It seems now I finally understand. Selling out is that one, final crime, isn’t it? Oh, but it never hurts the musician; it only hurts the fans. Countless bands have never sold out. Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd claim that they have not. Dylan only recently could be suspected of it. But so many bands have, and they know it. Let’s define selling out as simply as possible:

Selling out: When a musician or band uses their music to gain money or some other item.

There, is that good enough? If this is the definition, then why are we, as fans, concerned about something we didn’t make being used as a product to raise money we don’t deserve?

This only made sense to me recently, when I began to think about the bands and musicians I listen to, and when I thought about the issues I face as creator and editor of this blog. There are times in life where one feels very complete or very comfortable with their schedule. You can feel surrounded by friends, do the same thing every week and know, for the most part, what will happen in the future. But if you take something away, say a best friend, then that castle of comfort has crumbled and, if you aren’t so good at recovery, can stay in shambles.

AM! house show in 2009. Sold out...?

So, I looked back on why it bothered me when Against Me! signed with Fat Wreck and then with Sire, or when Bright Eyes became so popular even though I had already heard five of his albums. It bothered me because it felt like they had left me. These aren’t superstar groups, indeed, I could play the same chords they did and it usually felt like I could come up with the same types of lyrics. And it’s important to note the types of bands or musician who can cause such anger in selling out. It’s an anger stemmed from bands that have been communicating with us for so long, in sharing our same fears and doubts and just spitting it out, mouth frothing in angst, without the help of fancy producers or purchased writers. Against Me!, Green Day and any other band that started out small and were socially conscious will never be able to connect with us, the fans, on the same level that they used to. And that’s what hurts so much when it happens. It’s like they just stood up and walked out. They’ve traded in a shitty Epi acoustic for a shiny Gibson they’ll never have to pay for. They’ve traded us in. They’ve sold out.

But it’s not their fault. It’s just our reaction. And we have to move on.

Because, bands and musicians don’t have a choice. There are only two paths that music leads you onto: die quickly or slowly fade away. Both choices suck, because one means, like Hot Water Music or The Need Machine, I’ll never see them live again. Or like Against Me! and Weezer, they never really connect the same way they used to. But we have to move on, because just as we choose different routes in our life, they have chosen a different route for theirs. But stay calm. They’ve already sacrificed for us. They’ve already created that perfect song or album for us to connect with. They did know, at one time, what it was like to be a common person, struggling through life and government. And deep down, I’m sure they still know what it’s like, it’s just harder for them to write songs about it now that their lives have changed. They’re living life a little differently than us now. But I have a feeling, that when we’re all older, or if you already are older, those artists, Clapton, Dylan, Gabel, Oberst, you and me, we’re all going to be playing those old songs we used to love and connect with. The musician may have sold out, but those songs and those feelings never will.

Which favorite bands of yours do you think have sold out!? Tell me in the comments and we’ll both listen to some of their tunes! Stay tuned tomorrow for a post by Vodes!