Top 10 Music Artists Who are the Biggest Sellouts
When artists started out in one genre and then sold-out so they could make it on the pop charts. Let's discuss these artist who did this crime.
With their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning reaching underground success, their third effort, Master of Puppets has since become one of the most important heavy metal albums ever, as it became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. The title track has since become the band's most played song live. ...read more.
They were one of the top metal bands around back in the 80s, now they are just remembered for what they did in the 80s. If Metallica stuck to its roots it would still be on top and would probably be considered the greatest metal band of all time. They still are either considered the greatest metal band of all time or the second greatest to Iron Maiden. From the Black Album and on they have sold out if they stuck to their thrash roots they would probably have came out with albums just as good if not better than their first four albums
For me, it's when they released the Load album. This album, and every other album after it, is nothing more than either alternative or hard rock. Death Magnetic tries, but falls short, in my opinion. Why is Metallica alienating their fan base? Change your image back to thrash metal. Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax don't seem to have an issue with it.
Their first 4 albums defined heavy metal and thrash back in the day. (Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and... And Justice for All) After that, they became huge sellouts. The Black Album was ok, but it isn't what Metallica should be. Everything they've released since 1991 has been alternative, hard rock, mainstream garbage.
All of the big four tried something different during the mid-late 1990s, and that was because Thrash Metal was performing very poorly critically and commercially ( the latter in terms of the genre's standards). If anything, they did a good job in keeping Heavy Metal relevant, and are still doing it to this day.

I agree with what CrimsonShark said, they should be known as "The Adam Levine Experience" now. I really liked their first three albums, but they really went downhill after that. They mostly make horrible monotonous dance pop tunes nowadays just to follow the trends, and I can hardly even call them a band anymore. It's just Adam Levine and a bunch of other guys barely anyone knows about.
"The Adam Levine Experience" is a much more fitting name. Whatever the heck happened to this band, I'll find it difficult to understand. Adam Levine is also quite the egotist, he's following fame and money at this point. He's a famous celebrity, known for being in "The Voice" and has a well-documented personal life. Hardly anybody knows about any of the band members, its almost sad how I tend to pity them somewhat as they can't even display much of their talent.
Maroon 5, wait sorry, The Adam Levine Experience was a pretty solid band. Now, they've become the poster boy for the term "sell-out", and many notable music fans and critics understandably hate the band for this. If anything, blame Adam for all this.
Pretty much everything has already been said here, but at least "Girls Like You" and "Memories" are decent songs. However, on their latest album Jordi, they sound like they just gave up on making good melodies. "Beautiful Mistakes" is an overwhelmingly boring song with a robotic melody, trite lyrics and a phoned-in Megan Thee Stallion verse, and yet it's not even the worst song on the album, as the rest consists of bland beats, Adam Levine's tired vocals and lots of AutoTune.
I feel like this could be the end for Maroon 5, or as CrimsonShark puts it, "The Adam Levine Experience", as other members will probably just give up on Adam who should learn how to sing again or take care of his kids.
I almost want to cry when I hear a song off of "overexposed". It disgusts me how they destroyed everything they built with their first three albums. "Songs about jane" was funk/alternative rock for the masses and it was excellent. "it wont be soon before long" was more retro sounding but brilliant nonetheless. "Hands all over" was a mix of the two with more Michael jacksonesque sounds in it. "Overexposed" is the quintessential sell out album in recent history. Maroon 5 wasnt selling well so they ditched every shred of rock in their music and made a ton of cash.

X Japan will always be at the top of the hierarchy. The top predator in a food chain if you will.
X Japan have kept to true to themselves even after the 10 year hiatus.
I'm pretty sure most of the people who voted for them here have no idea what this list is about, but this time I won't complain about their ignorance.
I really don't see how they sold out but X-Japan rule most and deserve to be top of most lists. Pure awesome.
How did they sell out? Dahlia (assuming this is the supposed sellout album) was amazing if you ask me.

They definitely started to kind of sell out once Save Rock and Roll came out, straying away from the good sound. Once Mania hit that was the definition of a sellout. Hear for yourself and you'll see why.
I know everyone calls them sell outs, but why? Because they became popular artists? So becoming popular = sellout/bad? Whoever is thinking in this mentality needs to reevaluate their mentality. Their music does change a lot, but that doesn't mean they are sellouts.
They definitely sold out. Compare songs like sugar we're going down to pop rock GARBAGE like centuries or my songs know what you did in the dark.
I could get behind Save Rock and Roll and even American Beauty/American Psycho, but Mania...sell out in the essence of sell out. It's cliche but: SELL OUT BOY!

This band was selling merchandise from the beginning, when they were arguably the biggest thing going. Now, 40 plus years later people want to call them sellouts. There are millions of fans who felt this way for a long time but keep coming back to support them, even through the disco era. All that ultimately matters is their music and it's mostly great.
How are these guys not in the top 10? Kiss has sold out pretty much every single way possible.
Why is nirvana on this list? The over-merchandising of Nirvana started after Kurt's death, and everything about "In Utero" is far from selling out, it's the exact opposite.
Beth and I was made for loving you like the songs or not you got to call it like you see it and how is A7X sell outs they are the best they sell out just because the lead singer Mshadow doesn't want to scream himself hoarse he wanted to sing the horror he wanted to sing! There last album also had screaming and in god hates us and there new single not ready to die
Pushing KISS merchandise on talk shows has only served one purpose; telling the world how much Gene Simmons has sold out.

They sold out before anyone actually heard of them. Their first album, The Curb was heavy and their newer stuff is very poppy. I wish they could go back to not always singing about sex and partying and all that crap.
Who remembers their album Curb? No one, since their fans love their new poppy music. Like with Metallica, they were heavy and processed by money to make themselves softer.
How could anyone forget them? Apparently they had a grunge sound at the beginning, and then decided to go all radio-friendly with the latter of their albums
I hate Nickelback. But some of their earlier stuff is pretty good.

An unfortunate example of a true sellout. I understand that not everyone is super talented. I understand you only have so many songs in you. But I'd rather fade into rock obscurity with a couple of great tunes under my name than prop-myself up with a bunch of cookie-cutter, pop garbage just to stay famous. 1995 Gwen wouldn't even recognize herself today.
Okay, now this chick is actually a sell out, and not Tom DeLonge. She gave up her band No Doubt, which is Ska Punk, in order to be a pop artist and become more popular. She doesn't put passion in her pop music. Meaning she did sell out, when someone does not even put passion into something, just doing it for fame, that is big time selling out.
I really liked her in No Doubt. She left the band to produce terrible mainstream music that appeals to the lowest common denominator in an attempt to make money. If you look up sellout in the dictionary, her picture should be there.
Can't believe she isn't number one. No Doubt were a great band, and she threw it all away to sing about "B-A-N-A-N-A-S" and prance around with Harajuku girls... I could rant for days about what a sell-out and disappointment she is.

What happened in Reputation, I won't understand. She has great songs throughout most of her country 2006 - 2010 discography and there are standouts in Red and 1989. Reputation on the other hand, just falls flat and is really disappointing. You know, she's making a diss song of sorts, yet its also the same woman who sung about a boy who passed away from Neuroblastoma. Damn it!
Yeah there's bands and artists on here who made little change and are called sell outs like U2 and Green Day (who really just evolved their sound, and experimented different subgenres.) on the other hand you have Taylor Swift who literally went from country music to pop music. All because she wanted more attention and mainstream success. This artist makes Green Day going from punk rock to alternative rock less noticeable.
Of course she's a sell out, it's pretty obvious. I'm not saying this to hate on Taylor or anything, but she made great country music that she genuinely loved making, and all of a sudden she became a generic pop artist with the passion honestly stripped away. "Shake It Off" is so generic.
Meh, I don't think she sold out in too big of a way. Her music might be super different than what it used to be, and while I don't really know too much about her because I'm not super creepy, I'm sure she works just as hard on her music now, as she did during her country albums.

Their first three albums were great. But then afterwards with every album they released they went more and more with mainstream pop. Definition of a sellout.
For the older fans, Coldplay is that kid you used to be friends with and go to school with. They were shy and gawky, but at least they were friendly and honest. Unfortunately, they secretly wanted very badly to fit in and be liked. To this end, at some point during summer vacation, that kid starts hanging out with the wrong crowd, eventually reinventing themselves. By the time you see them again, they're a completely different person. Now, they hang out with the cool kids and want nothing to do with you. That's Coldplay.
You know a musician has sold their soul to the devil when they have collaborated with the likes of Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Jay Z.
Although Paradise was said to be their sellout song, I would still rather listen to it than 90% of what is on the radio now. Anyway, they started out as a rock band and gradually transitioned to pop (although they still made great songs, like A Sky Full of Stars), and then worked with The Chainsmokers on "Something Just Like This", which says enough already.
While they've always been pop rock, they at least had some alternative leanings when they started out. Now they've gone completely pop, which while more successful utterly angers their die hard fans, and casual listeners for making boring music.

A group who have sold out, not once but twice. Originally they were a supposedly legit band who had respect in the hip hop community. Fergie then joined, and they became a pretty good pop band for a while. Then I Gotta Feeling came along, and they lost any semblance of identity to become generic soulless pop-dance music that occupy the charts these days. Thankfully they went on hiatus before they steeped too much further in that part of their career, clearly due to diminishing returns. When they inevitably reunite, they should hopefully return to what they originally were, but the chances on that are sadly slim. A sellout in every sense of the word.
This group apparently used to be an actual band and play instruments. I didn't know this now since they use computerized will.I.am beats and autotune in all of their songs. Almost as big of a sellout as Taylor Swift.
In the beginning, they were a well-respected rap group. Then came Fergie and they turned to crap. The final straw was The E.N.D., featuring that "I Gotta Feeling" song that idiots made more popular than anything Elvis or Simon and Garfunkel released. (NO JOKE.)
They started playing live instrumentals and now use beats and autotune in their electronic music. That has to be top 3 at least.

What is Bowie doing in this list?
What is Rod Stewart doing in this list?
These two are British music legends.
They are top artist's world wide, respected by all that are music lovers and music fans.
Most artist's in the world look up to thes two, they would love to write and perform songs like Bowie or Rod Stewart made world famous.
INCREDIBLE!
Ok, so his late 80s to 90s stuff was very much him selling out, he came back with The Next Day and Blackstar, which are two of his finest works

The early 2010s were an era were pop unleash its worst and an album like Night Visions was like a breath of fresh air.
Years later, they make Believer, which is so atrocious not even having Dolph Lundgren in the MV can redeem it.
I've always hated this band with a passion, but they somehow find ways to get worse over time.
Their second album is the definition of sophomore slump.
They did that with Origins.

After Gabriel's departure, Genesis became the worst sellouts in rock history by discarding the quirkiness that made them somewhat interesting in favor of a massive pop bland-out. They were only pretending to be artists, but they were completely sincere about being soulless shills chasing the bucks by producing pablum for dummies. "Trick of the Tale" sounded so awful after "Lamb," I not only gave up on Genesis, I permanently gave up on all commercial rock. I wasn't happy again till Punk came around. And whenever I think of Genesis these days, I think of Judas. I can't help it.
Sadly.
I think they had the biggest drop in Quality in music, if we take Metallica for exemple The Black Album, Load and Reload are good albums (even great in the case of The Black Album) just not Thrash Metal, St Anger and Lulu sucked but those where uncommercial experiments. And they did return to form with Hardwired & Death Magnetic.
However I do feel that people are being too hard on Phil collins, A Trick of the Tail & Wind and Wuthering are as great as the Peter Gabriel albums, And Then There Were Three & Duke are also good though Steve Hackett's exit did hurt them and Phil's side project Brand X is awesome.
I Blame the 80's.
I wholeheartedly disagree with this. I understand if 80s Genesis isn't your thing, but the music still had soul, and the band wasn't just in it for the money. Also, if anyone's to blame for the shift in styles, it's Tony Banks and (to a lesser extent) Mike Rutherford - they wanted to write hit songs, while Phil didn't even want to be the singer at first. Phil also tried to get the entirety of Supper's Ready in the setlist of one of their later concerts, but the other two declined. However, regardless of whose fault the shift is, the music was still good. Even if you're a hardcore prog fan, the band still made tons of great music until the very end. Even considering the period after Duke, which many believe to be the point where the pop influence simply became too much, we still got gems like Dodo/Lurker, Mama, Home by the Sea, Domino, The Brazilian, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (the album version), Driving the Last Spike, Dreaming While You Sleep, Fading Lights, and more! And that's just ...more
They went from being one of the best bands to being one of the worst bands in a short time. "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" was one of the best albums ever. They threw it all away to be the British Kansas, they were only in it for the money. Disgraceful phonies, I could never even look at an album cover of theirs ever again. Peter sold out soon after, I have no interest in him now either. Very disappointing, worst sellout in the history of rock.

It becomes pretty obvious after Vices and Virtues that Brendon Urie abandoned the good sound that Panic at the Disco had just to be famous and sell out with Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die and the pop music on it. It was apparent in Vices and Virtues as well, but at least not that much to the point there's still a lot of their sound in it. Now, it's all pop garbage that is not the Panic sound that made them.
I have to admit that they did kind of sold out, although they're still enjoyable either way


I just watched them perform on the late show and my god... what the hell is this? Electric drums, no distorted guitars or powerful vocals? they're just another Chain Smokers knock off. Complete loss of identity.
They went from border-line metal to electronic, techno crap. They're all talented, but they cover up that talent with awful dance beats. (Up in the air is a perfect example).
Went from a very nicely produced space prog rock concept album to absolute trash. In my opinion the most stark sell out in all of this list.
Listen to the new album "America" and that will tell you why they should be at the top of this list. God awful stuff.

With every member that left Guns n Roses, they took a bit of talent with them. I hated Chinese Democracy and is nothing like Appetite For Destruction

I'm seriously surprised how no one talks about Snoop Dogg selling out just like they do with Metallica selling out. Snoop started collaborating with terrible artists like Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Jason Derulo, PSY, promoting terrible rappers like Wiz Khalifa, Far East Movement, even guest stared on Big Time Rush!
Besides all of that, he hasn't been himself either. Right now he's trying to be a wannabe Rastafarian, even calling himself "Snoop Lion."
Snoop really has changed. He's in his 40's Now so he should just retire already. He was a gangster back then but now he's a joke that's not funny.
In my opinion, he should be number 1. He started promoting terrible rappers like Far East Movement and Wiz Khalifa. And he started rapping with a lot of terrible artists (Lil Wayne, Miley Cyrus, Big Time Rush, Jason Derulo, Psy, Soulja Boy, Katy Perry, the list goes on). He even said that Lil Wayne is dope!
How is this guy not higher?! He really is one of the biggest sellouts in music history! Really!
He promoted Wiz Khalifa (and apparently, Snoop likes anyone who smokes weed). And when you keep getting promoted by Snoop, you're gonna be mainstream forever. But I haven't heard from Wiz Khalifa since so I'm glad he's gone. No more. We don't need anymore whack rappers killing up the genre.
Snoop, you are one of the greatest rappers of all time. Why did you rap with Big Time Rush? Did your kids tell you to do it? We're they like "daddy that's one of our favorite bands. Can you go rap with them? " Just why?

Sure they started out as punk rock, but at least they generally stayed as some form of punk, even in American Idiot. It was still an album about rebellion, just this time against the government when previously they rebelled against society.
They went from songs like jaded take back geek stink breath to wake me up when September ends and last night on earth. Generic pop songs. At least in the last 3 albums they weren't aiming for money
Look at them in the 80s now look at them. They didn't sell out to big but their Music changed drastiually and they are getting closer to sellouts by music release to music release.
They should be a lot higher. Warning sucked, then I gained back their respect once American Idiot came out, and after that they sucked and still do.

Ever since Santana made an unlikely comeback in 1999 with "Smooth" and the Supernatural album (which probably should've been named "Superficial"), he definitely sold out on the albums that followed. He sounded like the guest of his own show and his guitar wailing alongside vocal guests even became as unbearable as a baby crying/shrieking in a public place. Santana's sellout story is one for the ages that very few people mention these days.

Heart's self-titled album was a huge sellout. I'm a fan of that album. I just don't care if the sisters hated the uncomfortable corsets they were wearing, especially on Ann.
They don't do pop, they do rock.

She "sold out" in the sense that her new music was a lot more pop oriented and flamboyant, but she clearly thought she was still "pop punk" until her latest album. I see it that her second album she was really upset about her grandfather passing away, and her following album is her somewhat her trying to put that part of her life behind her. Let go is my favorite album by her, if I had to say the album where she was probably closest to her actual self, without emotions that greatly impacted her music to be super downbeat, or upbeat, it'd have to be Goodbye Lullaby. Her newest album her fight with Lyme diseases was clearly a huge influence, and she even seems to wear more formal, and more importantly clothes that cover more of her. This is probably because Lyme disease is from ticks, and wearing longer clothing seems like and easy solution to try to stop from ticks getting on you.
How dare you put Avril Lavigne here!

If you don't like normie people (and there's plenty of reasons not to), you're certainly not going to like the number one Normie band of all time. Here is a band that millions of benighted people liked, probably because they were so zoned out and boring that they weren't at all threatening. And their music was mainly droning trance stuff for people on drugs who hate to think. I never once liked this bland money-making machine, the idols of the undiscriminating and clueless masses, and I was happy when they broke up. Sid Barrett was the only good thing about them, and he was insane. They got very bad after he had to retire. When I found out that "Dark Side" was on the charts longer than any other album, I thought "Is this how bad the rock audience really is?" Yes, they were that bad. And what really killed rock? It was the bad audience, who honestly never liked anything but Soft Pop.
Pink Floyd changed their sound when Roger Waters turned Pink Floyd into an autocracy. They never sold out, they just let one guy take over the band. Once Roger Waters disbanded Pink Floyd and David Gilmour reformed it, they went back to their signature sound. Despite all this, I still think Pink Floyd is the best band of all time.
Pink Floyd doesn't sell out. Maybe they change the sound after Roger Waters.
But changing sound =/= sellout.
Bands need to evolve. They want to do something different despite of the popularity. That's it.
Egomanic Waters ruined a great band by falling out with the "sound" of Floyd, Gilmour and Wright (RIP), believing he was the only one that mattered. His solo work is depressing, relentless utter crap
