It's the age old question - Why do bands 'sell out'? However, I intend to look at the situation from a different angle. The question isn't "Why do bands 'sell out'?", it's "Do bands 'sell out'?"
The label of 'selling out' is defined as any act who is not considered commercial signing to a major label and/or having a top 10 hit. The accusation is made when any smaller band is successful. There seems to be a group of people who insist on (or only admit to) liking the bands on smaller labels. There is an silent suggestion that any band who is on a major label is only their for the money.
I put to these people the following argument - Why do they insist on hyping up the small bands, tell all their friends about them, write to music newspapers etc., yet as soon as they have a hit (i.e. a lot of people now like them) they are accused of selling out? Admittedly bands have more creative license on a smaller label, but I doubt any serious band has sat down and thought, "Right, let's write a song that loads of people are going to like so we can make loads of money out of it.". Most simply sit down and think "Hmm, let's write a good song.".
Recent bands these accusations have been levelled at are Chumbawamba and The Offspring. The only reason these bands have hits is because people like the music they write. The only people in music who are looking to (solely) make money are boy-bands and commercial acts like All Saints, the Spice Girls and Aqua, but even these must have a genuine love of music to make it.
Let's hope that more bands 'sell out' in the future so that we can all get a good look at what they have to offer. After all, if 50,000 buy it, it must be good... right? (That's an arguement for another day!)
Send me your thoughts and I'll print some of them here in the future.