“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?”, declared Johnny Rotten on stage at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom in 1978 as he finished the Sex Pistols’ last ever performance. Selling out to the man and using music for commercial purposes was once a no-no for artists who wanted to maintain their credibility with fans and critics.
Legendary comedian Bill Hicks once infamously said, if artists were to sell themselves or a song to an advertisement, they’d be “off the artistic roll call forever. You’re another whore at the capitalist gang bang … Everything you say is suspect and every word that comes out of your mouth is now like a turd falling into my drink.”
In a day and age where most artists can barely afford to live off their recording sales, it’s suddenly an ambition for a band or artist to soundtrack an ad or have their song used in a TV show – it’s one of the few remaining decent paydays out there. However, does it erode their artistic credibility? Join us as we countdown some of our favourite rock n’ roll sell outs!
