Editing Selling out (section)

====Record labels and advertising====

Since the time of [[big band]] radio shows, there has been an established relationship between musicians and commercialization. There had been some signs of resistance to this model as early as the 1960s, when gospel group [[The Blind Boys of Alabama]] refused to sign record deals to record secular music.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ktep.org/post/clarence-fountain-leader-and-founding-member-blind-boys-alabama-dies-88|title = Clarence Fountain, Leader and Founding Member of Blind Boys of Alabama, Dies at 88| date=4 June 2018 }}</ref> It was not until the [[punk subculture]] in the 1970s that the notion that musicians should be completely independent of commercial influences began to increase in popularity.<ref name=GreatSellOut /><ref name=Cnet>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13526_3-20002543-27.html|title=Can bands sell out anymore?|first=Matt|last=Rosoff|publisher=Cnet|date=14 April 2010|access-date=21 July 2012}}</ref> This partly manifested itself in the reluctance of bands to sign for major labels, as this would include taking part in activities that were seen as crass and overly commercial.<ref name=Science>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7901003.stm|title=The science of selling out|first=Stephen|last=Dowling|publisher=BBC|date=20 February 2009|access-date=21 July 2012}}</ref> This continued into the 1980s, when bands were scorned by [[fanzines]] for signing with major labels as the mainstream success this would bring was symptomatic of the general decay in culture.<ref name=GreatSellOut /> However, after a number of bands maintained the quality of their records after signing for a major label, by the end of the 1980s the focus on "selling out" shifted to advertising.<ref name=GreatSellOut />

The attitude held by those who disliked the idea of "selling out" towards advertising was negative; comedian [[Bill Hicks]] claimed that any band who licensed their music for advertising was "off the artistic roll call forever",<ref name=GreatSellOut /><ref name=Science /> and [[Neil Young]] mocked the fact that songs became associated with brands on his 1988 album ''[[This Note's for You]]''.<ref name=GreatSellOut /> However, although it was possible for fans to feel a sense of betrayal due to the relationship they developed with the song and artist, when artists did allow their music to be used for commercials others considered the advertised product to be more appealing.<ref name=Science /> As CD sales fell and record companies became unwilling or unable to afford the push new bands needed to become established, sponsorship of bands by major companies began to be seen as more acceptable, with even minor record labels devoting time and money towards marketing deals with well-known brands.<ref name=Cnet />

By the 2010s, the use of licensing of artists in commercials had become an accepted part of the music industry, and even those who would previously have been considered part of the 1970s resistance to "selling out" have been used in advertising products, such as former [[Sex Pistols]] frontman [[John Lydon]] advertising Country Life [[butter]] and [[Iggy Pop]] endorsing car insurance.<ref name= Science /> Consequently, it has been suggested<ref name=Cnet /><ref name=Risk>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/2009/11/risk_management_can_an_artist.html|title=Risk Management: Can An Artist Sell Out When There Are No Boundaries?|first=Carrie|last=Brownstein|publisher=NPR Music|date=11 November 2009|access-date=21 July 2012}}</ref> that the acceptance of music in advertising is generational, as younger listeners are comfortable with the relationship to the point of indifference<ref name=Science /><ref name=Risk /> whilst those who have seen the industry evolve still reject it.<ref name=Cnet /><ref name=Science />