I just stumbled upon an old interview with Questionable Content's author and artist, Jeph Jacques, found here. For those of you who don't know about my growing love with Questionable Content, it is a slice-of-life webcomic that follow a 20-something living in Massachusetts. Indie music humor can be found peppered throughout the five year archive. It's a good read, throw away a couple hours and check it out.
"What is your take on indie bands "selling out"? Do you think It's just a handy moniker for bands that just get too popular, or is there something else involved?
"Selling out" is the most ridiculous, overused, pointless term ever, pretty much. The only things that should matter when you listen to a band's music is whether you enjoy it or not- not whether they live in mansions or only four other people know they exist or whatever. If a band makes music I like, I'll listen to them. When it comes to somebody like Modest Mouse or the Flaming Lips, where they're on major record labels and making decent money off their music, I say good for them, as long as they're still making the kind of music they want to be making. I know first hand how difficult it is to make a living doing something creative- more power to anybody who can pull it off, regardless of their medium."
Your thoughts?
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Music + Science = Sexy
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3 comments:
what context of selling out are we talking about. Just signing to a major label? or using your songs in mass media like commercials? MTV? tv shows?
I think that's part of the point. What does it mean? Or rather, should it mean anything at all?
The idea of selling out should still exist because it is possible. If it were not a possibility, then it wouldn't mean anything at all. So then this raises the question how does an artist sell out? According to J. Jacques, if an artist consistently makes quality musical expressions one album after another, then they cannot sell out, major label or not. I agree with him. The "selling out" comes with the compromise of image and sound. The worst example I can think of is Gomez with How We Operate where their songs we're particularly poppy with the upbeat drumming, sometimes-dull lyrics, and present on every single doctor show montage on TV. Yet, they failed to sell out because they were still making individual and good music. Selling out requires a sacrifice of one's soul.
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