4 Musicians and Bands Who “Sold Out” (And We’re Glad They Did)

There’s a negative connotation behind musicians “selling out”. However, sometimes selling out is the best possible thing an artist can do… if done the right way. Let’s take a look at just a few famous bands and musicians who sold out, and why it was the right thing to do.

1. David Bowie

David Bowie “selling out” doesn’t sound quite right. From the moment he began his music career, Bowie has only been interested in indulging in his own creative ideas. However, that doesn’t mean he wasn’t trying to write good, catchy, chart-worthy pop songs. 

When the Let’s Dance era came about, Bowie was clearly trying to write some of the most addicting songs of his career. He even brought in the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Nile Rodgers to work their magic. It worked, too. Let’s Dance catapulted him back into mainstream stardom, and we’re quite happy about it.

2. Rush

Bands like Rush rarely sell out. In fact, many bands who sold out have opted for generic, flashy pop music that is excellent fodder for mainstream charts. Rush, however, did not do that. What they did do was fully embrace synthesizers in 1982 when many rock bands were opposed to the hot new musical trend. 

The result was a gorgeous album, titled Signals, which was well worth “selling out.” Songs like “Losing It” and “Subdivisions” are essential listening.

3. Fleetwood Mac

Even if a group of musicians is talented, that doesn’t mean they won’t struggle a lot for recognition and success. One can’t argue that multiple lineups in Fleetwood Mac have been packed with excellent musicians and songwriters. However, sometimes, you just need to change up your sound to get anywhere. If that’s “selling out”, then so be it.

At one point, Fleetwood Mac was best known as a blues band with Bob Welsh’s jazzy sensibilities. When Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were brought in, the band more or less stopped being a blues band entirely with the release of their self-titled 1975 album. That record yielded some of their very first major charting hits and paved the way for Rumours.

4. Wings

Paul McCartney had a rough start to his solo career after The Beatles broke up. Wings set him straight, and they did quite well for a while. Eventually, it got to a point where McCartney decided to go in the yacht rock direction, literally. The album London Town was recorded almost entirely on a yacht, and many would say that the record is the most pop-focused thing McCartney has ever made.

Is Wings worthy of our list of bands who sold out? Maybe. But they certainly did it right, and successfully. London Town is a stellar, laid-back album perfect for its time. Sometimes a little pop is healthy.

Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

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