At first, I couldn't believe that I heard AC/DC's rock anthem, "Back in Black" on a recent Wal Mart commercial. I thought, "What a bunch of 'sell outs!'" After thinking about it for awhile, my anger subsided and then I realized that these guys are like anyone else in society who has bills to pay. No one knows the financial situation of these entertainers, so fans should stop labeling these artists as sell outs!

Fans Need to Understand

The thought that a musician or actor or athlete who "sells out" is considered old fashioned thinking. The term of "selling out" is meant for anyone who compromises their own morals, integrity, and beliefs for money or for success.

For instance, a politician is called a "sell out" if his campaign promise to support Union workers becomes compromised when he supports policies that favor corporations, who are against unions. Many would accuse the politician of accepting "bribes" from corporate lobbyists to change his or her mind on corporate policies.

In society, an example of a "sell out" is someone who is turns his back on his own ethnic group and uses this segment in order to "cash in" or become a success. This label is applied to anyone who becomes a success or wealthy at the cost of ruining their own reputation.

The label of being a sell out hurts musicians because their image is built on fans who are the "common man and woman," mainly from the middle-class and below. When the rock band hits mainstream popularity and turns "pop," many fans become disenchanted with the group, calling them sell outs.

Fans don't realize that there will be a time when their favorite musicians do not become popular anymore. As the years go by, there would be little interest in the band and their music. Sooner or later, the musicians have to retire or curb their work and the income stops or plummets to just a trickle. What is there to do when that happens?

The outlet to generate income would be ad agencies and companies who want to feature an individual or group's music for a ad campaign of a product or brand. The company's offer to use a musician's song in a commercial can be lucrative and it can pay the bills.

Musicians are like any person in society. Rock stars need money to survive and they have bills to pay. That's what fans need to understand.

Who Sold Out?

Fans were appalled when the Rolling Stones sold their song "Start Me Up" in Microsoft's marketing campaign for Windows 95. Reports that the band received close to $14 million for the song may have been overblown but the transaction set the bar for popular songs being featured in commercial ads.

A year later, Van Halen sold their remake of "You Really Got Me" in a memorable Nissan 300ZX commercial, featuring G.I. Joe stealing Barbie from Ken.

The Rolling Stones and Van Halen were not the only rock musicians who have been labeled sell outs. Metallica, Green Day, Rod Stewart, Linkin Park, Black Sabbath, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, U2, the Beach Boys, and many more have sold out at one time or another. Metallica was accused of changing their music in order to make it appealing for mainstream audiences and sell more records. The Beach Boys caused an uproar when their popular song, "Good Vibrations" was featured in a Sunkist ad.

The label is not limited to Rock music because many Hip Hop artists/rappers have sold out as well. Fans of the once-hard core rappers like Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Ice Cube, Ice T, 50 Cent, Ludacris, and many other artists are parlaying their success to "softening" their music to sell more records or expanding their "brand" by investing in several businesses or changing their image to pursue an acting career.

Today, musicians have more avenues open to them to become successful not only in music but in other areas (fashion, production company, merchandising, beverages, restaurants, acting, etc.,) as well. Many fans accuse these musicians of making a "money grab" but it is also being labeled as being a "smart businessman."

Being Called a "Sell Out" Isn't Fair

A retired musician has a catalog of songs and albums, so what's he or she going to do with it? Like painters Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, who created paintings that increased in value through the years, a musician has a valuable asset in the form of songs that has value as well.

There is nothing more valuable than a nostalgic song that hypnotizes viewers in a television ad or in a film's soundtrack. Corporations and film studios are dying to get their hands on a once-popular song to promote their products or name brands or films. After all, the baby-boomer audience (born 1949-1964) and a wealthy segment of the population can relate to nostalgic music and will ultimately recognize the goods or brand the ad is selling featuring that one song. The transaction between a company and an artist is honest enough, but NOT to their insufferable fans.

These hypocritical fans are the first ones to label their favorite group or musician a "sell out," crying foul when the artist's song appears in a commercial or part of a film soundtrack.

Is it a crime to sell your music to a company? Is it wrong to diversify as an artist and go into another business in order to make money? Is it wrong to change your music so that you can make more money in a cut-throat business such as the music industry?

The answer is NO! The artist can do whatever they want with their songs and with their careers because they have families to feed and bills to pay.

Fans, Musicians Are Human Too!

There comes a time when every fan has to stop becoming delusional and remind themselves that these rock stars or heroes are just as human as anyone. Besides, if these fans were sitting on a goldmine of songs that ad agencies are dying to get their hands on, wouldn't they try sell it as well? Heck yah!

These artists need to make a living when their careers wind down and if it means selling their music to corporations or going into another business venture, so be it. There's nothing wrong with that and they shouldn't be called a "sell out" for doing it.