When Death Cab for Cutie signed to Atlantic Records last year, the indie rock world was shaken-the band that had promised never to sign to a major label had finally done it, and apparently seemed happy about the move to boot. Many more people than just hipsters and so-called music aficionados seemed to be uttering the same words: Death Cab had finally sold out.
But what does it mean to sell out? What exactly defines it? The term is used in popular music more often than the number of times Britney Spears appears in the National Enquirer. Death Cab's bassist Nick Harman laughs at the allegation that his band has sold out. "A long time ago, when we were first approached by major labels, we made a wish list for them," he said. "We didn't want some label telling us that they need some big-name producer to produce our album, just because he's made some huge number-one hit."
Initially, every major label scoffed at their demands and rescinded their offers. But then Death Cab became more popular and was approached by major labels again. Atlantic Records was the only one that said yes to their list of demands and planned to release their new album Plans within a few months. "We were expecting more red flags," Harman said. "But they let us be the band that we need to be."
And then Death Cab started being called a sellout band. "I think I am beginning to understand what it means to sell out," Harman said. "It's like betraying some inherent truth about yourself or some maxim of the band. The thing is, we're the same band on Atlantic that we were on Barsuk (Records). We would have released Plans on Barsuk; it's not like we're going to start dating supermodels now that we're on a major label. How does that mean we've sold out?"
But Death Cab will always face some resentment now that they switched to a major label. "I don't think that these people understand that Barsuk's name will still be on every upcoming album, or that they will be releasing all of the vinyl," Harman said. "I feel bad for those people who think that every corporate label is bringing the downfall of music. What they don't realize is that most 'independent' labels are actually at least partially owned by major labels. I've always just wondered what their record collections look like. There have always been amazing records that come out on major labels, so I always just assume that either they're total hypocrites or have terrible music collections."
Despite what Harmer says, not all bands are as positive about the realm of corporate media or selling out. Indie rock superstar band Metric is just one example of a band that has unequivocally refused to sign to a major label, despite incredible success of their debut album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? Recently, the band released their sophomore album Live it Out on independent label Last Gang. While they could have received better sales and more publicity if they signed to a major label, the band chose instead to not stray from their musical philosophy.
"The ability to have more creative control is of major importance to Metric," said bassist Josh Winstead. "The only conscious decision we made about corporate music is to try and avoid aligning ourselves with major corporations that lose sight of the human element." About the current state of mainstream music, Winstead said that it is "blind, greedy, silly and unable to truly enjoy the good fortune that it takes for granted." To Metric, anything that is corporate or associated with a major label is inherently bad; selling out in Winstead's opinion is simply going corporate: nothing more, nothing less.
Zeno Gill, the frontman for the local band The Sames and founder of Durham-based label Pox World Empire, said that he used to think about selling out, but doesn't anymore.
"Selling out is a tricky thing, because it doesn't have a set definition," he said. "To me, the most obvious definition of selling out is compromising the music for commercial reasons. But I think there is also this interesting phenomenon wherein the selling out is intrinsic to the musician or the music. So there could be a band on an indie label that has already sold out by existing."
One great example of the first definition, Gill said, is Liz Phair (see review on page 11). "I think that she would even admit that she sold out," he said. "But that's an example of someone consciously deciding that they will change their music to make more money. And the end results were disastrous."
Contrary to what Metric said, simply making music on a corporate label is not good enough evidence for Gill that a band has sold out. "I think that U2 and Radiohead are great examples of bands that have been on major labels for a long time but have never sold out," he explained. "They're just lucky that the music they love to play happens to be what the mainstream likes."
Although he cannot fault a band for wanting to be able to support themselves, Gill said that there is a difference between trying to make money in a band and existing solely to make money. "If the Beatles play music because they love to, and they get asked to go to Hamburg for a few months and play every night," Gill said, "and accept, saying that they need a little bit of money and an opportunity to present themselves whereby they could keep doing what they were going to be doing anyway but are going to make more money doing it, then that works out just great for everybody. What I get annoyed at are those bands in Los Angeles or New York that are playing music simply to make money. They're taking away from the art of music and are the perfect example of bands who fall under the second definition of selling out."
To Gill, the worst thing that can happen is if one of those inherently sold-out types of bands starts to get popular. "If those types of bands become successful," he said, "essentially it's stealing audience away from better music and it's cheapening the whole field."
Gill appears to be leaning toward Death Cab's understanding of selling out, rather than Metric's. "In the end," he said, "selling out is defined in two ways. The first is that type of band that changes its music just to make money. The other is the type of band that is sold out to begin with. Maybe the latter is better than making the conscious decision to sell out, but the end result is just as bad. Music and money should be separated at all times. That way, the art can be preserved."
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