Mainstream sellouts in the music industry

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Why is it that all the great artists or bands that i have been listening to and enjoying for years not once hearing on the radio or reading about in Rolling stone get huge responses at live shows or othe rpreformances, have an enormous amount of fans, sell records like crazy, and have been for years, suddenly sell out? Underground music is so much better. Its not about the money, or the fame, its about the music. Making great music to share with the world. Bands that influenced my as a young teen growing up in this disgusting society, now making records jsut to have every single song put out for radio airplay. One example. Seeing Korn in 1996, greatest show ever, awsome crowd, people just like myself, small club stage, chance to be right up by the stage, and always getting to meet the band afterward. Then seeing them again in 1999. OK, huge arena, ppl wearing cowboy boots, hats and spurs, and beltbuckles, with KORN tshirts. EVIL! I could enjoy myself being surrounded by such posers. Losers, nasty radio, TLR, MTV devoting bitches. Please can someone tell me why these bands must sell them selves out. What iniciates such iggnorance?

-- just consider (gurumassacre666@yahoo.com), March 18, 2002

Answers

Music is music. Selling out as it pertains to integrity of an artist may be incredible, but to judge arranged sounds on that artistic integrity is horseshit. Any way you wish to look at any given artist, how their music was made, etc., a song is a song because it is a collection of arranged sounds that certain people find desirable. In other words, don't hate a song because the artist sold out, hate it because you don't like the song. Just as well, people too often assume that an artist has sold out, when in fact they may have willingly progressed in their own expression. Unless you're with them behind the scenes during the creation of the music, be a little openminded about it.

Try not to take offense but IMO those that wish for everything underground are most likely in need of making themselves feel special. You're more likely to know about something that someone else doesn't, and it may give off the impression that you're in the know or something. I was that way when I was 16, though back then I wouldn't admit what I just said.

Music is music.

-- Nokk (kaboom16@hotmail.com), May 13, 2002.


they get advised to do this stuff

no crime, really.

-- visualize me (visualizeme@webtv.net), June 04, 2002.


they get advised

to do this stuff

no crime, really.

-- visualize me (visualizeme@webtv.net), June 04, 2002.


Hello, My name is Srinivas. I live in India, am 25 year old young guy, single. I'm Christian.

My Postal address:

Pilla Naga Srinivasa Rao, Jillellamudi Vari Lane, Eastern Street, Eluru-534001, Andhra Pradesh-India.

-- Pilla Srinivas ( Pilla Naga Srinivasa Rao ) (pillasrinivas001@netscape.net), July 04, 2002.


Your Favorite band makes it big.. your favorite band finally gets the airplay.. your favorite band gets the cover of Rolling Stone, and every major music mag to boot. And you bitch about it by saying they've sold out.

You say it's about "Making great music to share with the world." Now tell me Einstein, Just how the hell can you do that, without the backing of Major Label? So they suddenly have alot of new fans... Big deal.. isn't that what you wanted? People to get a taste of your favorite band? and what better venue than an ARENA, to get to hang with people Just... Like... Yeah.. they sold out... every fucking ticket, at every fucking show. That's a sell out. That's success, that's exactly what you wanted, so shut up and be happy you knew who Korn was before they made it big time. That's someting you should feel good about, cause I'd be willing to bet, not everyone knows where Korn are even from. You and I do...(or do you?) So shut up and be happy you knew who Korn was before they made it big time.

-- Van Der aus (auslander1@yahoo.com), July 22, 2002.



you people make me wanna throw up. KORN NEVER SOLD OUT!!!! DO YOU EVEN LISTEN TO THEIR GODDAMN ALBUMS? CAN U GET PAST THE HYPE AND COMMERCIALISM SURROUNDING ISSUES AND EVEN UNTOUCHABLES AND JUST LISTEN TO THE MUSIC...you will find that NOTHING has changed with KoRn. they have grown-just as a baby grows. you cant expect a baby to stay a baby forever...it grows and grows...i feel sorry for your kids...i mean shit when your child becomes an adult youll be like...:::sneering::: you sold out...youre trash. LIMP BIZKIT are sellouts...BLINK 182 are SELLOUTS...they STILL HAVE A FEW GOOD SONGS here and there but its OBVIOUS they sold out...with korn..they get more recognition but RARELY do you see a korn video on mtv...and even on the radio...when a korn song FIRST COMES OUT it gets plays quite often but after that its ancient history...so RE DEFINE THE TERM SELLOUT BEFORE YOU START ATTATCHING IT TO GREAT BANDS LIKE KORN!

-- Tommy Bazzano (tommybazzano@yahoo.com), December 03, 2002.

I find tuning a song out because it is mainstream just as stupid as tuning one out because it is underground. Either way you could miss out on something really great just because your ego is oversized.

However, what's up with Ozzy lying to his fans for the first 20 years of his career and coming back recently to tell us he has gone from 'the prince of darkness' to some John Lennon Christian Hippy- fuck with good intentions and a nice family? I know he's always been a christian... maybe he saw god in a dream and he said 'you must tell them about me' or something.

-- Myachi (MycahiSun@yahoo.com), December 15, 2002.


I have lost all respect (and there wasn't a lot to begin with) for Ozzy. the so called reality show has proven to me that ozzy has lost it. For good. Sharon, you cannot bail him out of this one, because you're in it just as deep. If This doesn't prove that large doses of drugs and booze are really going to permantly fuck your brain up, you deserve whatever comes your way. If you're going to live fast, please have the decency to die young. this goes for Pete Townshend as well.

-- Rev (clrmailbox@yahoo.com), January 21, 2003.

Korn are not sell-outs, they have just grown beyond what made them not suck. Now they suck, their music is terrible, John Davis sounds like the Town Drunk, Barney, off the Simpsons and Fieldy can't play the Bass worth a crap - Hed and Monkey are not even given a chance to be talented, they don't do much with the way they play guitar. David? Oh, he's just eye-candy, but he's getting old and fat, so they're gonna have to replace him soon....

Korn grew alright, like some babies grow up to be drunk and useless - they are trying to be something they're not, which is a POP band. They started out rough and raw, now they're just moldy and decaying....

I have tried to listen to Issues and Untouchables, but can't bear any of it - I'd rather listen to real music, with talented singers and band members.... People who can actually be inventive with what they have, instead of always relying on pseudo-techno beats in order to make themselves more interesting. Funny thing is, they were interesting on their first two albums without the pseudo-techno crap...

-- The Good Reverend (cletusmilksworth@yahoo.com), April 18, 2003.


What can be said about Korn here that hasn't already been said? Yes they kicked ass when thier self titled cd came out, yes they continued to kick ass in Life is Peachy, and despite being a good album Children of the corn started to show signs of thier downward spiral to sucking. The two main problems to hit Korn in my opinion is thier dabbeling in rap/rock shit, and thierlack of material to sing about... All the last two albums did were repeat the same message as the first. only in a played out way. abuse, being picked on, getting raped, sure those are good song topics, for a little bit.. UNTIL YOUR 4TH OR 5TH ALBUM...

-- Greg E. (pickiliny@aol.com), June 27, 2003.


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