Did Metallica Sell-out?

[rt052192]

My friend and I have argued this countless times. I staunchly believe that Metallica are sellouts and I don't even listen to the trash that came out after the black album. My friend on the otherhand believes that Metallica tried something new and was "successful" and that it showed their musical diversity. I will admit that Death Magnetic was a step towards then old Metallica, but too little too late for me.

For all of those who are fans or are even familiar with the band, Metallica, do you believe that they are sell-outs? After the infamous black album their style of music was drastically altered and in my own opinion, for the worse. I did enjoy the black album, but after load, reload, etc. I just couldn't listen to it anymore; it just isn't Metallica. Every album after the black album hit the #1(i think) and sold millions of copies. These albums may have sold more, but paled in comparison to the quality of music that Metallica used to create. Clearly money, not the music was what mattered most to Metallica. They traded their original style of music for generic mainstream "success"

With this being said, most of which is my own opinion, do you think that Metallica are sell-outs?

Since we are on the topic, what qualifies a "sell-out?"

 

[Miumaru]

Nah, they just made their music crappier.
Also selling out is rarely used to mean what its supposed to. To sell out, a band or whatever has to care about the money, not their art, and thus only does things for the sake of making money...like Activision.

 

[Berserker119]

I'm a huge fan of Metallica, and I started out with the Black Album, so it'll always be good to me. As for being sellouts, I don't really think so, because all they did was change their sound, along with their bassist. After Cliff died, and Jason was brought in, they couldn't do the really heavy stuff anymore. Now that they have Rob, they might change their sound again, back to being heavy, but in the meantime, give them some credit for stepping outside of their original comfort zone. After the masterpiece that was Master of Puppets, it's hard to follow.

 

[Outright Villainy]

Metallica's last two albums are much further from selling out than the black album. The black album was ridiculously commercialised.
Just because you think their newer stuff is worse, it doesn't mean they sold out.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Yes, yes they did. And yeah, Death Magnetic's a step toward their old stuff, but way too small a step.

 

[DividedUnity]

a sell-out band as a band who stop writing music for their enjoyment and because they want to do but instead write music for the money of another album being sold.

Basically this. I don't count a band changing its style as selling out. Only if they start making music solely to make money and not to create music as Payj said.

 

[manythings]

Well I would think the plagiarism was kind of the first sign of them being whores. It makes the napster thing all the more ridiculous. youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-k0QmSwik&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTnuGkZgaMc&feature=related Just because I came across it by accident and it is kind of interesting.

 

[rt052192]

Yes, I am sure the members of Metallica cry themselves to sleep at night over the loss of their musical integrity. They cry in their huge homes while laying on huge piles of money and wipe away the tears with $100 bills, then they get their butlers to burn the money to hide their shame...

They changed their style. Who cares? If they changed it and failed then no one would care, if they did not change it then they would have become stagnant and be nowhere today.

Plenty of artists change their style and no one cares, it is just that Metallica were part of a arrogant, whiney culture that instantly thinks anything "mainstream" is crap.

imagine your favorite band completely changing their musical style to something you disliked very much and they profited from it. You can honestly say that you wouldn't mind? Out of curiousity, what is it that you listen to?

 

[Lineoutt]

Yes.

Ok I need to write more so here. Metallica is a sellout but their old stuff is good.

 

[JSkunk22]

I don't know/care if they "sold out" they made money doing something they have a passion for: music. If making money or cutting your hair or being in a Dr. Pepper commercial makes you a sell out, then maybe you'd prefer if these people went broke and couldn't make any money being a musician. That being said, I don't like their music, but can still respect the fact that they created something, for better or worse.

 

[Moriarty]

the more relevant question would be, who cares?

Is it really important what the artists motivation was if you like their music?

 

[rt052192]

the more relevant question would be, who cares?

Is it really important what the artists motivation was if you like their music?

it does matter because their music after they "sold-out" sucks compared with their music before the "sellout." Had I liked their music I wouldn't give a rats ass about them "selling out"

 

[WilliamRLBaker]

Take KISS for example they have admitted to selling out from day one, they got into the business cause they could make music and make money at it not just to make music.
I hate Pretentious song writers and singers that actually think they are into it for making music if that was the case the successful ones would donate all their cash except the bare minimum to charities.

they said Metallica sold out certain people when they cut their hair...their freaking hair.
Ill say this, I don't think metallicas music has changed, people have changed and their ideas of what the music sounded like, I get the same emotions and feelings and enjoyment out of metallica music from kill em all, to St anger.

 

[Moriarty]

the more relevant question would be, who cares?

Is it really important what the artists motivation was if you like their music?

it does matter because their music after they "sold-out" sucks compared with their music before the "sellout." Had I liked their music I wouldn't give a rats ass about them "selling out"

that's the same thing!

Does the reason why they changed their style matter?

Nobody will care if you don't like their music anymore because they changed,
people change all the time, for better or worse.

Don't worry about selling out, try to find something else whats more compatible to your taste

 

[cerebus23]

I tihnk back to the good old days when metallica were a garage band and more or less underground, when they refused to make videos for mtv or radio friendly music.

Then they did make their first mtv video and the fall came soon after the black tour, when they made enough money touring for what 3 years on that album? They got fu money off that tour and then they got a sweet record contract and became lapdogs for the industry as a whole, where early metallica made a good living and got alot of exposure off bootlegs and people sharing albums and turning more people onto them, the new metallica was full lock step with the industry with shutting down the scourge of the music world napster etc.

So while i am sure many artists did not like music sharing over the internet, many kept their mouths shut, a few embraced it, and then even fewer like metallica made it their crusade in life to aid the industry any way they could to stomp it out. Not that it seems to have much effect in all the file sharing sites and whatnot that still exist today.

 

[FlikViktor]

I really like Metallica, but I do believe that they're sellouts. Best any only way I can argue this is Napster. You had tons of artists that were actually happy to have there music spread out on the free sharing site, and then you had Metallica who did just about everything in there power to get it shut down because they weren't getting there cut. When it comes right down to it they started caring about the money more then about the music. Now don't get me wrong I'm not an idiot, bands make music so they can become famous and make money. However when your a young person your goal wasn't to make tons and tons of money it was to have people hear your music because you loved to play, I believe they lost touch with that. They did a number of years later state that they believe they handled the whole situation wrong and regret doing it.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I don't know...did they genuinely breach ethics that they always claimed to have? Or are people just annoyed that they changed?