Selling out or just a sign of the times?

It’s a mashup of a different kind. If you have not seen it, Pearl Jam has teamed up with retailer Target to sell their latest album ‘Backspacer’. Upon first seeing this I thought, “God what a bunch of sellouts!” But then I took a little time to think it over.

Had they really sold out? Or is this just another sign of the changing times for the music industry? A case of a band simply taking matters into their own hand?

While it was kinda strange seeing the last true survivors of grunge dancing around Target logos (and smiling), I don’t hold this deal as a whole against them. Labels are not doing their job anymore so bands are forced to find new ways to get their music directly to the people.

Like Radiohead letting their fans name their price. Like Nine Inch Nails giving their album away for free and still breaking Amazon.com sales records. Like seeing U2 in a Blackberry commercial. Anyway, expect to see more of these in the future.

Oh, and if you’re in a band, you’d be smart to try some of these things yourself.

PS – If this single is any indication, the album sounds pretty rockin’.