Selling OutKirsten Saikaly

What is Selling Out?

• Compromising your ideals or values in the name of profit• Changing what you stand for or

create to appeal to a wider audience.

In Music…

• There are 2 main ways of selling out in music:

Compromising musical integrity – an artist or group changes their sound in order to appeal to the main stream.

Ex. Metallica’s 1991 album, known as The Black Album, was the first point in their change of style to reach a larger audience. While many fans considered this to be selling out, The Black Album went on to be their most commercially successful album.

Ex. Ice Cube – He went from being a member of the NWA and beginning his acting career in the classic movie Boyz n the Hood to now starring in such movies as Valentine’s Day and Are We There Yet?. It is safe it say that he has made quite the transformation which can only be explained by an apparent desire for prolonged mainstream success and monetary gain.

In Music (Cont’d)…

Appearing in commercials or independent bands signing with large record labels Ex. Coca Cola produced a song in 2009 called Open Happiness which was a collaboration between Cee-Lo Green, Patrick Stump, Travis McCoy, Brendon Urie and Janelle Monae. The song served as the centerpiece of their new advertising campaign. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfkg3RaRjs

http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/musicvideos/2009/12/open_happiness_group.jpg

In Movies/Television…• Product Placement Featuring a product or brand within the program without explicitly acknowledging that advertising is taking place

Ex. Hawaii Five-0 and Subway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQYwFND7rHE

http://cdn-www.cracked.com/articleimages/dan/placement/nicky.jpg

http://creativestudiosng.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/product-placement.jpg

On YouTube…• Sponsorships YouTube sponsorships can be beneficial if done in the right way. However, some content creators let the company who sponsors them take control of their videos which detracts from what YouTube is supposed to be about – creating content you like and hoping others like it too, regardless of money. Some companies who often use You Tubers to advertise are Netflix, Ford and Subway.

Ex. Nice Peter vs DigiTour 2012 (This is an example of a YouTuber who recognized he was being taken advantage of and stood up for himself instead of selling out): http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/03/youtube-musician-nice-peter-fired-from-digitour-2012/

Other people who often sell out…• Politicians – Ex. Liberal Democrats and

Conservative Party coalition in 2010 election in the United Kingdom.

• Comedians – Comedians often start to censor themselves once they make the mainstream. Their jokes in a small night club will be much different than those in included in something like a Comedy Central Special.

• Athletes – Some players will leave teams where they have played for years or even their hometown team for a increased salary (Ex. LeBron James, Albert Pujols)

Bibliography• http://newmediarockstars.com/2012/03/youtube-

musician-nice-peter-fired-from-digitour-2012/

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfkg3RaRjs• http://

guyism.com/celebrities/biggest-celebrity-sellouts-of-all-time.html

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/clegg-sold-out-to-get-power-say-voters-2083293.html

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/8b8c