Pearl Jam’s anti-commercial stance paradoxically boosted their album sales

Evidence

Yet their second album, Vs., released on October 19, 1993, without radio-friendly singles or promotional videos, broke records for first-week album sales. Kids flocked to midnight release parties, smashing record store windows in their excitement. Pearl Jam’s principled stand resonated with their fans: If rock bands were so desperate for money, they might as well be bankers. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 8

Categorization

• XREF: Scarcity/anti-commercial signaling increasing demand is the classic status-signaling paradox — connects to position goods and Veblen logic.