 "Photo: Eduardo Herrera | Valley Star")
Some debates never die: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, is AC/DC a hard rock band or heavy metal? While there is an acceptable amount of gray area for whichever side one takes in these debates, there is a definitive line in the sand when it comes to questioning a band's authenticity.
What draws ire for so many rock music fans when determining if a band is a "sell-out" is simple: music soothes even the savage beast. No one wants to have a song that has personal relevance to them mean only a quick check for the band. It gets exponentially harder for someone to find and appreciate new music if they're always questioning the band's intent.
This is not to say that corporate rock doesn't exist or that you don't need to go outside the mainstream to find great music, but the argument between art versus commerce isn't mutually exclusive. Sometimes ingenuity comes out of necessity.
Jimmy Page could have opted not to finish his tour dates with The Yardbirds when his band quit and then never recruited Robert Plant, John Bonham, or John Paul Jones and there would surely be no Led Zeppelin. Arguably the greatest rock band ever was created to solve a financial matter.
This idea of "corporate rock" or "selling out" is a cop-out for people who don't like a particular genre of music or a band but can't exactly explain why. The idea of "Its all about the money and not the music," doesn't hold water. If that is the case it would mean that those "corporate bands" would be releasing an inferior product, and no one wants to buy an inferior product.
This idea that rock music today is all about the money and not about the feeling doesn't apply either. Nine Inch Nails, Pennywise, and Radiohead have all released current albums for free in a display of artistic freedom, yet made more money by self-releasing the album than going through the label. This is an act of artistic integrity and a shrewd business maneuver. Bands like Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, the Black Keys, and the White Stripes make music on their terms – it shouldn't be held against them for being successful at their profession.
To say that rock music today is a façade for the business behind it is insulting to bands who are trying to make good music. People like to draw a line in the sand of what they consider real, but the line has been blurred since rock's inception . It's great there is a market out there in which artists can get paid for what they do best. We shouldn't try to belittle or generalize someone's efforts.
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