How Would You Handle Yourself?

A lot of people feel that theres no reason that Pearl Jam shouldn't have made videos over the years. Every major band has done them. And they were allowed to work in the studio virtually unchecked. Even a band with the track record of Aerosmith has been monitored much more than Pearl Jam, and for a lot of people its safe to say that they feel Aerosmith's role in rock history will eventually prove to be more important than Pearl Jam's.

But the thing with Pearl Jam is that they have naturally sorted out their true fans from those who just sing along vacuously to their catchy ditties, they wan't their fans to respect their musical intentions, instead of focusing primarily on their image. Pearl Jam's mission remains one totally focused on artistic committment and social responsibility. So, if you were in Pearl Jam's position, (or anyone else who shares their work ethic for that matter), how do ou feel you would handle success? Would you put your artistic integrity before your financial needs? As a band, does the way you present yourself to the world really matter that much to you?

-Joseph

Here's my take on it:
Bands don't get signed because they are talented. Bands get signed because they are marketable. If record companies went on search for the most talented bands, then music would sound completely different. Pearl Jam got their break because of the whole "Grunge" phase. Using that they were able to be more diverse with their music. Usually bands don't get a chance to do something like this. Considering that the average life of a band is around four years. And to answer the question on hand... I think Pearl Jam's financial situation has been more than taken care of. Now they can focus on music, family, etc. Pretty cool stuff that not a whole lot of people get to do.