been through both experiences somewhat as a member in a few bands, and today i'd say why-not-both.jpg

indeed i loathe bands that are in for the business only. you can feel instantly how shallow they are.

(imagine embedded but crossed out nickleback video here)

on the other end of the spectrum, i listen to a lot of music that nobody knows and that definitely earns more attention. like these guys for example:

when i look at the bands i like and which also have a decent following, these two things don't necessarily need to cancel out. they seem to be functional in that they have band members that care about the artistic aspect, but also some (or people in their surroundings) that care about the business aspects. for example anathema, but it might have taken a while for them.