Money talks: why is selling out OK now?

It's an argument that's raged for decades, taking in everyone from the Who to Nirvana to the Spice Girls, but a recalibration of what that term means has changed everything

In the Guide's weekly Solved! column, we look into a crucial pop-culture question you've been burning to know the answer to - and settle it

In 1992, Kurt Cobain told Rolling Stone: I don't blame the average 17-year-old punk-rock kid for calling me a sellout." Nirvana had moved from indie label Sub Pop to Geffen, a major, to release Nevermind. And maybe when they grow up a little bit, they'll realise there's more things to life than living out your rock'n'roll identity too righteously." As ever, Cobain was right: three decades on, bellyaching about integrity is outdated when ethics don't pay the rent.