What does "selling out" mean?
 

"Selling Out" is a popular phrase thrown about in music reviews and conversation, but what actions does a band or artist need to do to considered "sell outs." I mean if an artist/band attempts any change in style it's deemed less underground or "selling out." Yet if an artist stays true to their sound/style it's considered non-innovative or boring. Make up your minds.If the music sounds crappy it's one thing but if their experimenting or tweaking their style to take a next step in their career so be it.

Ye yes atari

i sold out years ago

My favorite record store is frequently sold out of what I want. It's frustrating. "Stop selling out!" I yell at the owner, and he shoots me a quizzical look.

"It's the massacah the massacah the massacre zone..."

I did not sell out. I bought in.

selling out means worrying more about what the "average lowest common denominator" music fan wants to playing music that YOU want to play as a musician.

if you WANT to play a country record do it. all my support. However If christian dance records start making money and you make a christian dance record to cash in on the trend, then yr selling out, simple as that.

fucking kurt cobain.

^heh heh no.

Anyway I think Rob Instigator's got it. Band x constantly follows up an interesting album with a shit boring and critically successful album that they claim is "showcasing our mature evolution of sound" with zero edge and zero interest. Popular music is garbage because popular opinion is shallow. If a band suddenly becomes popular it doesn't necessarily make them a sellout, but chances are they suck now. If they truly felt inspired to sound like nickelback then I wouldn't call them a sell out.

Selling out = making a record you wouldn't have made without some producer or exec telling you that you need to do this or that.

By now you should have seen the Johnny Cash movie, and the part where he wears the black suit to the record company and says he wants to do a live album at Folsom prison, and the execs get really uptight about it and offer no guarantees because they think it sounds like a horrible idea.

That's a prime example of not selling out. He was pure until he did that covers album right before he died.