Authenticity is something we always want to feel from the art we consume. How do we know if we're getting it or not?

 

People used to talk about artists "selling out" for various reasons. Back when there were more defined "scenes" in music, a band might be accused of selling out if they grew in popularity beyond their scene and into the mainstream. Some examples of bands/artists who have been accused as such were Metallica, Green Day, Nirvana, My Chemical Romance, and Taylor Swift.

 

In my mind, selling out is when someone abandons their morals or artistic values in order to gain more money or popularity. I think in any of the above examples, those artists did not necessarily forsake the quality of their work in an effort to pander to larger audiences. The success they achieved was organic, and their shifts in style or sound was probably also their artistic choice. It's impossible to say for sure as a fan (or a hater) which artists are truly selling out or not, since it comes down to their intention, and we typically don't know their intentions.

 

One artist who I probably would've accused of selling out some years ago would be Twenty One Pilots. I'll admit I was a superfan back in the day, before they blew up into the mainstream. I listened to their self-titled album, Regional at Best, and Vessel so many times throughout high school. Then they stopped playing small venues, started selling out arenas, and some of their songs (remember "Stressed Out"?) were played on a seemingly endless loop on all the pop radio stations. This kind of pissed me off, because I wanted to "gatekeep" their music. I didn't want the niche community that they had cultivated around their music to become homogenized into a mainstream audience. I have seen them probably 5 times in concert, maybe more. The first couple times I saw them were completely transformative experiences for me. The last couple times I saw them, they still put on a great show, but I didn't feel the magic anymore. Part of that magic came from the group of people that made up the fans in those small venues. It truly was a community. People were shaking, people were crying. At their stadium shows years later, the vibe was totally different. You were more likely to see people swaying along to "Lane Boy", smoking joints, making out with their girlfriends.

 

I couldn't fault them for being popular, but I could fault them for making shitty music. To my earlier point of selling out, I felt that Twenty One Pilots "sold out" after Blurryface, not solely because of thier transition from the indie/emo scene into the mainstream pop scene, but because the quality of their music changed too. I tried (somewhat reasonably) to enjoy their subsequent releases, but none of them hit. I just couldn't get into it. I also kind of fell out of favor with their old music too, so maybe I just don't like that style of music anymore and that's that.

 

Now that I am no longer emotionally invested in their music and I'm able to reflect on their history as a band, I don't see them as any different from any of the other artists I listed at the beginning of this post who were accused of selling out. Sure, they got super popular – good for them. I'm sure they wanted to be successful and to be able to support their families with their music. Also, just because they stopped making music about being depressed and anxious doesn't mean they've abandoned their fanbase, or their artistic values. Maybe they're just less depressed and anxious now. They're married. I'm pretty sure Tyler has a kid. Maybe they're just focusing on the good in their lives right now. And maybe the music they're making is truly inspiring to them. Even if to me it sounds boring and lame.

 

Did they sell out? I don't know. You'd have to ask them about their intentions. But it seems like they're just doing what makes them happy.