To sell out or to stay true ?

At IElecteric battle 2009, a contest where the winning band can win a series of prizes that include music video shoot, photo shoot, and an interview with WMCX 88.9 FM, a Jersey band Blast Rocks Midtown hit the stage. They were not competing, but were performing to promote their new EP “step up, get down”. The crowd had started off with at least thirty kids, and as soon as the guitar began, I realized I was one of four left standing by the stage. The first thing I heard from a handful of the audience was; “fucking sellouts”.

I never thought I’d hear the phrase “sellout” used for an unsigned band because I’ve always thought that it applied to musicians signed to a label, or who’ve changed their image to please the mainstream and sell more albums. Clearly I was missing something here. It turned out it wasn’t BRM’s sound that bothered the crowd or even their image, it was their attitude. Because they’ve shared the stage with some well-known names like Kiss Kiss and The Scenic, they were walking around as though they were better than all the other bands in the room. This made me wonder: What is considered “sellout” in today’s music industry, and does it still apply to unsigned musicians like BRM?

I brought these questions to a few newbie and veteran musicians of the Bronx and Queens, New York hardcore scene. Many were focused on how a musician loses their sound and original goals. Foisol Khan, vocalist and singer of Queens band Kentucky Vampire Clan, looked at this topic from the fans perspective:

Fans will say a band is 'selling out' because they either don't like the music that the band is now producing, or they can't tell that the band is still the same, but just more popular, and not their "own" anymore or fans cannot take 'progress' and/or stylistic changes because a band doesn't want to play the same style of music anymore.

Justin Melendez, vocalist and guitarist of Bronx band The Day Before focused more on the benefits of getting signed to a label:

If you have no money today and you are recording with shitty gear and you write an album in a completely uninspiring room, garage, or basement, getting signed gets you a studio space that is actually comfortable and enjoyable to be in. Bands who make a good amount of money and are now riding in style, might be seen as a sellout, but if they follow that kind of road that I just described, then it's clear that they were just putting the money they made into bettering their situation

Are musicians really a “sellout” when they’re simply just trying to make a living? It’s an amazing feeling to play to a crowd full of your fans, but it’s even better when you’re going home with money in your pocket after doing something you love.