noteworthy wrote:
An ode to lost stigma.

It seems as if every commercial these days has a rock band in it. What was once the mark of utter uncoolness, a veritable byword of selling out, has become the norm. More than a decade ago we became inured to the most unlikely parings. Led Zeppelin in a Cadillac ad. The Clash shilling for Jaguar. Bob Dylan warbling for an accounting firm, or Victoria's Secret. An Iggy Pop song about a heroin-soaked demimonde accompanying scenes of blissful vacationers on a Caribbean cruise ship.

There is no longer even a debate, let alone a stigma.

Blame the God of the West: the almighty dollar. All of these artists are more concerned with the earnings of their catalogs. And don't let them off the hook because some of them sold their catalogs. They got the cash from that sale and signed away control of their work for it. What's worse is when it's the artist's children/estate that are driving this. You wouldn't believe the amount of money that can be earned from even a B list artist. We're talking $4M-$10M a YEAR in licensing fees. It's sickening and that engine is what's driving the collusion within the content industries (DMCA, RIAA/MPAA lawsuits, DRM, etc). This is the gravy train that relies on anti-piracy in order to drive profits. It's not new releases or current artists.