selling out?

[Lee32]

im new to this , but seems the more mainsteam you go, the less creative control you will have. i think that when the money starts talking the nc we know with the bg sound......will be gone. ( i hope not) the last time an artist with a bluegrass sound went mainstram ( allison krauss) she sold out completey ( song for disney movies??????) i think nc are the most awesome muscians ive ever heard.......i hope it stays that way :)

[jaceyhomen]

Lee This subject has been discussed at length on this board. Many fans share your concern.

The general thought is, however, that NC will go wherever their talents and desires and ambitions take them. Wherever it is they will always be brilliant and special and unique. Chip (one of our moderators) assured us that NC's contract with Sugarhill allows them to pursue their own music, their own style and they will not be forced to comply with the record producer's idea of what Nickel Creek sounds like or which sound will bring in the most $$$.

We can't pigeon hole them or expect them to hold back the reins of their talent just because we might like pure bluegrass better. I think they have quite an adventure ahead of them and it will be great fun watching which roads they go down!

Welcome aboard our board!
Jacey

[Lee32]

i really hope you are right

[katiekind]

The article posted yesterday in another thread (which may come from Billboard Magazine originally, it's kind of hard to tell.) had some great quotes from the band about their attitude in making the new record that should calm fears of selling out:

I don't really know what people's expectations for us are, because people are kind enough not to burden us with those, 21-year-old mandolinist Chris Thile says. Our expectations for ourselves are huge.

We tried to keep the same attitude we had in recording the first one and that was that we just wanted to make a good record, something that we would be proud of, says Sean Watkins

Sara Watkins says she wasn't necessarily nervous about making the new record, just really excited about the material and the potential of these songs. We laid down some fun little touches and treats. It was very rewarding. We were just trying to stay true to ourselves.

It's our duty to make great music. That's why we're here as a band, Thile says. And when it comes to the new record, he cautions listeners to expect to be uncomfortable throughout the entire record, just a little bit. That sort of pleasant uncomfortableness is what I like about it. I feel on edge and I love to be on edge. It's not wallpaper music. It's not something that's going to go well at a party for background music. It demands to be dealt with aurally. It's more adventurous.

It sounds to me like they are blessed to have a situation where they can simply make the music they're interested in, in a way they can be proud of.

[tk2]

Why must a band be considered a sell out because they reach a level of sucess and to reach the next level of sucess must adapt to the market??

You constantly hear of old school fans who consider an artist had sold out and they won't support them anymore. Meanwhile the artist is playing in front of larger crowds and selling more units than ever before. If an artist gains 2 new fans for every 1 old fan how can the artist be blamed for taking that path. I know many talented musicians who have never made it and all they talk about is how cool it would be to be up on stage of a major club, arena or stadium. I can understand not liking the music that is produced by some artists as they change, the music becomes different with new influences and ideas and may not meet with someone's taste. I don't understand why this is the artists fault. And with that, at what point is the baseline created for selling out the first album made?? the first commercially successful album?? the first album you liked??

There have been artists who prolonged their carrer by adjusting to the market and making their music. Two excellent examples in my mind are Aerosmith and George Strait. Their current music sounds very little like their originally commercially successful material but it is still their music.

Sorry, I don't mean to rant and I hope no one takes this personal. I just don't understand the selling out idea and thought I would add my 1.5 cents to the discussion.

[Lee32]

first of all......i think the idea of selling out means that an artist will change there musical style to make a dollar. i dont think they have a real good idea how much money they will make after that 1st cd hits. Its also easy for the money to do the talking heres the record deal ...x amount of money....but......change this, this and this happens all the time......when an atrist starts making music for the money for the dollar, its all over. most artists probably start off because they love music then..they get away form there roots after the green..steps in. George strait , sounds now alot like he did when he first came along......i disagree that his music has changed ( not much anyway) as far as aerosmtih goes.....i think that pop artists sell out before they ever get started. Time will tell if NC sells out....and changes..for the dollar( i hope not) . i hope they stay true to there form. they have a little bit of success....reminds me of an old saying when you go to the dance.....you dance with who brought you

[jaceyhomen]

Interesting posts here. And Lee...an even older saying is If you go to the dance with a person, you go home with that person. Which is even more of a commitment.

I'm really not the least bit worried about NC selling out. Their music will change (they're very young...) but not because of money. Trust me, I've raised 103 children (well, seemed so...) and as my children told me, Mom....it's like you can read our foreheads....like a ticker tape going by... Well, I can read NC's collective forehead, and we have nothing to do but enjoy their progress and their growth. Would I lie to you?

Jacey

[warlord]

Even more so, Sara, Sean and Chris are not the same pepole they were a year ago, or two years ago, or five years ago. Indeed, I would be surprised if [B}anyone[/B] could say that they haven't changed over time.

One of the cool things about being on the receiving end like we are is that we can visually (or musically in the case of NC) see their growth and change over time. You can hear the difference in the music between albums, or even between concerts -- usually for the better, sometimes for the worse.

The only question that matters is whether you (they?) stay true to themselves. That is the most you can ever ask of anybody. Well, you could ask more, but I wouldn't expect them to comply.

Anyways, I could go on, but you've got better things to read.

-derek

[jaceyhomen]

Derek Very true. You know, even if they ever decide to pass up their own style to take on a more lucrative style...who are we to criticize? (she says, while admitting to be horrified at the thought...) It's their talent and their music and their livlihood. If they make decisions based on amount of income, well....don't we do that, too, sometimes....in our own jobs?

And how would we even know if they're selling out? Maybe they really might feel an artistic calling to do....oh, I don't know....honky tonk or something.

We probably should refrain from speculating or criticizing and just accept them and rejoice in their talent and let 'em run free!

Jacey[noise]

[warlord]

Jacey The only power I feel I have over NC's (or anyone's) music is to like it or not like it. If I like it, I buy it, I go to their shows, introduce it to my friends, etc. If I don't like it, I don't.

Every once in a while a band will shift music in a way that I dislike. If that happens I stop listening to them for a while. However, that's fairly rare.

Just look at Bare Naked Ladies as an example. I saw them in Boston in '92 during the failed US tour. They played The Paradise, a small club that fit maybe 200 people (if that). Now look at them. They are still just as anti-establishment as they've always been. They are still BNL.

Knowing NC as I do, I'm confident that they will write the music they want to write, and perform the shows they want to perform. Nothing else really matters.

-derek

[jaceyhomen]

Derek You are absolutely right!
Jacey