The Art of Selling Out
Sunday, October 14 2007 [M7]
The Moby Quotient, generated by the formula below, determines the degree to
which artists besmirch their reputations when they lend their music to hawk
products or companies. (The name salutes the techno artist Moby, who took
the practice to new extremes with his 1999 album "Play." The Moby
Quotient is designated by the Greek letter mu.) Each factor is ranked on a
scale of 1 to 10; the number assignments can be subjective, but the formula
is useful in gauging the relative outrage fans should feel with each
instance of this continuing cultural blight. The higher the result, the
greater the degree of selling out.
Read more about the Moby Equation.
Calculate for Yourself
What does the Moby Quotient look like for other bands and songs? Use the
above formula to determine your own subjective numbers, plug them into our
calculator, and find out. Then see what other readers have come up with.
GRAPHIC: Todd Lindeman — The Washington Post
