Selling Out or Moving up?

In the history of modern music there are plenty of well-known, almost classic examples of talented, inspired, oftentimes experimental musicians who at some point in their career have decided to change direction and to begin making commercially orientated music deliberately designed to have a wide mass appeal as possible – Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, even Metallica, and the list goes on.

When this happens to a well-known act, there is at least a sense of gratitude in their fans for the fact that a band had still managed to record and release a few albums where they sound like no-one else - genuine, sincere and unique. It's a different story when an unsigned band who you have known, whose music you have admired and who you have hoped would get signed so that a wider audience would hear their inimitable music, suddenly decides to abandon true creativity and makes a calculated move for pure commercial success. You start feeling melancholy knowing that their early material which was honest and daring will remain buried and undiscovered.

All musicians want to be signed and be successful, but all need to establish what their priorities are - to expand creativity and develop as serious musicians or to target the teeny or mainstream market in a hope to get a profitable record deal as well as recognition which most likely will be short-lived. What most people forget is that if you are really smart and not afraid of hard work you can still become successful and win respect as well. Real talent doesn't need to compromise much. A truly talented musician can still forge a long-lasting career out of music that he or she believes in, but this is what people forget when they are tempted by a quick reward.

The reason why most talented bands struggle for years without getting signed isn't because there is something wrong with their style or because their genre isn't 'in' or trendy. Sincerity has always been in fashion. A sincere musician will never stray in a wrong direction. He or she will never have to worry about style, gimmicks or publicity stunts. The only thing that talented and genuine bands need to work on are usually instrumental skill, clarity of expression and an ability to write in a way that people can easily remember their music, and if it's all in place, trends and fashions will not matter.

It is doubly disappointing when people try to sell out at a young age, because it will inevitably damage them both as musicians and individuals. It is often managers and A&R people who pressure young bands to write simple, trendy stuff and to sideline their truly creative and experimental ideas. If there are any young musicians reading this, I have only one thing to say to them - don't let other people's greed, vanity and short-sightedness ruin your talent and damage your self-respect.