so what constitutes a "sell-out?"

and who did you think of when you saw the title?

...the remaining members of the dead kennedys... or any group or musician that changes their sound on moving from an independent to a major label, not everyone does it, green day being a good example...

also, john woo making mission impossible 2

a group that the ecool kids don't like anymore.

that's all a sell-out is.

I guess there are many ways a band can sell out. The most common one is when a band completely changes their genre, and style. For example a band going from rock to rap, it�s ridiculous, and I don�t understand why someone would change genre (not a drastic change), or style. Imagine a hardcore band, switching from leather coats to suits, just for the sake of being contemporary. Collaborations and such are different, which I see as just the act of experimenting/mixing different styles. But switching your original/premier style is a hypocritical statement, and it�s like shitting all over the prior genre/style. There is also the simple act of being indulged by money, and capitalism, where you start liking the money more than your own music. Which results in you changing anything just for the sake of gaining more popularity, or money. Changing your image, so you can win over the younger crowd, this in response raises sales. Another thing that could be considered selling out, is taking a genre, and whoring it everywhere, as in you take the title just for the recognition, or reputation. Example a band that is a load of crap considers themselves Punk, when in reality they are far from Punk. Those are my ideas on it, I�m sure there are a lot of other things that could constitute a band as selling out.

a group that the ecool kids don't like anymore.

that's all a sell-out is.

You sir are Brilliant!

Brilliant enough for Brilliant to be said in the Guiness commercial Brilliant style.

If you really wanna get technical, a sell out is a band who signed the record contract. But I think of it as a band who alienates the fans, a band that truly doen't care about the fans. Now if you change genres, I don't mind that, maybe the band wants to expand, to grow, not do the same thing over and over again.

But like I said before, technically a band sells out when they sign the record contract.

But I think of it as a band who alienates the fans, a band that truly doen't care about the fans.

Screw fans.


And it's not technically selling out by signing a contract unless they compromise their ideals in doing so.

To sell out is to sacrifice your own satisfaction with the art you create for monetary gain. That's all there is to it. It's a real thing, it's really a bad thing when people do it, and people who go "OMG THAT IS JUST A DUMB TERM HIPSTERS THROW AROUND" are just as annoying as the people who use the term for any band that signs to a major label or something of the sort.

To sell out is to sacrifice your own satisfaction with the art you create for monetary gain.

Unless you're a psychic or hypnotise an artist it's not really possible to know what the artists level of satisfaction is with the work. So unless they come out in an interview and say "yeah I just did that album for the money, it's rubbish really" it's not really fair to call someone a sell out, and that doesn't happen often.

There are scenarios where it is relatively obvious that an artist has sold out. If they go a long time making a certain type of music, then suddenly they massively overhaul the music they make, the way the dress, and the people to whom they are marketed, I really hope you wouldn't actually say "maybe they just wanted to do all that for artistic reasons!"

so whats a poser then?

A poser is somebody who adopts an image solely because they think it will make them cool, or they just want to fit into a group.

...anybody have any other questions? O_o

would you consider someone a poser if they just dress for the times? i.e. "punk" styles being "in" so dressing punk, but not being punk?

Not if that just happens to be how they like to dress. "Poser" really isn't a complicated term, it's just what it says, somebody who is posing as something. If you aren't going around telling everybody how punk you are and that you're so into punk and you're such a hardcore punk rocker (real punks don't do this anyway), you can't very well be posing as one.

What if they pose as real punks? Like, they get all of the gear together, and the music and such and then they say things like "real punks don't go around saying they're all into punk and such anyways" because they think they can be cool by being a punk and are very aware of what kind of posers have been outed? I bet like, half of the people seen as real punks are just like that.

so what about avril?

she's 100% percent pure un-filtered punk....

bullshit!!!

sarcasm!!!!

Avril Lavigne is hardly a punk. She is fit, but her music sucks.

poseur* :/

why does anyone care anyway. do you get off to telling people how much their musical taste blows in your opinion?

why does anyone care anyway. do you get off to telling people how much their musical taste blows in your opinion?

Who said they did care? A question was asked, and it was answered. I have seen very few instances of anybody being called a poser or a sellout in this music forum.

why does anyone care anyway. do you get off to telling people how much their musical taste blows in your opinion?
Yes.