Sellout
The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)
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Narrated by:
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Chris Abell
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Written by:
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Dan Ozzi
About this listen
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-'90s. 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!
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What listeners say about Sellout
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-04-01
Not bad!
The background entertained me and I loved how in-depth the author got, as well as interviews done. I did find the performance dragged in a few parts. But! If you're a fan of punk music and history? Definitely listen!
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- Jay Herbert
- 2024-04-22
Thorough and well written
Great book for any music fan. Every band’s story is told from inception until their major label debut. The book weaves seamlessly through stories of the bands while including great quotes from the bands, their labels, magazines or other sources. Highly recommend.
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- Anonymous User
- 2022-08-15
Journey of mainstream punk in early oughts
I watched a lot of the bands from this book rise in popularity from small clubs to giant stages. A lot of them lost me when they made the major label leaps and that’s a big part of what this book addresses. I have a personal stake in this book having been a huge fan of Thursday and others described in this book. Besides that though it’s a great insight into potentially the last time the major labels will gamble on punk bands and also maybe the end of the sellout question as the digital revolution has narrowed financial gains down so much that it isn’t even an option for majors to sign bands that have an inclination to not play ball. A great and important book.
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- KD
- 2025-01-02
Little to do with punk rock history.
Not much time spent on actual punk rock bands or the genres underground history. Presents a generic backstory for bands everyone has heard of.
I didn’t really enjoy the book but I have to take some of the blame there as the description is accurate and I’m not sure what else I was expecting.
Ok as a book about the music industry of the 90s but has little to offer real punk fans.
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