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Well….that escalated quickly! With what started with Two contract Deals for The Chainsmokers and was followed by a seemingly regular performance at the American Idol stage, has now risen to be one of the biggest outbursts on social media this year! #Selfie masters The Chainsmokers perhaps did not anticipate that their performance at American Idol, which boasts a viewership of millions, would generate a high level of criticism with titles of “sell-outs” and “button-pushers” coming their way. Even though their performance on the hit talent show did not present them as DJ’s – and rather as artists, that didn’t stop the Twitter fraternity to launch an onslaught and a barrage of disturbed tweets from some new and some familiar faces on social media. First, let’s check out the video that triggered it all.

 

 

So it is clear from the video that the two artists were neither presented nor were expected to DJ. Instead they ended up running around the set taking selfies with fans, judges and themselves, with their hit single running in the background. Within a few hours of the TV show premier and the video upload, the criticism began to flow. Fans and artists laid comment after another, joining in a disparate string of criticism towards the duo. The duo then followed all the criticism with a string of tweets where they expressed their heartfelt feelings towards all the titles being lashed out at them.

 

 

So, in a span of mere 10 minutes, a series of defensive tweets from The Chainsmokers seemed to insist on their artistic integrity. However, the night didn’t end there for the hit-makers. They began to hear more from users and artists alike as the internet feud resumed in full swing as some artists continued lashing out at them meanwhile others stood up in support.

 

 

 

 

The chaotic exchanges between artists and fans was overwhelming for the artists, as it took a few hours for the fire to drizzle down and have everyone calm down. Hours later a post by Magnetic Mag came out with an editorial in support of The Chainsmokers, which praised their early influences and presented their work beyond the #Selfie craze took over. Here are some comments from the post; check out the entire article here.

 

The Chainsmokers are getting a lot of heat now for “selling out”.   Not just from “haters”, but from artists with some major voice in EDM. What did they do that was so bad? They signed a couple of million dollar recording/publishing deals and went on American Idol.  For all intents and purposes Alex and Drew got to this level by doing it right – no ghost producers, fluffing of Beatport rankings or buying Soundcloud plays. They just worked hard and had a true dedication to the music they love.

So let’s get this straight- the Chainsmokers are considered “sell outs” because they signed two record contracts and went on a TV show to promote their hit song?  We won’t tolerate them making the most of their success,  but it’s OK for other artists to ink deals with Bud Light for the Superbowl, or get $200k to play a corny Bon Jovi song in what should strictly be an electronic music set?

Is American Idol a shitty mainstream talent show? I think so. Would I go on it if I had a hit song that brought in an unexpected rush of success? Most likely. Why? Well, why the fuck not!? I’d get some paper in my pocket, a chance to see J. Lo’s booty in person, and finally prove to the world that Ryan Seacrest is actually an android. All because I made silly song that hit at precisely the right moment. Yeah, it my not be the pinnacle of my artistic goals, but it’s an experience not many people get to have. I would definitely live it for a few moments.

With the constant back-and-forth regarding the “sell-out” comments that avid listeners and artists are throwing around, we expect to see and hear more about this trending topic in the following days. We’d love to know, as fans, listeners and artists where do you stand on this topic.

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