10 Hard Rock Bands That Totally Sold Out
1. Nickelback
When it comes to selling out, there's no greater example of a hard rock band cashing in checks than Nickelback. The band's first independent release the State gave them a good amount of buzz in the early days, with songs like "Breathe" giving the band a definitive edge. Once they garnered attention from a major label though, songwriter Chad Kroeger drastically switched up his writing style.
Rather than writing from the heart and putting effort into making original material, Kroeger went into the band's next album determined to write songs in the mold of other artists in an attempt to break through to the mainstream. That already seems like a bad idea on paper, but it really was a heavy blow to the rock community when it actually worked. Suddenly, these guys were all over radio and filling stadiums around the world.
The actual idea of selling out is not a bad thing if the music is good, but the music and attitude that Nickelback present to their fans feels incredibly disingenuous. The music doesn't so much feel like an extension of the artist but rather a bunch of riffs thrown together in an attempt to get a chart hit. With many 2000's bands making fantastic records back in the day, it was a musical sin that Nickelback were the major voice of rock in the mainstream.