Is Rock Music Gone?

[MetalTeK]

It is a pretty vast subject but is it true? The days of electric guitars and mosh pits disappearing before our very eyes? Over the last couple of years its become evident people want to know more about how Bieber wants to be a ladies boyfriend or how Katy Perry would take a guy down like a domino.

A lot of the rock bands that used to exist in the 80s and 90s are the ones still standing on thin ice, except for a few exceptions like Shinedown and Rise Against. Looking over the Billboard and Rolling Stone charts, the list isnt that pretty. Unless Gotye and fun are rock, survival is in the hands of the fittest. I remember when MCRs "Welcome To The Black Parade" and Green Days "American Idiots" were hits out of the ballpark on stations, charts, you name it, it was there. What is it people, particularly young people, want? Music they can shake their body to. Often I find it astounding how a few drum beats easily outbeat a guitar riff, easily. Anyone can make a drum beat, even a caveman could do it. I often find myself falling into the seas of depression as I see Dwight Wayne and Eminem and Carrie Underwood last another week (all that time Adele was on, dont get me started) on the top of the charts. From the exhaustive research I have done over the web and in music magazines, I am sad to say rock music is falling in with the days of cassettes and DVDs.What are your thoughts on this?

LOL......well, first of all, I say your dead wrong. Secondly, I would have to call into question, the integrity of any "Rocker/Metalhead" who looks to the Billboard or Rolling Stone for their musical insight or opinions. By merely uttering those words, you have already discredited yourself as a true, Rocker/Metalhead, whatever.

Also, you said Rock, but then talk about Mosh pits, which indicate Metal. And, I don't know what sales are, nor do I want to, but my buddy just saw Shinedown at House of Blues, so they obviously aren't doing shit. Further more. Was Europe taken into account in your tallies? The Rock/Metal scene has always been very strong over there. Especially Scandanavian countries.

And you mention Bieber and Katy Perry. Lol......Anyone who knows the music industry at all knows they are but momentary "dingleberries", clinging to the ass of the music industry. Soon to be wiped away and flushed, as with so many others. Never to be heard of again, once the industry has squeezed every cent that they can out of them.

The fact is, the record industry, and the retarded, ghetto, urban, sub-culture that they push, and kids wanting to so sheepishly fit into the crowd, is the culprit. Not to mention, bands don't release an LP every year so that must also be taken into account. Anyway, I could go on all day about this, but the fact is bands like Incubus, Muse, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Kings Of Leon, Radiohead, Coldplay, Paramore, Mars Volta , just off the top of my head, all sell a hell of a lot of seats when they play live as do any 70's or 80's rock band. Springsteen, Motley Crue, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Ozzy, on and on and on.

As for Metal, well that's always been an underground club. That's why it's so great. All the cool bad asses listen to Metal, always will. When a Metal band makes the chart, that's when you know they suck. All anyone has to do is go to Reverbnation or similar site and you can see there are rock/metal bands out the ass, far more than there were 8 or 10 years ago. Granted a lot of them suck. But still way, way too many. So, I completely reject the idea the Rock/Metal is dying out. Maybe for you and your Billboards. But not with anyone I know. Sometimes it's up, sometimes it's down, but Rock/Metal music IS and will ALWAYS be there. It's not a fad, or trend. Time has already proven that, and don't let anyone tell you different. So when you talk about Rock/Metal being dead, like it's a foregone conclusion. All I can say is, well, you have fun listening to your Justin Bieber CD's.

Edited June 20, 2012 by MetalTeK

[TapperMike]

The guy's I know who have gotten the big contracts way back when (Kid Rock, Sponge) went with the standard 3/5 contract. Three albums in 5 years. It doesn't do anyone any good to produce more records then radio stations will play in a given timeframe. If you do that you are competing with yourself.

Indie/local is a different matter. If you are playing a local circut then you do want something to show the local music times on a regular basis.

Here's my local rag

http://metrotimes.com/music

it's one big circus. Come out with a cd, Play locally, get press. Announce release, advertise, get local coverage. Get name recognition get gigs. Start all over again but don't get too popular locally or you'll be a has been before your time. In the indie circut CD's are something you hope to break even on and sell at gigs while offering them for free to clubs so you can get booked. Yes you do have to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues.

In the burbs you do the same thing only with covers. In the city if you are playing regular you kiss the bar owners and you kiss the followers, You develop a circut and you stay on the circut doing covers because they aren't coming to hear your songs they are coming to hear their favorites.

[Rudi]

I just googled 'mosh pits'.

Thank %$*# I dont like metal.

[CarrieHiggsSinger]

Paramore...Flyleaf...Halestorm...

[seekerofknowledge]

I was one of those in the heights of rock music, and rock music in title faded to the pubs where local fanatics of guitar riffs still play rock in their sets, but on a local fan base level. Rock music is still there in a fundamental stage propping up dance tunes and boy band vocal multi-dubbing, rounded off in a polished and non aggressive posture. Music still has the strong hooklines being sought after along with the two verses, chorus, middle, last verse and chorus out. Just watching the Jules Holland show on BBC2 is testament to acts performing soul,blues and rock, some of which is disguised to allow new interpretation..Rap is fairly old in fact, began in the 90's and still here over twenty years later....what is significant now is that record companies are scared of relating to rock music in case it's a no-sales and low interest investment...so they hanker after whistful vocal stuff, boyband and rap in the hope it will generate the income they need by following the charts....the advances once handed out in the rock era of the 80's has gone..so have the three year and five year contracts..its as little as six months so I have been told...which isn't really long enough for any A & R team to promote and shape an artiste for longevity....rock might come back in a re-invented form when ideas have fallen away enough to allow its return to the charts and concerts one used to see in abundance.

[Rudi]

I doubt I would notice if rock did die.

Yes there are pubs where I that heavy rock types go to hear guitarists. It is all about competition. I hate that sort of atmosphere, its skewed.

I have played at one several times in the past. My band played there once. We were definately in the wrong place, they did not want us there at all.

Oddly enough, I turned up there once on a jam night & was asked to play. I went down well, but I suspect it was because I was using a borrowed guitar with a lots of gain dialed into the rig. I dont normally sound like that.

If rock has to survive like that, perhaps it should die.

It will always continue to inform my playing though.

[MetalTeK]

Rap is fairly old in fact, began in the 90's and still here over twenty years later....

Rap started in the late 70's and early 80's with "Sugar Hill Gang", "The Beastie Boys", "Grandmaster Flash", "Run DMC" etc...........

[James Anderson]

for a start it wasnt katty perry who wants to be taken down like a domino it was jessie j WERE you trying to see if every body is as clever and modest as me i dont think rock and roll is dead it will always be the type of music that will set standards for other types of music and always able to reinvent it self

[Tally]

I agree with most of whats been said,.. I did all the rock stuff in 3 bands in the past,. Deep Purple - Led Zeplin - etc etc. . but although I still love some rock, I got rather tired of all the long drawn-out lead breaks most obviously are improvised!

But these days I'd rather sit down with a couple of guys/girls, and do accoustic stuff with 3 nice voices.. but thats just me,.. in answer to your question,.. The pubs have quite a few rock bands.. great live music.! thing is these days, it's good looking, sexy singers that are taking the limelight,.. for eg. .. 'Take That' .. 'Boy Zone' .. 'Westlife' .. 'Girls Allowed' .. 'Spicegirls',.. Now it's 'One Direction' .. to mention just a few,... I don't think any of them play instruments... grrrrrrr.. but they get the girls/boys..lol

Tally

Edited July 1, 2012 by Tally

[Rudi]

I cant understand the point of these so called bands that comprise 5 singers and no instrumentalists. Everybody sings a line or two each and maybe then sing in unison (rarely harmonies) for a couple of bars.

[McnaughtonPark]

It's because they are marketable.

When I think of rock, just plain rock, I think in terms of bands like Bad Co. Bare bones, simple. BTO, Molly Hatchet, REO Speedwagon. Everything evolves, music evolved. Bands that didn't quit playing. The Who, it seems, couldn't evolve as a group while The Rolling Stones have. The Blues is still going, Jazz is doing well, Country is the old rock but I don't want to hear the new country rock, I LOVE Rock and Roll, I just can't listen to very much of the same thing I've been listening to for 40 years.

I guess I didn't evolve, but I don't like being stuck either. Leaves me searching for a groove that I can't find on the radio.

Rudi, you wish rock and roll would die? Where's the love brother?

[Rudi]

Rudi, you wish rock and roll would die? Where's the love brother?

The love is still there.

The context of that statement was rock as a speed & style competition. The statement is conditional.

That not only cheapens rock, it cheapens music as a whole. Music is an art form, not a sport.

[Alberta]

rock never dies \m/

[impendingcorruption]

it certainly feels that way

[Rudi]

I think it just smells bad from time to time.

[TapperMike]

@Alberta...

Just checked out your music page. Nice stuff. beautifully arranged.

[Prometheus]

Young people should be writing music that has old farts like me reaching for the blood pressure pills.

The only thing about current music trends that offends me is how bland it is. So bland, it'll go with anything.

It's a sad day when you have to switch from Radio 1 to Radio 2 to hear any music with balls.

For those of you outside the UK, Radio 1 is meant to be our cutting edge channel and Radio 2 is meant to be for people over 35.

[musicarranger]

Yes, rock is in some kind of lull. You can also notice this how songs are composed nowdays. Usually a rock song consists a good worked out song form. That means "intro verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus" or something similar to that. Nowdays all these

songs seem to use a 4 bar loop as there song form. Repeated over and over. Of course with variations but I think it's over done.

A comeback of the sixties and seventies would be great, at least all these rock and pop songs have good and interesting song forms.

[MusicGuy]

I think music genres come and go, so even if it sometimes seems as if the rock music is sort of vanishing- it will certainly come back :-)

[Prometheus]

There are still plenty of people writing great music out there...

It's the overweening, vainglorious, prancing loons running the music industry who are the problem. The industry is falling at the speed of gravity at the moment. They're selling album length CD's in Morrison's for £2.00 (about $3.00) because rather than releasing new and innovative stuff that people would want to buy to support bands they believe in, they focus on X-factor.