underground music

As a personal fan of underground music and culture I can relate to some of the views and feelings when an underground artist goes mainstream, or as some call it “selling out”. When a band or artist crosses over from the underground to the mainstream, several things are likely to happen. I intend to discuss some of the implications, problems, and benefits of an artist crossing over from the volatile world of underground music to the mainstream music scene.
Underground musical groups tend to be fiercely loyal to a specific creed or motto. Most underground persons feel that mainstream music is not quality music: the emotions, the lyrics, and even the image tend to be fake. Underground music is about having a cause and about staying loyal to that cause. Many such bands have specific ideals that they sing about, such as anti-war sentiments or escaping the ordinary trials of every day life. I am not saying that mainstream music does not deal with these issues, but the underground bands tend to be more dedicated to this type of objective. So when an underground band suddenly decides to change their musical style and image, they ultimately have “sold out”: they have sold their beliefs, ideas, and way of life for money and glory. The implication of a band or artist changing scenes is that they have basically thrown out everything they have believed in and worked towards for however long they were underground. This throwing away of beliefs ultimately sends a signal to the often strongly loyal fans that they never really believed in their own music. A sort of betrayal is felt when bands do something such as this. For example, the bands Green Day and The Goo Goo Dolls were once very popular underground punk bands. However, both bands changed their musical styles and ultimately were shunned by their original fans. The bands’ popularity increased greatly because they had changed their music to suit the taste of more people: a taste to feed the masses, so to speak. This leads me into the benefits of a band or artist switching over to the mainstream.
The benefits of a band “abandoning their roots” is that they ultimately make more money. A band can gain a wider fan base when they go mainstream and, if they are good enough, can be catapulted into a super-group; filling stadiums, being adored by thousands of screaming fans, and raking in the money. The underground does not allow for this kind of situation to happen, as most people in the underground tend to have radically different ideas than the mainstream scene; hence the term “underground”. There are many more benefits to going mainstream as well. The feeling of being adored by thousands of fans is more than any person could ask for. Having gone to my fair share of large concerts, I know the feeling that a person can get even if they are just standing in the crowd. When thousands of people are singing the words back to the performer and dancing and stomping to the music, it is an indescribable feeling for not only the fans, but for the band or artist as well. However there are problems with going mainstream, too.
The whole purpose of being an underground band is to proclaim a message. When a band or artist “sells out”, they basically deny the message and ultimately make the point that it is not about the music anymore, it is about the money and the ego trip. Loyal fans feel betrayed when an underground band decides to change their style. The fans feel a connection with the music and the message, and when a band completely changes their genre or style, they have “betrayed” the fans that have been loyal to them for so long. Such bands as The Suicide Machines have recently changed style after years of creating some of the best music in the punk or ska genre. Needless to say, many people were shocked and even angry that they would just throw away all that they had claimed to believe in. A band or artist cannot turn back once they have gone mainstream. In the case of the band Green Day, the small club they once used to play in had shut them out and will not to this day let them play at the venue. In a sense, underground music fans feel a sense of ownership of a band; they were there for the beginning and are willing to stay to the end if a band stays true to what they believe.
In conclusion, going from the underground to the mainstream affects a vast amount of people. Original fans feel betrayed, more people can enjoy this “new” music, and the band or artist gains physical benefits. But at what cost would one be willing to change so drastically? Some bands or artists feel that changing their genre or style is well worth the monetary rewards, whereas some bands or artists would never “sell out”, no matter how much prestige and money they were offered. It is all about where the true beliefs lie, and whether or not it is worth the risk of either losing loyal fans forever or making it to the big time.