Think about the last music video you watched. Chances are, it contained a tacky, overt product advertisement. Samsung phones, Coca-Cola products, and Beats headphones are arguably a bigger staple of music videos than the song or artist. Likewise, turn on the TV and almost every advertisement has a celebrity spokesperson -- think back to the Kim Kardashian T-Mobile Superbowl commercial. Over the past fifty years, the music industry and big corporations have nursed a relationship that has culminated in the current almost indefinable partnership between artist and product. This practice is dubbed selling-out. Selling-out can best be described as the occurrence in which someone does something that does not agree with his or her beliefs, values, etc., especially in order to make money. This practice can be seen in all aspects of the music industry from product placement in music videos to the hyper-sexualization of artists; from artists in TV commercials to an artist's loss of intellectual freedom (like the current Kesha vs. Dr. Luke legal debacle). The practice of selling out in the music industry not only harms the artist, but equally harms the consumer and the integrity of the artform itself. 

Selling out in the music industry first and foremost harms the very people that believe the practice can help them, the artists. It has become widely believed and accepted that consumer's "favorite songs and music videos are becoming advertisements (Timberg)." This claim is easily seen in nearly every popular new music video. By oversaturating music with advertisements and product placements, artists are at the mercy of the wealthy companies -- or sponsors -- (like Coca-Cola, Polaroid, Beats, etc ... ) that financially back them. This means the artist must do what these large entities desire -- even if it is against the artists personal beliefs or morals -- if they want to be paid. One quick YouTube search of Katy Perry before and after she became famous is all that is needed to prove this point. Perry was a church choir singer before morphing into the playful sex symbol we all know today. One reason why these big corporate sponsors are so essential to an artist is the rise of streaming music sites. This is the case because "backroom deals between the major [record] labels and the streaming services ...  without the artists' knowledge" are becoming alarmingly more common (Timberg). When a deal like this is made, the artist loses out on the opportunity to give valuable input on the deal and, furthermore, is easily financially taken advantage of by the record label. In relation, the money paid directly to an artist via a streaming service tends to be "very low [because] it takes many streams to equal one sale of a single on digital music services" (Chertkow & Feehan, p. 42). This means the artist has to endure a double blow, one from the record label taking advantage of them by negotiating deals without their knowledge, and another from the streaming service which already pays much less than a real sale. In order to be fairly compensated for their art, artists feel the need to bind themselves with corporate sponsors. 

Over the past few months, a simple hashtag, #FreeKesha, has embodied the most extreme and horrid results of selling out and continues to permeate every news outlet from Twitter to CNN. This hash tag refers to singer/songwriter Kesha's -- sometimes stylized as Ke$ha -- sour legal battle with music producer Dr. Luke and her record label, Sony Music. Kesha contests that she was sexually assaulted and harassed numerous times by producer Dr. Luke and is forced to continue working with him because Sony Records would not annul her contract. Under this contract, Kesha must produce a certain number of albums with Luke under the Sony Music label before she is legally free to produce with other labels. Because of this, Kesha has postponed albums, has not toured, and stopped recording resulting in a massive financial loss for her (Willingham). This is the worst form of selling out because Kesha had no option. She did what most upcoming superstars do and sold out to her record label and did what they wanted. She admits her struggle with keeping to her true self in this article stating, "what's been put out as singles have just perpetuated a particular image that may or may not be entirely accurate ...  I'd like to show the world other sides of my personality" (Willingham). The fact that something like this can happen to an artist and not even the courts can help shows how deeply rooted an issue this is. Kesha's legal woes prove that selling out to a record label and producer, no matter how lucrative it can be, has the opportunity to spiral out of control and ruin ones career and emotional health. Fortunately, dozens of other artists including Demi Lovato, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Janelle Monae have voiced support for Kesha. This proves that even other artists believe the problems in the music industry really are becoming too ruthless. One artist in particular, Lady Gaga, has showed unwavering support for Kesha and even gave a whole keynote speech at the 2014 SXSW Festival on the problems selling out can lead to. 

At the 2014 SXSW Festival held in Austin, Texas, singer/songwriter superstar Lady Gaga delivered a powerful and insightful keynote speech regarding the selling out of artists in the music industry. The pop sensation dishearteningly shared with the rowdy crowd, "it's so hard to say no" when describing the temptations of selling out (Gaga). It is often hard to say no. Artists are told "it's lucrative ... it's freeing ... it makes you happier" for them to do exactly what the label and business sponsors want them to (Breslin). This notion is definitely the case for some lucky artists like Katy Perry or Britney Spears; however, most are not so lucky. That is why there are millions of starving artists and only a handful of superstars. Businesses and labels want a superstar, not a grass-roots artist that cannot attract the masses. Lady Gaga also goes on to address the crowd regarding her own work enthusiastically admitting, "what I have to say matters more to me than money does" (Gaga). This comment was directed at the media who bashed her latest album at the time -- Artpop -- calling it a flop. This denouncing arose because Artpop drastically undersold her last album, Born This Way, selling only 258,000 copies in the U.S. in its opening week versus Born This Way's 1,108,000 in its U.S. opening week. Critics and fans alike believe this massive underselling occurred because Artpop was a completely new sound for Gaga and was a different direction from what pop music was at the time. She went against the common pop-star selling out and did what she truly wanted. It may not have been as lucrative as her last ventures, but she was able to stay true to herself and create something that really had meaning to her and embodied what she wanted. Interestingly, Gaga points out "as you become more and more successful they start to push the rulebook closer and closer to you" (Gaga). This rulebook is essentially what the record label and business sponsors want an artist to do. This rulebook can be seen as sort of a guideline for fame. At the core, nearly every major pop star is the same. Most female pop stars (think Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, etc ... ) have a very common look. They are thin, physically attractive and sexualized. Male pop stars on the other hand are often also thin, very muscular, and physically attractive (think Justin Timberlake, One Direction, Justin Bieber, etc ... ). Both male and female stars have a common stage-presence as well. This presence includes huge spectacles, lots of dancing, and provocative motions. This is no coincidence. There is a very common formula for fame that encompasses much more than just appearance. In closing, Gaga adds, "I know that it's fun being on top and I know it's fun having everybody wish that they were Number One, but having people envy you really isn't fun at all" (Gaga). This line is very insightful and humbling for artists; however, I find it to be even more powerful to the average person. 

When artists sell themselves out to their record label or business sponsors they are not just hurting themselves, they are hurting the consumer. By only creating and producing music the label approves of, fans and common consumers miss out on the artist's true range of talent. Similarly -- and more importantly -- consumers can sense the lack of originality and personability in the music industry. When listening to common pop music the message and general sound is all the same: money, sex, dancing, etc. Two newly released songs "Work" by Rihanna and "Work from Home" by Fifth Harmony, articulate this phenomenon perfectly. Rihanna's chorus goes: "work, work, work, work, work" and Fifth Harmony's chorus goes: "You don't gotta go to work, work, work, work ... ". Both are fun and exciting songs, but they obviously are not very deep or lyrically profound. This phenomenon of a common theme in nearly all pop music makes individuals believe that they need to follow in celebrity's footsteps and hold the values sung about in paramount. This process relates to selling out because this is the type of music that record labels and business sponsors really like. Why: Because it is what sells. These songs have a fun beat and are easy to dance to, but they are not artistic genius by any means of the word. Artists are pushed by labels and business sponsors to record, produce, and sing music they may not truly believe in or even like, but they have no choice. In Lady Gaga's SXSW keynote speech, she echoes this concern of artists adding "My talent matters more to me than the money does" (Gaga). This line shows her disdain for selling out to record labels and companies. She respects her beliefs and morals enough to stand up for herself. She has achieved a healthy relationship between her record company and herself. This rare relationship allows her to be herself and still have the advantages of being signed to a major record label. And considering how well she has been doing for herself the past few months -- performing at the Superbowl, performing the David Bowie tribute at the Grammy's, starring in AHS: Hotel, performing at the Oscars, and winning a plethora of awards -- it is clear that it is not necessary for a talented artist to be bound by an overbearing record label or business sponsor. 

Artist sellout to record labels and sponsors also affects the self-esteem of their fans and general consumers alike. People are often obsessed with celebrities and what they do. The general population views celebrities -- especially artists -- as special and, in some cases, the pinnacle of society. Unfortunately, most people do not know or do not want to admit that the celebrity they see in public is likely not the real individual. He or she is a persona. This persona is what the celebrity -- and his or her team -- wants the public to see. The desire to follow in celebrities' footsteps arises from the idea of their persona. According to Tolson, "the persona is the point at which the private life becomes public (Tolson)." When individuals see a performers' onstage and public persona they may think that that is the real them. Relating back to the idea that celebrities are often considered the pinnacle of society, many people see this public persona as the way everyone should be and act. Similarly, if an individual learns an artist's public persona does not match up with their private persona, it can push them to believe that this is how a person should be. It can make consumers believe that, to be as good as a celebrity, they must put on a mask -- a fake persona -- in order to tackle the world. If Ariana Grande has to put on a front for the public, than I definitely have to do it. It all relates back the idea that celebrities are the best society has to offer, if they were not, they would not be famous. Only when an individual sees continuity in an artists public and private selves can the consumer believe the artist is truly happy. This continuity shows that, even though an individual may be famous, they are still people and still have their own flaws and quirks. 

In Karen Wright's "Dare to Be Yourself," Dr. Mark Leary asserted "whether there is a core self or not, we certainly believe that there is ... And the longing to live from that self is real, as is the suffering of those who feel they aren't being true to themselves (Wright)." When consumers try to emulate their favorite singer, they are not adhering to their true self. This can cause tremendous internal conflict. Leary continues to warn, "feelings of inauthenticity can be so uncomfortable that people resort to extreme measures to bring their outer lives in alignment with their inner bearings (Wright)." This hypothesis easily explains some of the most drastic measures people take to be like their favorite star including complete personality changes or plastic surgery. These people justify it believing it will make them happy to be like a celebrity, societies best, but in the end, it never can. 

How does all this relate to selling out? Artists who sell out are forced to conform to a societal and pop-cultural norm. Like stated above, there really is a formula for fame. Consumers see this. They see only the glitz and glamour of a famous artist's life. They see stars like Britney Spears at the VMAs with incredible bodies, Madonna visiting Africa, and Drake finding love in fellow super-star Rihanna's music videos. Consumers think this is how life should be, how they should look, act, and carry themselves.  If the individual does not match up, they feel a sense of failure. Tara Parker-Pope informs the public that "giving ourselves a break and accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health" and "people who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic (Parker-Pope)." Likewise, artist sell out not only harms the artist, but is a massive catalyst to the global body-image issue. Artists selling out to conform to pop culture standards not only harms the artist, but has an apparent impact on the consumers and viewers of their artistic works. 

Unfortunately, many people do not see the growing and worsening problem that is artist sellout. The most common argument against the issue of artist sellout is that it does not even exist and heavy dependence on record labels and business sponsors is simply the way of the times. Chris Richards, a pop music reviewer for The Washington Post, contends, "Taylor Swift is making you think about drinking a Diet Coke. Diet Coke is not teaching you how to fall in love with the songs of Taylor Swift (Richards)." This statement is meant to prove that brand sponsors -- like Diet Coke -- do not promote and control artists; instead, it's the other way around. Artists earn their own merit and brands use them as marketing tools and are not their financial backers. This opposition is not, however, accurate. In her SXSW keynote, Lady Gaga counters, "the truth is, without sponsorships, without these companies ... we won't have any more artists in Austin [festival location] (Gaga)." Lady Gaga, an international pop star, undeniably knows the inner workings of the music industry better than Richards. Her point highlights the importance of sponsors, their necessity and influence in the music industry. Without business partners, artists cannot thrive. Richards claims that sponsors are solely for advertisements, but the fact of the matter is that they wield massive amounts of power and money. Money is the most important resource in making a superstar. Without the money from sponsors, artists could not thrive. This makes artists reliant on these companies for funds. If the artist wants financial backing, they better do what the sponsor wants or they will be replaced. Business sponsors provide financial backing to artists making them dependent and artists, in turn, will relinquish personal values and beliefs to the sponsors in order to keep the funding. Simply put, dependence on an external power and relinquishing of ones own beliefs and values is the text-book definition of selling out. 

The practice of artist sell out in the music industry is an undeniable, yet often overlooked issue. Countless sub problems branch out form this commanding stem. Selling out hurts the artist and can explode into a crisis like what has happened between Kesha and Dr. Luke. She is bound by a contract to work with her abuser. Selling out harms an artist's integrity, as well. If an artist is not able to freely express him or herself through their work due to restrictions from record labels or business sponsors, they are selling themselves and their listeners short. Finally, artist sellout creates a false persona in the artist, which leads to a feeling of inferiority in the consumer. This inferiority idea is a massive component of the body image controversy that is rippling across the world -- especially in the United States. In conclusion, it is undeniable that the practice of artist sell out to record labels and business sponsors not only harms artists, but disservices the fans and consumers and even impairs the integrity of the artform itself. 

