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Pearl Jam did not "sell out" to Target

Hugh Freaking DillonHugh Freaking Dillon Posts: 14,010
edited September 2009 in The Porch
To all of you who argue that PJ "sold out" (that phrase is old and tired anyway) by partnering with Target for the release of Backspacer, let me give you a for-instance on why I think that is false.

I was watching TV the other day. A commercial for Timberland shoes came on; the one where some dude is running through the woods getting chased by a wild boar, a bear, among other animals. I was caught immediately by the song on the ad. I loved it. I researched it, and found it was called "Don't Give Up" by a band called The Noisettes. I immediately went to iTunes and bought the song.

Now, can someone please explain to me what is wrong with a band doing this? It gets their music to a wider audience, and makes more money for the band. Isn't that the whole point?
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Comments

  • ClaireackClaireack Posts: 13,561
    I don't think they sold out.

    But I do think Iggy Pop sold out by doing insurance commericals. I was quite shocked and amazed when I saw it - maybe he needs the money.
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  • SCMike10SCMike10 Posts: 195
    To all of you who argue that PJ "sold out" (that phrase is old and tired anyway) by partnering with Target for the release of Backspacer, let me give you a for-instance on why I think that is false.

    I was watching TV the other day. A commercial for Timberland shoes came on; the one where some dude is running through the woods getting chased by a wild boar, a bear, among other animals. I was caught immediately by the song on the ad. I loved it. I researched it, and found it was called "Don't Give Up" by a band called The Noisettes. I immediately went to iTunes and bought the song.

    Now, can someone please explain to me what is wrong with a band doing this? It gets their music to a wider audience, and makes more money for the band. Isn't that the whole point?


    I TOTALLY agree. Plus the song in the Timberland ad is awesome! I shall be downloading as well :)
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  • Meine liebeMeine liebe Posts: 203
    I am still thankful for the VW ad that introduced me to Nick Drake.
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  • cajunkiwicajunkiwi Posts: 984
    They had to sell the album somewhere, and if they were going through a big box retailer I'd rather it be with one that lets them sell it at indie stores too. Kudos to you, Target. And kudos to Pearl Jam for making $5 off each CD - that's an awesome deal. Now, if only they'd take that money on the road with them and put on more shows... not everyone in the South likes country music, you know... :mrgreen:
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  • decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,977
    cajunkiwi wrote:
    They had to sell the album somewhere, and if they were going through a big box retailer I'd rather it be with one that lets them sell it at indie stores too. Kudos to you, Target. And kudos to Pearl Jam for making $5 off each CD - that's an awesome deal. Now, if only they'd take that money on the road with them and put on more shows... not everyone in the South likes country music, you know... :mrgreen:


    well said, tis my thinking as well.


    i have to say tho, i really don't think i'd like to hear pj doing music for a commerical...or at the very least, it would be entirely dependent on WHAT the commerical is pushing.



    i just saw meatloaf doing an A-1 steak sauce commerical the other day, and let me just say...that was very disconcerting. :|:lol::mrgreen:
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  • PJ Fan est. 1990PJ Fan est. 1990 Posts: 1,788
    it's not selling out when a band get's proper recognition, the Target Ad was more an Ad for Backspacer than it was for Target...i mean yeah the ad was payed for by target, but that's cause that's the only major place to buy it...i mean how else are casual fans and soon to be fans supposed to know PJ still exists and that they have a new album out?...it's their first self released album, they needed a way to get it out to people..."ooo! there's a Target in almost every town! maybe we should partner with them in releasing this album! wait how will people know that we are selling our album at Target? oooo a Target ad! perfect! 'Buy Backspacer by Pearl Jam exclusively through Target and on iTunes'. now we can sell our album successfully!"
  • slightofjeffslightofjeff Posts: 7,762
    I think it would be a little off-putting to hear Pearl Jam's music in a commercial for something other than Pearl Jam. I guess it would depend what they were hawking, I suppose, and what the songs were.

    Could you imagine a song as intensely personal as Alive being used to hawk, I don't know, Budweiser? Seems like it would cheapen the song a bit.

    Maybe the "happy pop songs" of Backspacer would be more conducive to that sort of thing.
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  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    I still think Reznor has it right - give the album away for free as a download and then offer different packages for people who want more and are willing to pay for it. I would love to see PJ do this. I respect what they did with Target and it's definitely a step in the right direction, but it would be amazing to just put it out there and see what happens. Something tells me they wouldn't loose money on the venture.
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  • Hugh Freaking DillonHugh Freaking Dillon Posts: 14,010
    DeLukin wrote:
    I still think Reznor has it right - give the album away for free as a download and then offer different packages for people who want more and are willing to pay for it. I would love to see PJ do this. I respect what they did with Target and it's definitely a step in the right direction, but it would be amazing to just put it out there and see what happens. Something tells me they wouldn't loose money on the venture.

    yeah, Billy Pumpkin is doing the same with his new SP album. Giving all 44 tracks away for free, but releasing 11 "uber-limited" 4-song EP's for those that really want to collect them. that works for established acts, I agree. And Radiohead actually made MORE money doing it their "pay want you want" system than they would have charging a set amount through a label.

    I don't know, I don't think I'd have a problem if a PJ song was in a commercial. To me, that's way different than if were to see Jeff peddling an anti-mugging device or something IN the commercial. But just your song in it to me is no biggie.
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  • breath123breath123 Posts: 397
    DeLukin wrote:
    I still think Reznor has it right - give the album away for free as a download and then offer different packages for people who want more and are willing to pay for it. I would love to see PJ do this. I respect what they did with Target and it's definitely a step in the right direction, but it would be amazing to just put it out there and see what happens. Something tells me they wouldn't loose money on the venture.

    completely disagree.

    They make music to make money. The cd is priced right.

    This is what Lars Ulrich was bitching about with Napster.

    I'm guessing your age is about 25 or younger...am I right?
  • markin ballmarkin ball Posts: 1,075
    If you are making any money from your music/art you are a "sell-out." Who is to say where the line is or the difference in degree might be? The question is...do you like the music or not?
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  • krymsinkrymsin Posts: 75
    It will be a cold, depressing day when i hear "Alive" in a car commercial, or "Even Flow" shilling some shaving cream, or ...

    I see nothing wrong with a commercial for a product that the BAND created (and i think having Cameron Crowe direct the Target spot only adds to the coolness and validity), but i lost a lot of respect for Stone Temple Pilots when i heard "Wicked Garden" in a Toyota truck commercial.

    I couldn't stand it if PJ did followed suit ...
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  • DeLukinDeLukin Posts: 2,757
    breath123 wrote:
    I'm guessing your age is about 25 or younger...am I right?
    Nah, over 35 actually. I just think the strategy to give your music away and let the masses decide if it's worth buying more, or seeing your on tour, or buying merch, etc is great. For an established band like PJ who still has a pretty big fan base, it would be interesting to see them try it. I'm not a huge fan of Trent Reznor, but he experimented with different packages and had a lot of success. If PJ tried it and it didn't work, they could always go back to making secretive commercials, not playing new songs until the album releases, and suppressing leaks. I'm not being a hater, and I'm not opposed to the Target deal at all, but that's just my opinion about where they could go next...
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  • PillowPantsPillowPants Posts: 4,877
    what is payed?

    and how do you loose money?

    :mrgreen:
  • Ledbetterman10Ledbetterman10 Posts: 16,948
    Johnny Sitar wrote:
    To all of you who argue that PJ "sold out" (that phrase is old and tired anyway) by partnering with Target for the release of Backspacer, let me give you a for-instance on why I think that is false.

    I was watching TV the other day. A commercial for Timberland shoes came on; the one where some dude is running through the woods getting chased by a wild boar, a bear, among other animals. I was caught immediately by the song on the ad. I loved it. I researched it, and found it was called "Don't Give Up" by a band called The Noisettes. I immediately went to iTunes and bought the song.

    Now, can someone please explain to me what is wrong with a band doing this? It gets their music to a wider audience, and makes more money for the band. Isn't that the whole point?


    Dude, Eddie Vedder sold out a LONG time ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QrS3yePl8
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  • bigbadbillbigbadbill Posts: 1,758
    cajunkiwi wrote:
    They had to sell the album somewhere, and if they were going through a big box retailer I'd rather it be with one that lets them sell it at indie stores too. Kudos to you, Target. And kudos to Pearl Jam for making $5 off each CD - that's an awesome deal. Now, if only they'd take that money on the road with them and put on more shows... not everyone in the South likes country music, you know... :mrgreen:

    If Pearl Jam makes more money, that means they'll make more albums - DUH!!! I really doubt Ed's going to be appearing on an episode of Cribs, even though that would be an interesting episode.
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  • dissident31dissident31 Posts: 92
    I think it's really cool that PJ gave away 2 Free Concert Downloads to go with the CD. There are not many bands that would do this for their fans. And you even get a choice of concerts in case you already bought one or two of the boots! As far as the Target thing goes, who the hell cares. As long as I don't see PJ music playing in a car commercial, I'm good with it. The 2 free downloads is a really amazing gift from the band.
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  • breath123breath123 Posts: 397
    DeLukin wrote:
    breath123 wrote:
    I'm guessing your age is about 25 or younger...am I right?
    Nah, over 35 actually. I just think the strategy to give your music away and let the masses decide if it's worth buying more, or seeing your on tour, or buying merch, etc is great. For an established band like PJ who still has a pretty big fan base, it would be interesting to see them try it. I'm not a huge fan of Trent Reznor, but he experimented with different packages and had a lot of success. If PJ tried it and it didn't work, they could always go back to making secretive commercials, not playing new songs until the album releases, and suppressing leaks. I'm not being a hater, and I'm not opposed to the Target deal at all, but that's just my opinion about where they could go next...

    Interesting. My generation were record "buyers". until computers became big you really couldn't duplicate a cd easily and before the net there was no place to get music but the store. before i tunes....

    oh you get the picture. I think the youngins expect to get the music for free because they don't see it as a product per se.

    This is kind of the third era of Pearl Jam. I'm guessing they wanted to kick it off on stable footing.
  • MarvelousManMarvelousMan Posts: 55
    well..they are an indepedent band now. They aren't under contract with Sony anymore so Im sure that more advertising dollars are coming out of their own pockets. Target isnt such a bad store anyway.
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  • PrlJmr10PrlJmr10 Posts: 130
    Yep...Pearl jam sells out...EVERY NIGHT!!!!!

    I see nothing wrong with them pursuing different avenues to get their music out. They are their own captain now, let them stretch their legs. If you truly love the music - you won't care where you have to grab it from.

    Thanks PJ, for another fantastic piece of work...now hit the south!!! PLEASE :)
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  • Hugh Freaking DillonHugh Freaking Dillon Posts: 14,010
    Ledbetterman10 wrote:
    Dude, Eddie Vedder sold out a LONG time ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3QrS3yePl8

    that's awesome! I've never seen that before!!! :lol:
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  • LikeAnOpeningBandForTheSunLikeAnOpeningBandForTheSun Posts: 6,097
    they really did sell out a long time ago. what is the average age group on this board, 14? no one gives a fuck about selling out anymore anyway. its stupid.

    i saw a Mitsubishi commercial with a Hum song in the bakground, and i thought it was the most awesome thing i saw that night. glad somebody is paying one of the most underrated bands in music history.
  • theJawastheJawas Posts: 395
    There was some commercial for some cause that had Harrison Ford on it and Corduroy. I know that's different, but it was still surprising hearing PJ in an ad. There was some ad using "Rise Up" that I saw before Milwaukee Brewer games last season too, which was also a charity thing.
  • Dark StarDark Star Posts: 496
    I can't believe I am commenting on Target but.....

    This is the best deal of their lives.
    Complete artistic control.
    Complete media control (except for one video).
    There is no target logo on the record.
    You can find the record at other places if you are personally against Target.
    They cut out more big box retailers than ever before, so in essence it was an anti-corporate move.
    They have complete ownership of the songs.
    It's a store, not an 'evil' record company, which I hear are troublesome to deal with.

    If anyone has a complaint, maybe it should be that PJ used the biggest record company in the world (as of 06) to distribute their stuff overseas. But I am sure they have total artistic freedom with that deal as well.

    Anyway, it was a good deal... I got mine from target and enjoyed two new live shows. I'll get the 10club version at a later date.
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