No, what? It's just what you said. They couldn't stop the merchandize or they wouldn't have got a contract. So, they sold their souls to make a record.

You really need to stop making up things and pulling facts (lies) out of your ass when you have no argument and you've been proven to be a complete hypocrite. It doesn't make you look good.

And? They didn't change thier sound and they don't exist to fit a commercial image, nor do they use thier music as a political label. Thier sound does not need to be compromised to be put on a t shirt or a pen. It DOES need to be compromised to be put on MTV and commercials and TV shows and commercial ringtones etc.

And what is you people's fasination with a couple of pens and some t shirts? It's not even that big of a deal, compared to...well pretty much all bands they hardly have any merchandise at all. They probably make beans off of those trinkets.

You aren't doing any better friend.

As I've said before, with what very little merchandise is produced with the bands name on it, they don't need to change thier sound over pens and shirts.

I've been using logic and sources and expanding upon my statements. You have not, it's pretty sad that just using their website and rateyourmusic I've managed to tell you more about your favorite band than you've told anyone. Do you have any sources to back up your entire statement I quoted? Because until then the hold thing reeks of made up argument to me. You're stumbling over your own contradictions.

They might not have conceived themselves as a band who would fulfil such a role, however, like it or not, intentionally or inadvertently, that's exactly what they do. They

A: fill a certain niche
B: attract a certain specific demographic of the music-listening audience
C: are therefore commercially viable
D: hence why a major label is interested in having them on their team.

Compare that to many indie pop bands like Of Montreal, Les Savy Fav, etc., you'd never get them on major labels as they are just not commercially viable enough. Oomph, Godsmack and so forth, however, are. They appeal to a fairly significant subset of the music listening demographic, as I said. They attract many people of a certain ideological/psychological bearing who are attracted to their way of looking at things and their hyper-depressive melancholic darkness, etc.

I think I've covered this before. But the selling out begins as soon as you sign on to a label. And no it dosen't f*cking matter if its an indie label or a big label.

On an Indie label you actually get more of the money from selling cds than you would on a big label anyway. Its just that on a big label more people are buying because of mass distribution, therefore more money. Either way you're selling your art for profit, thats selling out.

Neither does this lot

http://www.madonnaenligne.com/cyberm.../2005/abba.jpg

And they wrote all their own songs

There's clearly a difference between the extent of selling out. Indie labels in theory give you pretty much complete creative control over what you are doing, major labels do not. Can you imagine if Tool turned round tomorrow and said they wanted to record a gangsta rap album?

Actually, I could see their label going with that. :laughing:

It is one thing I'd pay a fair amount of money to see!:D