What the hell does "sellout" mean?

Sellout might seriously be one of the most overused words today. Seriously.

WARNING: YOU ARE ENTERING A RANT ZONE.

Honestly. Absolutely NO ONE can change their sound nowadays without being accused of being a sellout. I've asked ten different people and gotten ten different answers and it's driving me crazy.
Here's what I say.

Sellout - noun: A term commonly used in the music industry used to describe a songwriter and/or performer who has stopped creating music for themselves and creates music on the orders of outside sources.

Let me break it down for you.

When a band decides to change their sound, purely for themselves and no one else, about half their fans will cry foul. If the above mentioned band then begins to write music like their previous sound due to the demands of their fans, they are now sellouts.
Look at NeverShoutNever. I actually loved What is Love?. I thought it was a very mature and definitely better than his previous stuff. But of course, there was that huge majority of fans who pitched a fit. As a result, I didn't think Harmony was that great, because it didn't sound like he wanted to write it.

When a band changes their sound due to orders from higher-ups in the record label, they are now sellouts.

See how they're different yet incredibly similar?

It's nearly impossible to satisfy your fans. If you don't mature in an artistic sense and stick with the same sound, they complain. If you mature and change your sound, they complain.

All I have to say is that you have to let performers do what they want. If All Time Low wants to get poppier, let them. If Patrick Stump wanted to write more modern-soul elements into "Folie a Deux," you let him. Stop complaining and listen to what you want to. Or you'll be trapped in the past. Forever.

YOU ARE NOW EXITING THE RANT ZONE.

How is everyone? C: weekends? Upcoming weeks? Things of that nature? Excited for summer? I am :D I just found the dubstep remix of "Lights" by Ellie Goulding so I'm a pretty happy camper right now. Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, and Adele make me wish I lived in the U.K. American music isn't too great right now.

xoxo
-A