The Rockstar Extinction

[AngelCityOutlaw]

With the recent musician and actor deaths in less than a month including Lemmy, Bowie and now Alan Rickman (RIP Snape!), I got to thinking some more about something in music that's been of great annoyance to me in recent times and is a sentiment occasionally echoed in the rock and metal music scenes.

That is, there is no one to carry the torch of rock and metal legends and it stems from elitism.

Everyone is so wrapped up in believing that the "old stuff" was so much better, that the headlining bands are all mostly dinosaurs. Dinosaurs who are either close to retirement, death, or both. Let's face it - Ozzy, Aerosmith, Megadeth, Maiden....they're not far behind Motorhead at this point. The Scorpions are done, Priest, and The Crue just wrapped up their bands' careers. The 80s are gone and have been for almost 40 years. They're not coming back and I suspect this is why throwback bands like Hardcore Superstar or Crashdiet haven't reached the level of international success like bands of yore - the nostalgia factor isn't enough. They need legit support from both fans and the industry.

The only band I'm aware of that has reached the level of superstardom, high album sales in an era of streaming and torrents, and sold out shows across the globe in the last nigh 20 years is Nickelback. Aside from some of the best production values in modern rock, they're the closest thing to an ultra-mainstream Pantera there has been since Pantera and if you don't believe that go listen to "Here And Now". The result? They are absolutely shit on by the music community as being traitors to rock music or something like that.

So that's my rant. I'm curious to know if you agree or disagree and if you disagree for the love of Dio, prove it. Because after these bands are gone in ten years, I don't want to see nothing but lame tribute bands taking their place.

[Garpocalypse]

It's the nature of this musical subculture.  People have great fondness for what came before and utter contempt for what's here now. You see this kind of thing even in the older bands when they release a new album.   No matter how much they wanted that new album to come out the most recent one is ALWAYS the worst one the band ever did.  ...until enough time goes by for it to become accepted.  It's not a great thing but it's not exactly a bad thing either as you'll have a tough time finding such dedicated fans of any particular band or singer in any other genre.   Psychologically, these genres attract introverted personality types and it takes a lot longer for an introvert to find pleasure in a different stimulus than what they are already used to.  

BTW it's bands like Nickelback, Linkin Park and a few others that pretty much forced me to give up on rock and metal for a number of years.  My renaissance occured in 2009 when I started getting exposed to Finnish, Scandinavian, Swedish and German metal bands.  There's plenty of bands to carry the torch(i think Sabaton is well on their way) as long as everyone realizes that it's going to have to be a different torch entirely, as closely imitating what has already come before in this genre, and it's nigh uncountable number of sub-genres, is not going to do anything but alienate everyone.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

7 minutes ago, Garpocalypse said:

It's the nature of this musical subculture.  People have great fondness for what came before and utter contempt for what's here now. You see this kind of thing even in the older bands when they release a new album.   No matter how much they wanted that new album to come out the most recent one is ALWAYS the worst one the band ever did.  ...until enough time goes by for it to become accepted.  It's not a great thing but it's not exactly a bad thing either as you'll have a tough time finding such dedicated fans of any particular band or singer in any other genre.   Psychologically, these genres attract introverted personality types and it takes a lot longer for an introvert to find pleasure in a different stimulus than what they are already used to.  

BTW it's bands like Nickelback, Linkin Park and a few others that pretty much forced me to give up on rock and metal for a number of years.  My renaissance occured in 2009 when I started getting exposed to Finnish, Scandinavian, Swedish and German metal bands.  There's plenty of bands to carry the torch(i think Sabaton is well on their way) as long as everyone realizes that it's going to have to be a different torch entirely, as closely imitating what has already come before in this genre, and it's nigh uncountable number of sub-genres, is not going to do anything but alienate everyone.

Oh, I agree. I love the shit out of the European "power metal" kinds of bands and the like. Gus G. is arguably the guitar hero of this decade, but my point about Nickelback is that they are the only band I'm aware of who have made it to 80s level "rockstardom" in the last 20 years. They are that popular.

As much as I love Kamelot, Edguy, Sabaton, Hammerfall or Gamma Ray, I don't think I'd agree that they're set to carry the torch. Because not only are they already fairly niche bands on a global scale, they're also well past their prime to do so. Most of those kinds of bands have been going since at least the 90s and some of them have members in their early 50s now.

It's true musical tastes change and trends come and go, but I think the next decade or more looks kinda grim. If any band can maybe pull it off, I'd bank on Amaranthe personally as they've been doing quite well. They face similar criticism to Nickelback, though.

 

 

 

[lazygecko]

The entire structure of the music industry has been in upheaval the past 15 years or so. Music as a culture used to be much, much more heavily curated by a handful of very influential tastemakers, simply thanks to the technological status quo imposing limitations on reaching audiences. That's why all those old musicians have been propped up as untouchable legends. The market is so fragmented in its nature today that there is no real economic incentive to invest in the same magnitude as they used. Rock acts today can very much thrive within their own insulated scenes, and consumers have the means of keeping up at their own initiative online.

It's all just part of the greater misconception of today's music industry since we are collectively still projecting an outdated paradigm which has in reality not been relevant for many years. But since this particular paradigm was simply a fact of life over the course of several generations, it's easy to think that's just how it's always meant to be.

[WillRock]

Rock music has always had the issue of evolving through heaviness. We've now hit that point where its reached its full potential on that scale imo. At least within the realms of being commercially viable. The reason bands like Nickelback get hated on is because they are not innovating the style in any way, but its radio ready and easy so we get subjected to it. Its stuff we've heard before. Its boring. When Led Zeppelin came out, they were innovating. Metallica were the first mainstream thrash metal band and brought a new ferocious speed and sharpness to rock/metal, but notice that it wasn't until the black album they hit their commercial peak. They had to dumb down to appeal to the full on masses, at least in terms of commercialism. I feel like bands like Pendulum are keeping rock alive in some form but its obviously starting to die out cause honestly? We've heard everything now, the only way forward is through fusion styles and rock is such a purist thing that some people won't even accept that. Rock can only go so far and now, anything new would probably not be deemed commercial enough to make an impact. Anything commercial enough, we've heard 20-30 years ago at this point, or its just a repackaged "heavier version" of something we've heard before.

[Garpocalypse]

28 minutes ago, WillRock said:

. I feel like bands like Pendulum are keeping rock alive in some form but its obviously starting to die out cause honestly? We've heard everything now, the only way forward is through fusion styles and rock is such a purist thing that some people won't even accept that. 

As someone who thought rock was dead in 2002 and had a renaissance in 2009 (and left me literally imprinted with an unswerving loyalty to a few folk metal bands) I honestly doubt it's dying out at all.  I bet it's just that people are experiencing some sort of collective mental fatigue.  I had the same thing when Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica, Pantera, and a bunch of others didn't do it for me anymore. To put it simply.  Rock and metal is a drug.  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-25/study-finds-heavy-metal-reduces-anger-depression/6571820

Much like caffeine, alcohol and anything else of the legal or less than legal nature, you begin to grow a tolerance to the effect it has on you which greatly limits your enjoyment of it.  There is good news however! Take a break, listen to/learn a couple of different styles and it will come back in full.

 

 

[zykO]

well, let's also clarify that genres don't exactly ever "die" - hell, baroque harpsichord music is still goin strong lol

the problem with rock is that it is no longer "cool" and i don't mean as a function of those who already find it or realize that it is cool. it just simply isn't hip anymore and hasn't been for more than a decade. post-rock has taken over that mantle purely as a function of the social movement it sorta accompanies and because it features a similar set of instrumentation, it works

but it isn't rock, not like zeppelin rock or anything. music, in terms of being a buzzworthy medium, always does best when it correlates with a social movement of some kind and that is usually something defined by a very specific age group (12-20); they define what's cool, the slightly older kids are the ones who make it for them and push it through their influence and the yet older kids (say, my age group somewhere in the 30s) are the ones peddling it for the guys even older than us who are making bank off it. when grunge was all the rage (when i was in that 12-18 cut of life), there were countless faces far up the age totem that i had no idea existed that were peddling the shit out of acts like pearl jam and nirvana. was that the last great era of rock? opinion wars commence! haha there's been much more impressive metal since then than there has been straight up rock n roll but that's mostly due to metal's underground affinity and how that fits well with what made old school rock cool to begin with. mainstream rock simply hasn't been cool since, in my opinion, jack white was first doing this thing

it may still come around but as of right now, it just doesn't appeal to our present young generation's #coolstuff standardbearers and therefore carries no value to young talented kids looking to make it musically.

[The Coop]

This is pure opinion, based off of observations. So keep that in mind as you prep your flamethrowers...

Metal and Rock are still doing just fine... outside of America. It's thriving with bands like Powerwolf, Orden Ogan, Accept, Edguy, Nightwish, and the many other bands that fall under various "power," "thrash," "symphonic," etc. monikers from other countries. The problem is, that in America, unless a given foreign band has been around for a good while, or comes to the U.S. a lot, many of those bands don't have the name recognition to carry them around in the U.S. and garner them attention (outside of labels like Napalm Records at least). Sure, there are bands like Iron Maiden, AD/DC and Accept that get noticed when they come to the U.S., but they don't really draw in droves of new fans. Instead, they get by mostly with those who have been listening to them for years (or decades).

Now granted, we 'muricans have a few of our own Rock and Metal bands. Metallica, KISS, Megadeth, Van Halen, Anthrax, Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper and others who do well when they tour. But they're familiar names that draw in the same fans again and again, while slowly pulling in new ones. And though it may not seem like it, these bands are still inspiring people to join the Rock 'N Roll fray. YouTube's copious amount of young electric guitar players shows that the idea of being a rocker is still out there, but you have to remember that the term "rock star" isn't just about playing Rock or Metal. It's the idea of being on stage, in front of thousands of people that are watching you perform, hearing you sing/speak, and getting whatever message you're putting forth. And while there are new faces coming into the world of Rock and Metal, more faces seem to be headed into other genres to find that "rock star" life. There has to be a reason for this, right? A cause of some kind that's making certain genres more attractive to young musicians.

Well, think about it. We live in a world of "I want it NOW!" People expect instant results, and want to put in as little effort as they can get away with. With that in mind, here's a quick question. What genres generally require you to be able to play an instrument? Country, Rock/Metal, Classical, Folk, and their ilk that involves guitars, drums, pianos, violins, flutes, various brass instruments, etc. What genres generally don't require this? Pop, Rap, the various slices of Electronica, etc., as what you write musically can be done electronically. It's become pretty easy to write out a few beats on a DAW, put some lyrics to them (or just go instrumental), and then put it out there. Yes, you still need a sense of timing, rhythm, rhyming, harmonies and so forth, but you don't have to know how to play a real-life keyboard, guitar, violin, drum set, or anything to create a complete song in that second group of genres. The sheer number of programs that are out there nowadays that allow this to be done is insane. As a result, that second group of genres I listed leave the proverbial door open more, so you've got more people trying to step through that door instead of trying to invest the time in learning to play an instrument that you have to hold and touch.

I know what you're thinking, and yes, I know that sounds a touch mean and simplistic. But it's also the generalized truth. I'm a living example of it. I can't play any physical instrument to a degree that I'd be able to perform live on a stage, but that doesn't mean I don't have ideas, or the ability to look up what the limitations are on a given instrument so I can represent it more realistically. My remixes over the years show this growth, and my upcoming album will as well. I can't play live, but I can do research and compose, and that's where genres like Rap, Pop, R&B, Electronica and them are more open to people like me. Hell, piano and classical music (my main areas) are fast approaching the same openness now thanks to very realistic VSTs and sample sets, but they still have expected limits that need to be taken into consideration in terms of what the real instrument can and can't do. Pop, Rap, Electronica and them don't have that caveat. Is this a good thing? I don't know, to be honest. It could result in a huge flood of mediocrity and shit, with droves of forgettable, horrid albums and songs. But then again, being able to play an instrument live never stopped that from happening, did it? Lots of other bands came and went over the last 50 years alone that no one knows about, or even remembers these days (assuming anyone did back then).

So yeah. To me, the "rock star" isn't going extinct, it's changing because the music industry, and what it takes to make music, is changing. We still have people wanting the so-called rock star life, but "rock star" isn't about Rock or Metal. Never was. It was just a term to attach to the idea of commanding an audience and getting lots of cash, which can be done in pretty much all genres. Elton John did it, so did Liberace, Kenny Rogers, The Pointer Sisters, and many others. But the older genres of Rock, Country, Classical, and those genres have steep learning curves that extend over many years thanks to their greater need to learn to play real instruments, where as Rap, Pop, R&B, Electronica and them have less intimidating learning curves that make people think it can be conquered in less time. So, given the "I want it NOW!" mentality and short attention spans that exist in the world today, more new artists are going that second group of genres. Some will make it because they have a real talent in them despite the lack of live playing skills, and others will fade away without being noticed because they're as generic and uninteresting as can be. Hopefully, I wont fall into the latter group

 

Edit: Smoothed out a few thoughts.