sell out

someone in the recording/media business who uses their integrity to become more popular. also see: double-cross
man! seth rollins was such a sellout to all the shield fans!
one who betrays a cause for personal advancement.

the popular definition of sell out allows it to be used as an insult towards anyone in show business. on the contrary, there are many bands which are considered sellouts which are not.

for instance, green day. they are considered sell-outs because they are a punk band who was popular on mtv. green day never stated that they would never be on mtv, thus they are not sell-outs in that sense. they never changed their musical style for monetary reasons, thus they are are not sell-outs in the more literal sense of the word. if fugazi were to sign up with sony records, they would be selling out because they preach against major labels.
“man, you are totally a sellout!”
1. when an artist conforms to the way record labels, managers, etc see them to make money through commercial success and generally not the original fan base.

2. when an artist conforms to the way they believe their fan base see’s them.

3. when an artist gets too big for their own good, and believe that they are god(s) and can do anything they want.

4. when an artist changes their play style to make more money

5. an artist which no longer does it for the fans
1. metallica (90’s).

2. the darkness.

3. metallica.

4. metallica.

5. metallica
anyone who sacrifices artistic integrity in an effort to become more successful or popular (generally in music); someone who forgets their roots.
it’s the american dream to be a sellout.
nelly
when a band/singer/rapper changes their music/style in order to sell records.
gwen stefani is a ‘sell out’.
a vague but derogatory term blindly used by music “fans” to describe bands who make (or have managers who make) a new lucrative and/or artistically experimental decision (for example: accepting a product endors-m-nt, a change in the band’s expected composition style, switching to a larger record label, dressing with more cl-ss, speaking out against m-ss mp3 piracy, etc.) the word is sometimes also applied to bands who simply get more commercial success through no additional effort.

the anger comes from the false belief that fans “own” their favorite entertainers, that these entertainers are thus not real humans with free will, and the feeling of grief when some cd that the listener previously enjoyed alone is now enjoyed by millions of more people.

(note that “sellout” only applies to those who make a living in the fine arts. for example, a software engineer who accepts a job promotion and higher salary is never branded as a “sellout”. nor is a professional athlete who appears on a box of wheaties.)
actual quotes from an old friend:

(1993) “d-mnit, smashing pumpkins is such an underrated band. they never get played on the radio!”
(1994) “d-mnit, smashing pumpkins are always on mtv and the radio now! they’re such sellouts.”
a word that would be useful if stupid poseurs didn’t use it all the time.
proper usage:
that band alienated their fan base and changed their style according to what the record company wants, that means they’re sellouts.

improper usage:
omg thay sold 30,000 records?!!11111 wat sellouts….
or
omg thay got onto tv???/// sellll outs
or
omgzz they r geting sponsored by sum big compeny??// sellouts!!11111