Sell Out/Quotes

"There is a fine line between musical banality and commercialization. Banality showcases the factual designation of being unoriginal and/or giving in to cultural cliche. Commercialization breaches the point in which an artist or band are, essentially, only in it for the money. They dumb down their sound – even more so than usual. They introduce big fancy producers and big-shot executives who instruct them on what is popular nowadays with the kiddies. They make their lyrics and structural compositions safe, clean-cut, and cookie-cutter to the utmost standards. From a critical standpoint, this is a band whose very essence channels the veins of generic, tepid, and uninspired musical compositions – whether or not this is channeling an older vein of professionalization or a forced version of such depends on the musical viewpoint.

Some commercialized and over-produced bands reach for the greater lengths beyond banality and neutralism. Others tend to make their musical aesthetic and computational techniques seem ultimately pointless and mundane, which blurs the lines between their forefront sound and their influential backgrounds. The greediness and cultural aim of much of today’s "popular" music sickens me to the core, and I very rarely end up reviewing any of it due to the fact that – in this point and time – commercialized pop music has extended beyond the solid longitudes of banality and is now past the point of constructive or even cultural criticism."

—MarcelsMusicJournal, in his review of Instant Gratification by Dance Gavin Dance (via Rate Your Music)

"The enlightened are always the first to sell out."

—from an Old World of Darkness game