Does calling something a 'Novelty Act' bring down its image? [closed]

I'm really confused with this one, if one calls some performance a 'Novelty Act' does it imply they're trying lower its image or is it just neutral?

Well, I looked it up on the internet and it says that a Novelty Act is something which the audience would find amusing at first but soon its novelty wears off.

So if I use this definition, then I think it's not really good for something to be classified as a Novelty Act, or is it?

That's what I've been pondering about.

In short, when one uses the phrase, does it have to be preceded by an adjective describing it as good/bad or is it, as I mentioned above, implying something negative just by itself?

It'd really be helpful if you could include some examples with the answers.

Solution 1:

Calling a performer a "novelty act" implies that their primary appeal is their novelty, rather than their actual abilities or talents. As such, it frequently carries a dismissive meaning, as though such acts do not have "real" talent. Novelty acts are often contrasted to acts that have staying power: those with enough talent & appeal to "stay around" for a longer period of time.

Examples:

LMFAO Prove They’re More Than A Novelty Act

LMFAO have proven that they are no novelty act. The familial duo of Redfoo (Stefan Kendal Gordy) and Sky Blue (Skyler Austin Gordy), known for crazy outfits, wild hair and even wilder music, have proven their staying power three years after their initial hit, and have provided the song of the summer with “Party Rock Anthem.”

Review + Photos: The Darkness at The Regency Ballroom

The late, great Lemmy Kilmister once referred to The Darkness as a novelty act, and there are still those who are quick to dismiss the band as nothing more than a slightly amusing, glam-metal piss-take. ... But while no one would mistake the Darkness for serious artistes, they are far more than a novelty.

Sarah Michelle Gellar had to prove she’s more than a ‘novelty act’

Getting into the baking world after acting meant Sarah Michelle Gellar had to work hard to be taken seriously.

“I was a novelty act,” the 40-year-old told Page Six of her company Foodstirs at a UN Women forum on Thursday. “People think it was easier to get in the door, sure, but they just wanted to see how Buffy bakes, you know?”

Gellar, whose company creates DIY baking kits and organic baking mixes, starred in the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

Solution 2:

Before the days of television or the movies, people would go to see live performances in their local theatre. Usually these were variety shows.

The staple fare of these shows was singing, dancing, juggling, acrobatics and comedy. A troupe of players would travel around the country, performing the same act wherever they went.

Often the show would include a novelty act, that is to say an act that wasn't of the usual sort.

Maybe there would be trained animals or an escapologist or something that people in those days wouldn't have seen before. They were called novel for the very reason that they would be new to the local audiences.

For example, in the following show, I imagine that the performing frogs would be very much a novelty!

Answer

Most acts can evolve with time. Singers can learn new songs, dancers can learn new dances, and so on. This meant that these standard acts could tour the same locations with new material. The problem with novelty acts is that the second time someone saw them, they would no longer be a novelty.

Thus a novelty act is one that makes a big impression initially but becomes boring once the novelty has worn off.

EDIT

@Sven Yargs has pointed out that the poster I showed is a modern spoof. My problem was finding an original that was easily readable. Here's an old-fashioned poster for those who are interested. Marie Lloyd was a famous music-hall performer.