical metal. Ya' know....cause it's easier to sell.

[MaxOfMetal]

I don't understand why folks need to single bands out as "sell outs".

I mean, who here wouldn't sell out for millions of dollars given the chance? Has anyone in this thread calling out these bands ever been at that point where they can take what they love and have worked on for decades and turn that into a legacy that will provide for their families for generations to come? I'm honestly asking.

I also think a lot of the bands mentioned in here are less sell outs and more of "fizz outs", as in they just don't have the same creativity and drive they once had. Some guys, like Metallica, have been doing this for over three decades, or closer to two decades if you look at them selling out in the mid-late 90's. They aren't those angsty kids that had something to be pissed about, they're grown men with families. The dynamic has changed so significantly that even if they made "Ride The Lightning Pt.II" it just wouldn't be genuine, it would be just as laughable as most of their recent releases are considered.

That's not to say, that perhaps an artist, when they reach a certain point should consider bowing out gracefully.

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I don't think Follow The Reaper was the said "cash cow", I think Are You Dead Yet was when they tried to follow that trend I was trying to describe with more focus on just being a simplified death metal band then their older style.

I need to think things through when I type.

[hairychris]

Anyone remember the time that Celtic Frost went glam?



It ended badly.

[ArtDecade]

What some call a sellout, others call a crossover. I don't have an issue with it. Personally, I love pop just as much as metal. So for me, thank God for J-Rock! At least fans in Japan aren't pretentiousness enough to care whether their favorite band has some success. If playing in a basement in bar in Oslo to thirty dudes is your bag, all power to you. Personally, I would rather play to thousands of people and hear then singing every word back to me.

I think music is about connecting with others, not exclusivity.

[goherpsNderp]

i consider "selling out" to be defined as writing/producing/making music PURELY to make money on, and allowing "the market" to dictate as to the content of your music. ie: if guttural screams are what research is showing to be the most popular, you will incorporate it into your music in order to gain more sales. i think it's completely dishonorable to be a musician and operate that way, but that's to be discussed elsewhere.

EDIT: a simpler way to put it- it becomes about personal gain, instead of about personal expression.

the only two bands i can think of off the top of my head that i feel like sold out when they struck gold with a certain sound:
-deftones: seems like they got really lazy and just focused on sex-voice vocals for the female crowd. the music itself suffered heavily.

-lamb of god: ever since they suddenly gained a lot of popularity all their music began to sound exactly the same. became derivative on the same kind of riffing, as opposed to innovating upon an established style. i think there's a difference between the two.

[Xaios]

There are a lot of bands that have been listed here that I wouldn't necessarily regard as sell-outs. I'd say there was a point where they became popular at which point they began to suck, but I think it's more a case of a band running out of inspiration after giving us their best material.

For example:

In Flames - After Clayman was probably the point where the ball really started to roll for them. Rightly so as well, as they had a solid string containing some of the best melodic death metal albums ever releasesed. However, they clearly lost their muse after that. Ever album thereafter was either a failed attempt to recapture the spark of what made their previous music special, or a failed attempt to try something new. In either case, it didn't work.

These are some bands that I would well and truly deem "sell-outs."

Machine Head - Yes, Ashes and The Blackening were awesome albums. However, they were only made once metal was experiencing a surge in popularity. Their ill-advised foray into rap-metal is well documented, however, and the timing there simply can't be ignored.

Metallica - Obvious answer is obvious, but it's not what you think. For the record, I don't think Metallica truly sold out until Death Magnetic. Questionable quality aside, up until that point, Metallica seemed to be doing whatever the hell they wanted to do, including Load/Re-Load and even St. Anger. Death Magnetic, however, was different. That's the point were they actively began to try and re-appeal to the core demographic that "felt abandoned" during the nineties. They started writing "trve metal riffs" and hired a producer with "cred" in the metal world. All that while, again, metal was experiencing a surge in popularity. That album was made to take advantage of that surge. Even if it was probably the best album that they'd released since The Black Album, I can't shake the feeling that it was guided more by a desire to sell records than to "get back to their metal roots."

[VBCheeseGrater]

I've got no beef with "Selling Out". I consider heading to work every morning selling out. A man's gotta make a living.

[VBCheeseGrater]

Originally Posted by Ninjahat

I think a band has sold out when they make money/become popular. If more people than me like them, what's the point in even listening?

I know!! I can't be seen listening to that crap!!!

[Stealthdjentstic]

Originally Posted by MaxOfMetal

I don't understand why folks need to single bands out as "sell outs".

I mean, who here wouldn't sell out for millions of dollars given the chance? Has anyone in this thread calling out these bands ever been at that point where they can take what they love and have worked on for decades and turn that into a legacy that will provide for their families for generations to come? I'm honestly asking.

I also think a lot of the bands mentioned in here are less sell outs and more of "fizz outs", as in they just don't have the same creativity and drive they once had. Some guys, like Metallica, have been doing this for over three decades, or closer to two decades if you look at them selling out in the mid-late 90's. They aren't those angsty kids that had something to be pissed about, they're grown men with families. The dynamic has changed so significantly that even if they made "Ride The Lightning Pt.II" it just wouldn't be genuine, it would be just as laughable as most of their recent releases are considered.

That's not to say, that perhaps an artist, when they reach a certain point should consider bowing out gracefully.

I agree with you, but in the case of bands like Job for a Craptopsy there was no reason for them to be total dicks to their fans. Now years later even some of their members admit to behaving like children.

[USMarine75]

Metallica may be assholes... but I dont think they ever sold out. They went softer with Black when everyone else was starting to get harder and expected them to. Then they flipped the script and went back to their more unpopular SF thrash roots with St Crappier (along with the 2-blocks-of-wood-smacking-together they call a snare). I agree with Max they didnt "sell out" they just "crapped out". (I haven't like a thing they've done since the Black album)

FWIW I despise the term "sell out" it implies you know what's in someone's heart. I think most people mean to say "achieved commercial success", "have a large fan base", or "evolved" when they say "sold out".

And even then there is nothing wrong with making money. If you had to write a few ("sell out") jingles for commercials so you could make enough scratch to play in an underground band you wouldn't?

This thread and "selling out" is like saying the old blues greats of the early 1900s sang the blues because they chose to stay downtrodden and poor because they wanted to stay true to their roots

[The Uncreator]

So your band changed there sound and direction? They make more money now? A bit more mainstream? They simply MUST have sold out!

Bunch of babies.

[RevDrucifer]

I've been a sell-out for a long time.

I serve tables for a living instead of playing music.

Not doing what I *want* to do with my life in order to survive. This is -IMO- FAR worse than altering your sound to achieve more fans. Metallica wanted to be the biggest band in the world. They never said they wanted to write old school thrash all their careers while trying to get there. They straight out said, "We want to rule the world." Never said how.

Doesn't sound like they did anything but exactly what they wanted to, to me.

I know some of the guys from Lamb Of God worked as cooks at places like TGI Friday's and also roofed. I've worked both these jobs. If I were in a heavy band that got some recognition, I'd do whatever I could to keep that momentum building so I'd NEVER HAVE TO ....ING HAMMER A NAIL AT 50FT OR GRILL ANOTHER PIECE OF ....ING CHICKEN AGAIN.

[ShadyDavey]

Clearly anyone that achieved commercial success and managed to alienate their hipster fanbase who couldn't maintain elitist street cred by hero-worshipping a band no-one had heard of.......or combined commercial success with piggy-backing current trends because their original vision was about as well received as a case of venereal disease.

Also Metallica.

/Tongue in cheek
/Irony

Also in many cases Sell out = Burnt Out and lost whatever creative essence made their first releases so special.

See: Metallica.

[USMarine75]

I'll let you know the Top 100 bands that sold out...


...when Spin makes the list.

[FireInside]

Kiss. Disco album? Seriously? Rubbers, coffins, and comics are fine. Disco is where I draw the line...

[Sikthness]

Originally Posted by Ninjahat

I think a band has sold out when they make money/become popular. If more people than me like them, what's the point in even listening?

exactly. I had to throw out my Deathspell Omega cds yesterday cuz I saw a post on here where other people like them. I can't listen to such blatant sell outs.

[SenorDingDong]

Originally Posted by FireInside

Kiss. Disco album? Seriously? Rubbers, coffins, and comics are fine. Disco is where I draw the line...

I Was Made for Loving You is a great ....ing tune. I listen to it proudly.





Also, I think I would be honored to be considered a sell-out at any point in my career, because that term is usually affixed to making unbelievable amounts of money. In my book, making money is A-Okay.

[trianglebutt]

Originally Posted by goherpsNderp

i consider "selling out" to be defined as writing/producing/making music PURELY to make money on, and allowing "the market" to dictate as to the content of your music. ie: if guttural screams are what research is showing to be the most popular, you will incorporate it into your music in order to gain more sales. i think it's completely dishonorable to be a musician and operate that way, but that's to be discussed elsewhere.

EDIT: a simpler way to put it- it becomes about personal gain, instead of about personal expression.

the only two bands i can think of off the top of my head that i feel like sold out when they struck gold with a certain sound:
-deftones: seems like they got really lazy and just focused on sex-voice vocals for the female crowd. the music itself suffered heavily.

-lamb of god: ever since they suddenly gained a lot of popularity all their music began to sound exactly the same. became derivative on the same kind of riffing, as opposed to innovating upon an established style. i think there's a difference between the two.

As far as Deftones goes, I think you're confusing maturing and selling out. I think the progression of their music makes perfect sense. They're not going to make another Around The Fur or White Pony and they know it. So, instead of trying, they've explored new sounds and styles as they've matured. Now, you might not LIKE this new direction but they've certainly not "sold out". Chino is still going nuts like he did in 1998.

I think accusing any band of "selling out" is so silly. Perhaps there are a few occasions where the term is warranted but 95% of the time it comes across as either:
- Whiny fans pissed that new album doesn't sound like earlier album
- Whiny fans pissed that band went in a different direction
- Whiny people pissed that a band is making money playing their music
- Whiny people.

I think people don't realize that sometimes the change in sound is the band's ....ing decision. Maybe it's what they like to play now. Maybe the style of that first album when they were 19 isn't what makes them happy any more? And what, they're making buttloads of money too? I mean that sounds pretty ....in great.

Also if you don't like what a band is doing, please I BEG you, just don't listen to them! Calling them sellouts, talking crap, it's just free advertising. It's also ....ing annoying.

[BucketheadRules]

Originally Posted by RevDrucifer

I've been a sell-out for a long time.

I serve tables for a living instead of playing music.

Not doing what I *want* to do with my life in order to survive. This is -IMO- FAR worse than altering your sound to achieve more fans. Metallica wanted to be the biggest band in the world. They never said they wanted to write old school thrash all their careers while trying to get there. They straight out said, "We want to rule the world." Never said how.

Doesn't sound like they did anything but exactly what they wanted to, to me.

I know some of the guys from Lamb Of God worked as cooks at places like TGI Friday's and also roofed. I've worked both these jobs. If I were in a heavy band that got some recognition, I'd do whatever I could to keep that momentum building so I'd NEVER HAVE TO ....ING HAMMER A NAIL AT 50FT OR GRILL ANOTHER PIECE OF ....ING CHICKEN AGAIN.

While I posted what I posted earlier bashing certain bands a little, there is this other side to it.

And you know what, I totally agree with you here. Rep distributed.

[Razzy]

Metallica sell out every show they play.

[Don Vito]

Originally Posted by RevDrucifer

I've been a sell-out for a long time.

I serve tables for a living instead of playing music.

Not doing what I *want* to do with my life in order to survive. This is -IMO- FAR worse than altering your sound to achieve more fans. Metallica wanted to be the biggest band in the world. They never said they wanted to write old school thrash all their careers while trying to get there. They straight out said, "We want to rule the world." Never said how.

Doesn't sound like they did anything but exactly what they wanted to, to me.

I know some of the guys from Lamb Of God worked as cooks at places like TGI Friday's and also roofed. I've worked both these jobs. If I were in a heavy band that got some recognition, I'd do whatever I could to keep that momentum building so I'd NEVER HAVE TO ....ING HAMMER A NAIL AT 50FT OR GRILL ANOTHER PIECE OF ....ING CHICKEN AGAIN.

I can't ....ing argue this. Rep from me as well.