What Is Selling Out? A History of Sell Outs, How Turnstile is Expanding Hardcore, and Why Community Matters

Bands throughout history have been labeled as “sellouts,” from Bob Dylan and Metallica to Black Flag and Nirvana. We’re taking a closer look at what selling out even is. 

“Selling out” has meant different things to different eras of music – adopting a new audience, going outside the bounds of your genre, giving up your artistic voice for a paycheck, or playing bigger stages with higher ticket prices, are all things that can mark you as a “sellout.”

In the year 2025, we’re still having this conversation – the latest victim of sellout allegations is Turnstile.

Since their inception in the Baltimore hardcore scene more than a decade ago, the band has always pushed the boundaries of what hardcore is – sonically, lyrically, and visually. Turnstile’s 2021 studio album, Glow On, shot them to new heights and new audiences, garnering conversation about the band getting “too big.” And in this situation, “too big” kind of means, “more accessible to your not-so-average hardcore” listener, AKA girlies… and after a 4-year break and much anticipation, Turnstile returned with the release of Never Enough this June, and boy did the people have opinions; Internet critics are running wild, saying the album is full of skip tracks and that they’ve sold out. But why does a band expanding their sound = selling out?

Enjoy this episode? Join our community on Substack to get all the news straight to your inbox! If you like what we do, you can also support us by becoming a paid subscriber or leave us a tip on PayPal! 

Want to talk more? Find us: @name3songs | @sara_feigin | @jenna_million

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices