Case Study #301: "Selling Out"

"Selling out," as defined by Wikipedia (best source in the world, no?), is the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' (however defined) or other personal gain. It is commonly associated with attempts to increase mass appeal or acceptability to mainstream society.

In my experience, the most common use of the term "selling out" seems to stem from the music industry. While it makes obvious sense to use it there, I think the term is thrown around much more liberally than it should be. People tend to label a band as a "sell out" at the first sign of a song they don't like. It is definitely most common among so-called "old fans," people who pride themselves in liking the band at the release of the first album and before the band became "popular." I definitely agree that this happens all over the place with bands changing their particular style to generate more fans, make more money, get more radio airplay, etc. But at the same time, I think there's a fine line between "selling out" and changing/ evolving as a band. The problem comes with how do you properly distinguish the two?

For example, if you were to go back and listen to old Red Hot Chili Peppers, you would notice a distinctly different sound than from their recent albums. Does that mean they sold out? They were relatively popular back in the day, but I would argue that their popularity didn't take off until "Under the Bridge" was released. That song was much different than anything else they produced prior. Since then, they obviously kept their rock sound, but also included much slower songs and dropped a lot of their funk from subsequent albums. Therefore, I would argue that they modified their sound, and in turn, became more popular. Why have we never heard any discussions of RHCP "selling out?" I think there are 3 plausible explanations: we are a little too young and probably don't know as many old school fans as we think (maybe we should ask Drama...?), and/or these old school fans have accepted the maturation of the band, and/or since RHCP became arguably one of the best bands of our generation nobody wants to bring it up.

Another band that tends to come to mind is Incubus. Incubus' first EP and LP (S.C.I.E.N.C.E.) are very unique from the rest of their music. You could definitely make an argument that the band was still trying to discover itself during that time, as their second album was released not long after S.C.I.E.N.C.E. However, from there on to the most recent album Light Grenades (which I despise for the most part), I don't think their music has changed dramatically. Their music has definitely gotten softer, and I enjoy their old albums much more than the most recent one. Singles tend to be weaker, sappier, over-produced, and more love song-ish, but does that mean they sold out? I would say no. I would argue that there isn't much difference between their first true hit (Pardon Me) and their last big one (Dig). I think this is a case of a band continuing to evolve, just, in my personal opinion, not for the better.

And now, the most recent case and the purpose for this post: O.A.R. It's a sad sad day when you have to say goodbye to one of your favorite bands. As much as I was furious to see Dispatch break up, its days like these that make me thankful for their decision to separate and leave their memory and roots in tact. I would much rather see a band break up before I watch them slowly sell out like O.A.R. is doing. O.A.R. had already been on my nerves after the most recent album, writing one too may slow and sappy songs (and having pushed these to the radio *cough*Shattered*cough), essentially removing what made them awesome and unique (the sax) from a majority of the tracks, and pushing their songs to every damn commercial and promotion (no matter how unrelated) possible. After hearing the most recent single they released, I have officially put them in the "Sell Out" category. The new song is called "Love is Worth the Fall" and can be found on the Twilight soundtrack. Yup, that rights, the Twilight soundtrack. Don't believe me how shitty it is? Listen to it yourself. Then think, would O.A.R. have released this 10 (or even 5) years ago? No. Go and listen to the new EP they released. Listen to the clips of the "new live" songs available on iTunes (please don't buy it) and look me straight in the face and tell me they haven't changed. O.A.R. has officially gone down the drain. No more jams, no more sax, no more uplifting, happy songs (Nightshift, anyone?). They sould like ever other shitty, studio-run, overplayed, radio pop band. I don't know whether they chose to go down this path or they were pushed to it from their studio. Either way, congrats guys, your fan base has grown to include pre-teen girls and people who don't even know what O.A.R. stands for (Of a Revolution, by the way). You've sold more copies of your recent album than ever before and you're making more money. But you're also losing what made you unique. You're alientating your old fans, but most importantly, you're alienating you're most passionate fans.

It just goes to show you that money can affect even the best of bands if they lose touch with their roots. Would I have done something different? I don't know. I would hope so, but you never know until you're put in that situation yourself. Either way, I hope you're happy with the path you've chosen. It was fun while it lasted; you've been a great band to me over the past 8 or so years and I will continue to jam out to your old albums. But today, it's time to say goodbye and part ways; I wish you the best of luck O.A.R., but do me a favor and don't bother to keep in touch in the future.