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Bobatron Speaks: Sell Out!

So today we shall tackle the issue of selling out. Selling out, I should warn you, is something that only really affects people who care about the music they listen to, but in a broader sense, it should be of interest for anyone who cares about the culture they consume and can thus be applied to other art forms and aspects of culture. What is selling out, what constitutes selling out and why should you care about selling out? READ!

Introduction To Selling Out:

Ephialtes: The original sell out

So what exactly is selling out you might ask? Selling out is the age-old act of betraying, according to some, or trading in of, according to others, one’s beliefs and/or convictions on a socio/political subject, usually in exchange for (the promise of) material possessions and/or the prospect of fame. Whilst it is not necessarily required, it is often the case where the one doing the ‘buying’ is also the same person affected negatively by the seller’s original, ‘pre-sale’, stance. The ideological contradiction of one’s beliefs with one’s actions, in essence, is what constitutes selling out, not the actual sale, although the ’sale’ would (in most cases) not happen had it not been for the ideological retreat taking place. The ’sale’ is defined as the act of willingly moving on higher within the ranks of the traditional mainstream culture industry. It should be noted that it is not inherently a ‘negative’ thing, to move upwards in that industry, particularly in the case of an artist who is already (ideologically) in the same mind-frame or at the very least not in an open confrontation with it; someone like the Beatles or Bob Dylan in the 1960s are examples of people closely associated with this mess of a music industry, yet they seem to ‘rise above’ the criticism.

Why does it matter? The concept of selling out is one that is very important to subcultures. Selling out is generally perceived as the antithesis of ‘authenticity’, of going against any socio-political agenda it might entertain. Authenticity, I should note, is another overtly-complicated concept of measuring one’s immersion and role in a subculture, but truth be told, this ‘authenticity’ is as constructed and natural as the plastic surroundings of our urban landscapes. Benedict Anderson famously suggested that nations are ‘imagined communities’, the basis of which is the belief that others you will never meet in your life share enough common traits to form a nation. Similarly, subcultures construct a micro-cosmos of identities. To betray and break the self-imposed and regulated rules of the subculture is therefore on par with treason in real politics - once you sign that (imaginary) dotted line, there’s no real turning back, is there?

Remember when they used to play ska/punk?

As I explained in the introduction, selling out affects people who care about the music they listen to. What I mean by that, is the people who have an invested interest in music, the sort of people who buy records (instead of hit parade compilations) of artists they haven’t necessarily heard before, the sort of people who will go to a live show in their area and the sort of people who will buy a band shirt because they like the band’s music. What do all these types of people have in common? They are throwing money towards artists. I say towards, because with labels, agencies and assorted middlemen, bands make a lot less that you’d think. Anyway, the idea is that with your money you support not just the artist’s ability to create the art you like, but you also perpetuate the ideological agenda and goals of the institutions surrounding the artist. To put it simply, by buying a record of a white power band, you not only contribute towards the band’s functioning costs (practicing, recording, touring, etc.), you also help propagate their white power agenda. Selling a shitload of records means you become a blip on the charts radar, which in theory means more shows, more interviews, more support and more money.

In most cases it might seem natural that you would support the institutions that allow your favoured artist to create the wonderful art you consume. However, how often is this based on the belief that these institutions are well-intentioned? How often are the ethics and business practices compatible with the message of your favourite artist? Do you feel there is compromise in ideas and if so, can you really justify it? Selling out is therefore the indicator that in the clash of ideas, the artist has quite simply ‘lost’ - he becomes a puppet and the ‘Man’ is pulling the strings. Enjoy the show.

The way selling out works:
Now selling out is not something to be proud of. Selling out is like being caught masturbating to questionable porn by hyper-religious parents; the shame in their eyes at the dinner table just won’t go away no matter how many tears, desperate prayers and emotional breakdowns. It’s pretty bad business and unless you look out, there’ll be scars. Selling out essentially says that you have no loyalties and are driven by ego, greed or whatever. That’s what the kids (and by kids I refer to anyone enthusiastic about music, they regress to childhood innocence and vibrancy) will think of you anyway, yet bands and people sell out all the time. As such, labels will make all sorts of claims and promise all sorts of nice things. They will say that you are the hottest shit ever, that your ballads make serial killers weep and your rock songs make nuns mosh it up. They will tell you that you are better than everyone else, that you have worked harder than everyone else and that you should earn more than everyone else. They will give you a shitload of fancy toys, a bunch of things to snort and stick your penis in and they will even give you a reach-around without having to ask. With all this, why wouldn’t you want to sign the copyrights to your material away?

Common Excuses:
Here are some of the most often-used excuses and tactics employed by artists and bands accused of selling out. The list is by no means complete, so feel free to report your own findings!

“We want to reach a wider audience”.

Really?! Do we REALLY need KISS Lip Balm?

This is usually one of the most-used excuses. Essentially it’s the whole ‘big fish in a small pond’ argument, right? The basis of this argument can be narrowed down to one thing - distribution. That’s what wider audience means: the greater amount of locations your product is available. Distribution was probably a very valid reason about 20-30 years ago, before the Internet, before MP3s and before CDs. Nowadays you only need to hop on something stupid (yet essential) like MySpace or PureVolume and you will find a billion horrible bands with slickly-produced demos for you to buy through their PayPal store, never mind the DIY distro’s and labels that have popped up all over the world that stock all sorts of great stuff you WON’T be seeing in your neighbourhood Hot Topic or HMV. In any case, the assumption upon signing to major is that your brand new record will have a similar marketing plan to Britney’s, right? Unfortunately, the thousands of bands that have had their records literally buried due to marketing costs cut, thus becoming tax write-offs, conveniently contributing towards off-setting Britney’s latest flop, beg to differ. Your new audience will most likely be the pawn shop, the charity shop and the discount store. Your old audience, the one you alienated by deciding they weren’t enough, has gone on to better things and better bands.



“We need the money”
The one consistent issue that arises from interviews with bands whose ’selling out’ experience hasn’t soured yet, is that they perpetuate the illusion of wealth that the majors will orchestrate. Looking at washed out, dickhead losers like Nikky Sixx and Axl Rose rollin’ around in matching bright yellow Ferrari Testarosas, tripping their tits off on yeyo and spreading their diseased man-seed at week-long parties in Homowood, will make you think that everyone gets a massive slice of the fucking pie. In fact, you’d think that pie must be pretty fucking massive, because last time Axl Rose released a legit record, Fred Durst was bussing tables at your local Deny’s and Axl’s been partying solid ever since! You probably want to look into what Wheatus, Crazy Town and Fenix TX are up to these days, how much they are rollin’ in the pussy and the good times, rocking everyones brains off around the globe, on those year-long world tours… after their double-shift at Burgerland, that is. Labels will throw loads of money at you, but charge you for every single fucking thing, from paper-clips and your party drugs to radio air-play and the hand-job you thought you got because the secretary liked you. You could argue they might even over-charge you for everything and take advantage of you having to pay back that juicy ‘advance’ you got. Then of course they will stiff you with royalties paid from your sales, at which point you might figure out that you no longer own the copyright to your material, allowing them to use it as they see fit, without giving two flying fucks about your artistic, commercial or ethical considerations and input.

“We never said we were a band”
This one probably annoys me more than anything else. Essentially it translates as bands admitting that your little scene from which they emerged was nothing more than a fucking stepping stone for them. Remember all those intimate, small shows you saw? Remember all those times Davey Havok (how punk!) was mixing it up with the kids at the show? Yeah, that was all bullshit, because don’t you know, AFI were ALWAYS a fucking goth/indie/rock band, who never really wanted to play with any punk, hardcore or ska bands, it’s just they never got around to that Duran Duran/Smiths/Radiohead tour in 1995, you know? When bands start spouting shit like this and burning bridges, it’s usually good indication that they are major assholes and that you are up for some funny funny shit, when three years down the line they decide to ‘go back to their roots’ because they aren’t gimmicky enough to sell records any more. Nobody likes a turncoat.

And finally, here is a quick guide to selling out, just in case you don’t have time to read through all this!

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