The cry of 'Sell out!' is kind of a joke in rock'n'roll. The minute a band progresses in any way shape or form, someone who liked their first demo – or even a non-fan looking for a way to vent about their own shitty life – will claim that the artist in question is just in it for the big bucks. Meanwhile, selling out varies from genre to genre, with underground extreme metal bands getting called out for doing interviews at all. There's really just no winning with some people.
At the end of the day, selling out is really about betraying one's principles or changing one's sound in order to make the wrong people happy or line one's pockets. And while plenty of bands have done that to a certain extent, there are a handful of acts who have made their bank on staying true to what they believe in. Not only that, but these bands also would've been less successful had they ever bowed to pressure; that they have remained true to their guns is crucial to their success.
Here are 12 legendary bands who answer to no-one but themselves…