Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

Written by Dan Ozzi

Narrated by Chris Abell

NATIONAL BESTSELLER
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Ozzi's reporting is strong, balanced and well told...a worthy successor to its obvious inspiration, Michael Azerrad's 2001 examination of the '80s indie underground, 'Our Band Could Be Your Life.'"--New York Times Book Review

A raucous history of punk, emo, and hardcore’s growing pains during the commercial boom of the early 90s and mid-aughts, following eleven bands as they “sell out” and find mainstream fame, or break beneath the weight of it all
 
Punk rock found itself at a crossroads in the mid-90’s. After indie favorite Nirvana catapulted into the mainstream with its unexpected phenomenon, Nevermind, rebellion was suddenly en vogue. Looking to replicate the band’s success, major record labels set their sights on the underground, and began courting punk’s rising stars. But the DIY punk scene, which had long prided itself on its trademark authenticity and anti-establishment ethos, wasn’t quite ready to let their homegrown acts go without a fight. The result was a schism: those who accepted the cash flow of the majors, and those who defiantly clung to their indie cred.
 
In Sellout, seasoned music writer Dan Ozzi chronicles this embattled era in punk. Focusing on eleven prominent bands who made the jump from indie to major, Sellout charts the twists and turns of the last “gold rush” of the music industry, where some groups “sold out” and rose to surprise super stardom, while others buckled under mounting pressures. Sellout is both a gripping history of the music industry’s evolution, and a punk rock lover’s guide to the chaotic darlings of the post-grunge era, featuring original interviews and personal stories from members of modern punk’s most (in)famous bands:

• Green Day
• Jawbreaker
• Jimmy Eat World
• Blink-182
• At the Drive-In
• The Donnas
• Thursday
• The Distillers
• My Chemical Romance
• Rise Against
• Against Me!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Oct 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9780358450450

Dan Ozzi

Dan Ozzi is a New York-raised, Los Angeles-based writer. Along with Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, he co-authored 2016’s TRANNY, which was listed in Billboard’s “100 Greatest Music Books of All Time.” He has contributed to The Guardian, SPIN, Billboard, The Fader, and others. For more than five years, he was a staff writer at VICE's music website, Noisey.

Reviews for Sellout

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sellout by Dan Ozzi is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in quite some time (within what I think of as "entertainment" reads, ones both about and for my entertainment) while also bringing to light the many conflicting aspects of the overused idea of selling out.As a concept, selling out has a long history. Within music it easily predates punk and within other forms of entertainment, such as sports and writing, it goes back even further. And it is always a questionable idea when applied from the outside, in other words, by fans or journalists catering to those fans. Yet the vast majority of us have used it to discount what some celebrity, individual or collective like a team, has done that we felt went against what we expected. And, as some of the stories in this book show, those artists use the concept to pose as some kind of special entity for their fans, right up until they don't.The thing that makes this book so much fun is that each example is interesting and will take many readers back to that time. So there is that nostalgia fun. There is also the fun that comes from being given the opportunity to think more deeply about an area we often only pretend to give serious thought to, art forms that serve to entertain. Will a reader come away with a more sympathetic and understanding position about their old favorite band that "sold out?" Will the reader think just a bit longer about throwing this particular label on future celebrities that make a move or change that could be interpreted as selling out? Hard to say, the accusation alone offers a form of consolation when we feel left behind by our favorites, so we may well still hurl it. Maybe we will also know in our hearts that things are never quite that simple and clear cut.Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.