Bah Hummer: “Tuesday, February 21, 2006
The Thermals, a rambunctious rock band from Portland, Ore., were en route between gigs last year when they got a phone call from their label, Sub Pop. Hummer wanted to pay them $50,000 for the right to use their song ‘It’s Trivia’ in a commercial.
‘We thought about it for about 15 seconds, maybe,’ lead singer Hutch Harris said.
They said no.
Washington D.C.’s Trans Am were offered $180,000 by Hummer for the song ‘Total Information Awareness.’
‘We figured it was almost like giving music to the Army, or Exxon,’ guitarist Philip Manley said.
They said no.
The post-punk band LiLiPUT, who broke up more than 20 years ago, could have pocketed $50,000 for ‘Heidi’s Head’ after making close to nothing during their five-year existence. But they, too, said no.
‘At least I can sleep without nightmares,’ Marlene Marder reasoned.”
Good scoop Phil! Thanks
1. March 2006 at 9:29 pm
So getting compensation and notoriety for your work makes you a “sell out”?
Being paid a ridiculous amount of cash by GM for a 30 second snippet of a song makes you a tool of “the Army”?
Who needs cash and fame; being poor and irrelevant is more fun, right?
At least they still have their silly elitism bloated egos.
2. March 2006 at 2:29 am
Selling out is when you agree to make money promoting something that you are against. I’m sure some people have no problem with using their art for selling gas guzzlers, cigarettes and porn. As an artist you are in even BIGGER trouble if your audience is against the thing which you are promoting. For them it could be a bit of both. They might make $50k in the short run, but lose fans in the long run. -R.T.