By Josh Shepherd

Molly Crabapple (Jennifer Caban) is heading up a fantastic SXSW panel idea titled “Selling Subculture Without Selling Out.” The basic idea is that the “panel will teach marketers how to work with subcultural tastemakers and the indie kids will learn how to make money without selling out.” An underground artist and entrepreneur, Crabapple also founded Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School.

Labeled as a downtown phenomenon by the New York Times, Crabapple brought this idea to SXSW from her own experiences. “I think “selling out” is something that all artists struggle with or at least the perception by others that they might be sell outs,” says Crabapple. The panel will allow for the underground and The Man to maybe get on the same page. “When I was a teenager, I was a punk rock anarchist kid. As I got older, I realized that noble poverty wasn’t all it was cracked up to be,” says Crabapple. “Artists and subcultural tastemakers are ever more interwoven with The Man, but our paradigm for understanding subculture seldom acknowledges this.”

At this point, the panel has three other members. It has been recently announced that Richard Nash the legendary publisher of Soft Skull books (2001-2008) will join Jeff Newelt who is the Comics Editor for HEEB and publicist for many indie artists and musicians including Paul Pope and DJ Spooky. Gala Darling is also slated to be on the panel. Darling runs the blog iCING and is a major voice in the fashion and lifestyle world. Hopefully, this panel will lead to some insight and continue the conversation of artists and their ability to monetize without losing their souls.