🎧 Downbeat.fm Vol. 5 Track 9
They totally sold out.
Coming of age musically in the early to mid-90s was such a gift. So much good music was being made, specifically grunge and alt-rock. That was and remains my favorite genre and era of music.
When you are 12-15, image is usually crazy important. You're trying to figure out who you are and what you like defines you. By extension, the things you wanted had to be cool. If you didn't like something cool, how could you be cool? If your favorite band did something uncool, it could be devastating.
"Ugh, they totally sold out."
I don't remember the first time I heard someone say that a band or an artist "sold out," but it was definitely during this window.
The only way your favorite band could have released an album that you didn't like was because they "sold out" to reach a broader audience. "They changed their sound to get radio and MTV airtime" (both still vitally important back then).
I've heard that just about every major band or artist in the 90s "sold out."
Now, I don't hear that as much. I don't know if kids still talk this way, but I doubt it. I can't even remember the last time I thought this way.
Now, when I see musicians or artists promoting some product, or their art is used in a commercial I think, "Good for them. Get paid when, where, and how you can."
What spurned this topic in my head was watching the latest season of The Voice with my wife. These shows are usually way too pop or country-focused for me, so I tend not to pay attention to most singers unless it's a style or song I really like. But one of this season's newest judges is Snoop Dogg. When I saw that, I couldn't help but laugh. Could you imagine if 1993 Snoop saw that he was best friends with a person like Martha Stewart and was judging a singing competition? What would 1993 Snoop think about himself 31 years later?
Hopefully, he'd be happy that he's still popular, relevant, and making money.
September's Playlist
This month’s playlist features Baby Bugs, Wolf Alice, Cherubs, Mad Planets, Blowout and more!
Listen to this month’s playlist on
Quick Listening and Other Links
When I was in middle school, I had a Walkman that I listened to every day on the bus before graduating to a Discman in high school. But with that Walkman, I had half a dozen mix tape cassettes in my backpack at any given time. This digital archive of mix tape cassettes was a wonderful walk down Memory Lane (Memorex Lane?).
