Why Wilco Hasn't Sold Out

Licensing songs for commercials has always been a taboo topic and one I haven't ever had a fierce opinion on because I know that the music business, and this world, is constantly evolving and altering. Just yesterday I walked over to Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago to browse through the Virgin Record Store on my lunch break, only to find that everything in the store was 25% off because they are going out of business. The music industry is in a descent that hasn't been seen since the collapse of Enron. The industry is barely surviving and these artists and bands need to do what they have to do to endure.

But wait a minute, don't Wilco have untold millions in the bank? I don't know, but I doubt it. No Wilco album has even gone gold (500,000 copies sold) and they continue to play modest size venues even though they could potentially play larger arenas if they wanted. People find Wilco endearing because of their honesty, truthfulness and the sincerity with which they have handled their careers. They've never charged an obscene amount for concert tickets, offered free downloads and always treat their fans with utmost respect. One of the deals Wilco has with their fan base is; "Download all you want, but please buy the product when it hits stores so we can continue to do what we do". Now, this may be easier said than done. It's no secret their newest album, 'Sky Blue Sky' was leaked back in March even though the album didn't hit store shelves until May. It's a melancholy gem that intensifies with every listen and unlike certain Chicago rock critics-I didn't have to listen to the album thirteen times to discover this. Despite having the mp3's, I wanted to support the band. I am a golden oldie who prefers buying a store bought cd because let's face it, the sound of a cd can't compare with compressed mp3's. One problem; I went to four Best Buy's and couldn't find the album. No joke. Did I mention I live in Chicago�Wilco's hometown? I found the album at Virgin, Borders and other retailers, but it was $18.99 and that's too much for me. With music stores decreasing daily, how can these bands survive when people like me want to buy the album but can't find it at a decent price? They try and broaden their horizons and possibly expand their audience. It should also be noted that Wilco is not leasing their songs to McDonald's. I am sure they put a lot of thought into whether or not to do this and I feel they didn't sell out. If anything, licensing these songs may very well allow Wilco to continue to make music and keep their ticket prices fair.

I for one am happy to hear Wilco have licensed their songs for commercials as it will hopefully finally bring an end to bashing artists who license their music for commercial means. If Wilco can do, can't anyone? Let's face it, the landscape has changed dramatically in less than a decade and we all need to subsist. To those of you who cry sellout, let me ask you this; do you have health insurance? Where does your paycheck come from? Unless you are an independent store owner chances are we have all sold out in some form or fashion in our life. Hell, the term "sold out" is lousy�I rather look at it as surviving and evolving. We all want to live comfortable stress free lives if possible and once we all have children we want what is best for them. Wilco has thrived artistically because when their audience listens to their music and pays to see them in concert, they relate to them. These are people with bills, mortgages and children just like the rest of us. Don't rag on them, embrace them. Here is a group of individuals looking for a little more exposure and there is nothing wrong with that. One of the things that drive me insane about the music industry is the elitist mentality. I can't imagine anyone on this Earth who writes a song and doesn't want audience gratification from it. I've never met anyone who told me they wanted to play bars for forty-years and be happy that their audience is around fifty people a night. We all want love and acceptance in life and the guys in Wilco are no different.

The lack of success and a break through album forever grated at the Ramones. Here was a band who wanted to be the biggest band in the world and by the time their Phil Spector produced 'End of the Century' failed, they came to terms with it and hit the road and performed 200+ shows a year. But the thing about the Ramones is that I don't think they ever got over the fact that they never achieved a platinum album. God knows they should have, but they didn't and in the end, three of the four original members never saw the age of sixty. They died with broken hearts and in truth, couldn't really stand each other at the end of their careers. There is a part of me that the Ramones would have made even greater music and possibly lived longer is they had experienced even a small amount of success (through albums that went Gold consistently, etc). I don't want to see this happen to Wilco because they're a damn fine and vital band who I hope to continues to make music for decades to come.

As 'The Sopranos' faded into the sunset, David Chase stunned the world with the final song used on the show, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". The choice came from out of left field and was an enigma to many music fans because Chase has prided himself on having extraordinary taste in music. It's not that Journey's music isn't good, but it's a little hard to have indie credibility when you have sold 70-million albums. The irony is that while explaining my interpretation of this final scene the following day with friends, not all of whom are music lovers, I was able to give my theory of the ending without having to explain what the song was about because everyone I spoke to knew the song. While I realize that Wilco would probably never want to ever venture into the same realm as Journey (and I do realize that this is first article in history to even mention these two bands in the same sentence) I do feel that Wilco is striving to stay alive and hopefully bring a few more people along for the ride with them. As long as the music is good, there is nothing wrong with that. I wish them the best.

Anthony Kuzminski can be found at The Screen Door

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