Music There are three distinct forms of "selling out" in terms of music. First, there is the use of the term "sell-out" to refer to those who sign for
major labels or to those who license their music to companies for use in
advertising that contradicts their apparent values. Secondly, the expression can refer to those who sacrifice their musical integrity through a change in their musical sound, sometimes due to pressure from major labels or in order to gain profit by making their music more appealing to a mainstream audience. The third form of selling out is simply to sell out a venue, which normally has nothing to do with a lapse of integrity.
Record labels and advertising Since the time of
big band radio shows, there has been an established relationship between musicians and commercialization. There had been some signs of resistance to this model as early as the 1960s, when gospel group
The Blind Boys of Alabama refused to sign record deals to record secular music. It was not until the
punk subculture in the 1970s that the notion that musicians should be completely independent of commercial influences began to increase in popularity. This partly manifested itself in the reluctance of bands to sign for major labels, as this would include taking part in activities that were seen as crass and overly commercial. This continued into the 1980s, when bands were scorned by
fanzines for signing with major labels as the mainstream success this would bring was symptomatic of the general decay in culture. that the acceptance of music in advertising is generational, as younger listeners are comfortable with the relationship to the point of indifference where a distinction is made for those who achieve success without changing their original sound. the band members were called the "poster boys for musical un-integrity" after many incorrectly thought that the band attempted to sue fans who were downloading their music through
Napster. The album, known as
The Black Album, saw critics the album's
producer, acknowledge that there was a move away from the band's previous
thrash metal sound. Rock claimed that the change stemmed from the band's desire to "make the leap to the big, big leagues", Ultimately
The Black Album became the band's most commercially successful release, The differing reaction by fans to the album demonstrates the difficulty in labelling an artist as a "sellout" objectively. "
Poseur" is a pejorative term, often used in the
punk,
heavy metal,
hip hop, and
goth subcultures, to describe a person who copies the dress, speech, and/or mannerisms of a group or subculture, generally for attaining acceptability within the group or for popularity among various other groups, yet who is deemed not to share or understand the values of the subculture. While this perceived
inauthenticity is viewed with scorn and contempt by members of the subculture, the definition of the term and to whom it should be applied is subjective. While the term is most associated with the 1970s- and 1980s-era punk and
hardcore subculture, English use of the term originates in the late 19th century.
Film and television In film and television "selling out" refers to compromising the content of produced media, primarily for financial reasons; for example, introducing
product placement. Product placement, or embedded marketing, is the placement of brands or products in media in order to advertise, and has been in television from almost the very beginning, but has increased with introduction of devices such as
DVRs which allow viewers, and therefore consumers, to fast-forward through adverts. It has been suggested that the idea that product placement is a form of selling out is
Anglocentric, as American television shows such as
American Idol and
Celebrity Apprentice recorded over 500 examples of brand integration in 2011 according to
Nielsen. Carlin had previously spoken of his dislike for MCI's commercials in his 1996 album
Back in Town. In his 1999 album
You Are All Diseased, which contains rants against advertising and business, Carlin admits the dichotomy but makes no attempt to explain himself, stating, "You're just gonna have to figure that shit out on your own." In interviews, Carlin revealed he appeared in the advertisements to help pay off a large tax debt to the
IRS. Comedian/actress
Janeane Garofalo has described herself as a "sellout" based on her participation with the TV show
24 playing
Janis Gold. Garofalo initially turned down the role because of the way the show depicted torture scenes; however, she changed her mind later on, saying in an interview, "Being unemployed and being flattered that someone wanted to work with me outweighed my stance [on torture]." Garofalo admitted to "selling out" for losing weight in order to gain more acting work. In 2025, a number of comedians were criticized for taking part in the
Riyadh Comedy Festival due to
various human rights violations committed by host country
Saudi Arabia. ==In the brewing industry==