Yes, we’re living in the Age of the Legitimized Music-Act Sell-Out:

It seems as if every commercial these days has a rock band in it. What was once the mark of utter uncoolness, a veritable byword of selling out, has become the norm. More than a decade ago we became inured to the most unlikely parings. Led Zeppelin in a Cadillac ad. The Clash shilling for Jaguar. Bob Dylan warbling for an accounting firm, or Victoria’s Secret. An Iggy Pop song about a heroin-soaked demimonde accompanying scenes of blissful vacationers on a Caribbean cruise ship.

But is selling out always bad? Some say the shifting sands of the music industry make corporate sponsorship the only way for musicians to make a living. And, at least when it comes to the rap/hip-hop world, there’s a difference between “selling out” and “cashing in”.

If you’re torturing yourself over whether or not your favorite artist has created a new business paradigm, or else simply taken the money and run: Music critic-at-large Bill Wyman has come up with the Moby Quotient. It’s a fancy mathematical calculation that factors in the musical act’s existing coolness/relevance, the corporate entity’s evilness/lack thereof, the dollars involved on both sides, etc.

A question to the 8trk Powers That Be: Any chance of including a Moby Quotient widget during Alpha testing?

(Cross-posted on 8trk.com)