Here's the situation, a sponsor approaches an artist to provide
entertainment for an event. Does this seem out of the ordinary? If the
artist decides to provide the entertainment does it make them a
sellout? Sounds to me like every other event artists play. They were
approached with an offer because someone thought their music would best
suit the night. I don't see any real argument to say this artist is a
sellout yet. Alright here's a little more information.
The event
is a new product launch from Apple. Apple's release event for the
iPhone 5 was on September 15th in San Fransisco and decided to make an
event out of it complete with musical guests. Ok, now there are some
more variables like who's the artist, do they fit the product, do they
fit the audience, etc. On face level I still don't see the argument for
selling out. The artist didn't have to change their image and music to
accommodate the client rather they were chosen BECAUSE of their music
and image.
The artist is the Foo Fighters, a rock band with some
serious underground punk roots from back in the day. Naturally seeing
them in front of a big Apple logo upset some of the fans. A lot of
people had something to say about them apparently selling out because of
this. Fans even went so far as to say they no longer like them simply
because of this. Alright I can see where that uneasiness comes from.
This is the Foo Fighters we're talking about. This band has been
through the dirt and grime of the industry and were bred in a time of
taking it to the man in the suit. They don't do corporate events.
Remember
the saying, that was then this is now? Rings true here. The music
business was so much different a decade ago. Come to think about it,
the business isn't the same as it was a week ago. A sellout to some
people simply means making money from a different revenue stream other
than out of a strictly artistic nature. Associating an artist to a
brand or to sell a product was forbidden unless they want to suffer the
wraith of the music scene.
Times have changed. In order to keep
up these days, the artist NEEDS to tap into other revenue streams WHILE
maintaining a consistent image. What if Apple held this event at The
Forum in California (A venue the Foo Fighters have played before)
instead of Apple headquarters? Apple is just the sponsor supplying a
venue for the artist to expose their music. In this case, it's an
intimate setting so the Foo Fighters played an unplugged set. ITS NOT
SELLING OUT IT'S APPROPRIATE.
You can probably guess I'm a Foo
Fighters fan. Matter of fact they are a major influence of mine.
Knowing the band like I do it does not seem out of ordinary for them to
play this gig. They are an incredibly versatile band and have proven
time and time again where their passion comes from and have always been
true to the music and image they represent. Regardless of the artist or
sponsor, if the music and image isn't put in question just to make a
buck, it's not selling out it's just smart placement then. Who gets
paid for what shouldn't be the focus. Realistically, Apple has done so
much for the music industry and for so many artists that any artist
should be honored to play that gig. It'd be different if they helped
launch a new test drug that makes your hair gold. It's for a device you
listen to music on and for a company that is heavily invested into
making music an interactive experience for the customer. I'm as much of
a skeptic as anyone about big corporations and I don't feed on what's
dished out without thinking about it a little deeper. After thinking
about this situation it makes me wonder why the "selling out" mindset
stayed so ancient in a world desperate for the next big thing. Think
about it.
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