Up-Sellers or Sell Outs?

Have you noticed that in the last few years or so music has become extremely commercialized? I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, isn't rock and roll supposed to be at least a little bit anti-establishment? Isn't it supposed to be music for the people, not music for the consumer? OR is the new marketing idea a brilliant ploy on behalf of the music industry just in time -when music is rampantly being pirated and as the CD becomes marginalized? Do the ads promote the musicians, especially the up-and-comers? Do they hurt the musicians - as in "If I hear that damned I-Pod song one more time.."? I can't decide. I do imagine that all of the marketers for these products are twenty somethings, have spiky, blond tipped hair and are constantly updating their Facebooks at work. "Music is my boyfriend.." But then again, not all of the "commercialized" musicians are new ones.

A part of me knows that I'm just jaded because I'm not twenty-something anymore (she said as she updated her oh-so-grown-up blog) and therefore may not be open to the idea that the future of music will forever be tied to the newest product. I'm a thirty something who is fighting against the notion that I can't be a kid forever. My music is no longer the "it" music. Just yesterday, the Fougses asked, "I wonder what it will look like when Snoop Dogg becomes elevator music." For shizzle, yo! But then Snoop is what the thirty somethings listen to these days which makes it old. And thank God we haven't crossed that bridge..yet. It's hard enough listening to the orchestral version of "With Or Without You" or "White Riot" at the grocery store.

I do know that Michael Jackson- who bought the rights to the Beatles songs and then sold them to Sony music - is a bastard for allowing "All You Need Is Love" to be the jingle for some sort of baby wash or wipes or whatever the hell product is being pimped at the moment. (Shaking fist in air - "Damn you Michael Jackson!")

(sigh.) Here are some more examples of the sell outs.. (ahem), I mean up-sellers. I'll let you decided what's what:

Reece's Candy

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

Sony
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out


Verizon
Fall Out Boy - This Ain't A Scene It's an Arms Race


Imogen Heap - Headlock


Cingular
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill


Apple
The Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.


Cadillac?
The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like You