You have a point, but so does Alex.

He's looking at it from the perspective of an artist who creates art (or music) motivated by creativity and love for the art, or out of personal expression.

You're looking at it from the perspective of a business person out to make a living.

I hope you can see the difference in these two perspectives. Because they are very different ways of looking at things, and they don't always go together.

You make a point that Duran Duran needs to keep their identity. Well, says who? You? Why do they need to keep their identity? To retain fans, to sell records, you might say. Then you're looking at it from a money point of view. And maybe they're not. Maybe they're looking at it from their own point of view; a point of view you disagree with.

It is completely their prerogative if their next album is Slovenian Polka. It wouldn't sell, of course, but it's their choice. Maybe they realize they love that kind of music and feel they have something to add to the genre. Their own unique sound. So be it.

No one says that people have to like the product when it comes to the arts. In fact, many artists intentionally create things they know people will hate.

Your way of thinking on this actually gave me a bit of insight into how you viewed Indie music a few months back. Not sure if your opinion has changed recently. But, you have to realize that not all musicians are in it for the money or fame. Cookie cutter bands you hear on mainstream radio are usually in it for the money and the fame. Many independent artists are in it for the love of music. And when you hear people say that a band "sold out", maybe now you can understand what they mean. Sometimes when a band sticks to a particular sound to keep their fans happy, and stops experimenting, they've lost that original motivation of why they got into making music in the first place.

Look at some of the music theremin posted about recently. It will never be mainstream. Yet they have fans that appreciate their art. They've found their niche. They don't have to appeal to the mass market, and they're obviously not trying to. The one band theremin was talking about also seemed to have many different varieties of their music. Some of what he posted, he didn't even like as much as some of their other stuff.

When it comes to music, there's almost always someone out there who will appreciate and understand what a band is producing, even if it's different from their old stuff. People grow up, change, mature, have different experiences. And it should, in my opinion, be reflected in their music.

After all, music is created by people, and should be an expression of their soul.