The Unlikely Corporate Rock Band: Phish Page 2

The Major Label Comes Knocking

By 1991, Phish had molded themselves into a self-sufficient band. They had built a respectable fan base and recorded and self-released two albums of original material. Phish's wave of independent success reached a pinnacle in October of 1991 when they became the first band without a recording contract ever to sell out two consecutive nights at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco (Artist Direct). Coincidently, they would never return to this venue as an unsigned band.

In light of their achievements, Phish was signed to Elektra, recorded their third album, Picture of Nectar, and re-issued their first two recordings. This major label signing was the beginning of the end of Phish as a non-commercial outfit. According to the punk aesthetic, signing a major record deal will gain you more than just a major label; it will gain you the artist fearing label of "sell out". While Phish's situation should not be directly compared in the same light given that "the precise events surrounding the emergence, development, and mainstreaming of punk rock were unique", at this point Phish had no doubt lost their commercial virginity (Ross). It could already be argued at this point that Phish was just as commercial as any other band, and as time passed, they would only continue to dive even further into commercialism.

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