For me, “selling out” is one of those terms that’s so crazily overused that it’s lost all semblance of meaning. What does “selling out” even mean? Well, selling out is when an artist compromises the integrity of his or her art by using economic gain as a litmus test for the art’s content. What does that mean? Consider movies. Some movies are made solely to entertain, and nothing more. There’s no social commentary and probably very little plot and what little there is probably includes romance and explosions. Those things bring people to the theaters. Filmmakers know this and continuously crank out movies from that exact mold, just change the stars and the premise and boom! Another Hollywood blockbuster; another cash cow.
Case in point: Martin Scorsese. Let me preface this by saying I absolutely despise his longwinded style. However, much as I loathed it, even I can admit that Taxi Driver was a meaningful film. It, despite taking forever to happen, had a lot of meaning and a very interesting and dark concept. As a whole, the film is a very large commentary about the squalor of New York City and how one man tried to clean it up and become a hero. In contrast, Gangs of New York was inexcusably horrible. Can anyone tell me what the plot was supposed to be? So many subplots and so many unnecessary scenes made the movie feel endless and pointless. What was the significance of Cameron Diaz’s character? A romance wasn’t needed, so why was her character there? She also was in no way integral to the plot (failing the Mako Mori Test very, very hard) so why was she there? Her character, along with the many unnecessary background prostitutes, were excuses for nude women cavorting around to draw people to the theaters. And who needs a plot that doesn’t keep dropping off at random intervals when there’s naked women and gore? Not most moviegoers looking to be entertained.
However, selling out is more often an accusation than it is a truth. For example, the kpop super girl group Girls’ Generation gets accused of selling out every time they make a comeback. Their fourth album entitled “I Got a Boy” was especially polarizing because the concept was such a huge departure from the established “Girls’ Generation style.” Fans unhappy with it declared Girls’ Generation had “sold out.” (While I don’t think that’s actually possible, given that Girls’ Generation is signed under the wealthiest entertainment company in South Korea and therefore everything they do is motivated by their company’s greed, I disagree for other reasons.) First, fans always seem to expect Girls’ Generation to stay the same from their debut days. When Girls’ Generation debuted, the three youngest members were still in high school; they’re now all in their mid-twenties. Do fans really expect them to keep skipping around holding giant lollipops like in “Kissing You”? The girls are getting older; they can’t keep cranking out generic cute concepts. “I Got a Boy” featured a powerful hip-hop theme and several rap sections where in the past had been none. It was a risky concept, but it still sold well because of their celebrity power, but it still drew accusations of selling out. I don’t think they sold out; they’re changing along with the times. Anyway, no one gets to complain about “I Got a Boy” since its b-side was “Dancing Queen” which was written for them in 2008 and was ultra cutesy. So no complaining! Furthermore, “I Got a Boy” has one of the most challenging dances they’ve done. They even elected to wear flat shoes instead of heels to be able to perform at their best. The song was still great, disjointed maybe, but that’s no so bad if you don’t like their other ultra-repetitive singles. But maybe I’m biased because “I Got a Boy” is my favorite Girls’ Generation album.
I think that the reason people hate the thought of “selling out” is because people secretly hate change. Selling out implies things are changing, and that’s uncomfortable. People can be sad that films take a hit in the quality department when their creators get distracted by the green. People can become irritated when musicians no longer produce the kind of music they’re accustomed to. But to quickly cry “sellout!” is hasty and more often than not, just the crier’s fear of change. Selling out is only a bad thing when the quality of the end product diminishes. I personally believe that Gangs of New York was a trip down the stairs in quality from Taxi Driver, but hey, it still did well at the box office. “I Got a Boy” still sold millions worldwide and the girls broke records for consecutive weeks at the top of the music charts.
