Just to be clear, I do not mean the advertisements you see between parts of a T.V. show...


I have seen this word, "commercial", thrown around every so often here on this forum. There is no clear-cut definition of this word, so describe to me what you believe that word means in regards to music.

Also, be sure to give examples of which artists are commercial, and which are not. Or which songs are, and which aren't.


Just as a note, there is no need to be shady, because being commercial is certainly not a bad thing.

Katy Perry

We Found Love.

But I love it with all my heart.

I just looked up the definition of it and it fits the word perfectly. "To make profit being the main goal. "

But what aspect of her makes her commercial? At the core, what really determines if one person is commercial while another is not?

Every artist records music hoping it would sell and be successful. That's a fact.

It's subjective, I guess. I really hate it when songs stans claimed would smash are suddenly considered non-commercial after they flop though.

So would you say that Adele is currently the most commercial artist?

In terms of music, music that was made to easily get general appeal. It doesn't necessarily have to be overly catchy or generic. It doesn't even have to become successful, it just has to be intended to be successful. Look at Adele and Beyonce.

15, 30 or 45 second segment on the TV/radio/airplane/whatever, where they show you the product, and makes you want to buy it.

IN MY OPINION (Don't quote me on this.)

A commercial song is a song that you listen to and can tell that the writers and producers were going out of their way to make a hit. A commercial song is generic. It is not unique. It follows a formula. It sound similar to others. Its lyrics will be catchy and its melody, simple. Not necessarily of high quality.

EDIT: Example - All of Femme Fatale's Singles. All of Teenage Dream Singles. Half of I Am... Sasha Fierce.

Non-commercial songs are the exact opposite. Unique, not formula. Not necessarily catchy or simple. Not necessarily a hit. Different. Usually not of low quality.

Example - The entire 4 album. The entire 21 album (I know it smashed, but it really shouldn't have.)

Commercial music, in my opinion, is music easy for the ears.

For example:
Last Friday Night is commercial.
Countdown isn't.


But commercial =/= bad.

The song or the album?

'Hold It Against Me' isn't commercial. 'Inside Out' isn't commercial. 'How I Roll' isn't commercial. 'Seal It With A Kiss' isn't commercial. 'Trip To Your Heart' isn't commercial. 'Criminal' isn't commercial. They're different and sound like nothing out right now.

I can't really speak on 'SIWAK' or 'TTYH'. But 'HIAM' is certainly commercial. Electronic, dancey and certainly similar to things out right now.