"The Germans must have a word for the heartbreak you experience when you see that some of your favorite music is on sale at Starbucks." --Spencer Ackerman
(Jackie, is it true?) Thankfully I haven't seen Fugazi on sale there yet.
If anyone has a word for that, it's the Germans. I hope Eugene's not reading this: he likes the music at Starbucks and thinks that attitude is elitist. :)
My point wasn't to demean 'Starbucks' music so much as to lament the use of good music to sell other things (coffee, cars, etc.). Lord knows I listen to enough Starbucks-y music and it's not like I won't listen to major label bands on principle. And yeah, the basic concept of "selling out" is pretty problematic.
Still, Fugazi and a lot of other bands pride themselves on being DIY and independent and turned down a lot of cash to do so. I think it really would break my heart to see them for sale by the cash register.
Starbucks isn't using music to sell coffee, they're using coffee to sell music. That's what I really dislike, the commercialization of everyday living, including any and all public spaces.
Hi Doug - yeah, I agree with that. But, for me, its not just the "commercialization of public space" that I find annoying, but the feeling that lots of the culture I encounter is filtered through some corporation or other.
And I bet if you're some young artist trying to get noticed you feel pressure to play that game. Not that its not a legitimate choice to make, but it does skew things.
5 comments:
If anyone has a word for that, it's the Germans. I hope Eugene's not reading this: he likes the music at Starbucks and thinks that attitude is elitist. :)
Hey Jackie,
My point wasn't to demean 'Starbucks' music so much as to lament the use of good music to sell other things (coffee, cars, etc.). Lord knows I listen to enough Starbucks-y music and it's not like I won't listen to major label bands on principle. And yeah, the basic concept of "selling out" is pretty problematic.
Still, Fugazi and a lot of other bands pride themselves on being DIY and independent and turned down a lot of cash to do so. I think it really would break my heart to see them for sale by the cash register.
(Sorry Eugene!)
I see what you did here!
Hey Tim,
Starbucks isn't using music to sell coffee, they're using coffee to sell music. That's what I really dislike, the commercialization of everyday living, including any and all public spaces.
It's not the bands who sell out, it's Starbucks.
Hi Eugene - heh!
Hi Doug - yeah, I agree with that. But, for me, its not just the "commercialization of public space" that I find annoying, but the feeling that lots of the culture I encounter is filtered through some corporation or other.
And I bet if you're some young artist trying to get noticed you feel pressure to play that game. Not that its not a legitimate choice to make, but it does skew things.
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