Is Rock Music Dead?
Tim Vuotto ~ 08/01/2024
I've sat in my room listening to some of my favorite rock bands and have challenged myself to think of who is the next big name in rock music? I can't think of a single name or band. I’ve sat and wondered, why can't my generation be as fortunate as my parents, to have lived through and experienced the “Golden Age of Rock”? Is it because our generation is too busy listening to mumble rappers, fake cowboys and female rappers who’re only famous for their asses? Or is there a more fundamental evolution of culture and people in general? I hope to give some insight and answer to this current shift in musical taste.
Evolution of Music
Music, like people, is always changing... Whether it branches into new sub-genres like Metal and Alternative Rock, or entirely new emerging genres such as EDM, it never stays the same. In a 2022 poll by CBS, it was found that only 17% of adults between the ages 18-29 said their favorite genre was rock while 32% said Hip hop/rap was their favorite. While all ages combined claimed that 32% of Americans said that Rock was their favorite. Judging by this poll it's clear why there aren't any more Led Zeppelins and Nirvanas emerging anymore. The young people are the future of music, and nowadays every chick wants to be the next one holding a guitar and crying into a microphone about their ex-boyfriend that left them for the hot blonde, and dudes are wannabe posers waving guns around in front of cameras when they went to private school and grew up in the suburbs.
The Downfall of MTV
I believe that the slow decline of MTV’s popularity is a concrete example of rock music slowly dying. MTV was once a place for all the new rock music to be displayed to a global audience. They would showcase new music videos 24/7 from all the biggest bands from 1981 to when it finally stopped showing music videos in 2010, even taking “Music Television” out of its name. A lot of this is due to platforms such as YouTube gaining popularity. While the younger generations embraced new technical advances the older generations were stuck on MTV until it finally fizzled out. Some bands who are now household names may have never made it out of the underground without the help of MTV such as Duran Duran , Billy Idol, INXS, etc. Not to mention the iconic “MTV Unplugged” acoustic rock concerts that helped kickstart certain rock bands careers like MTV Unplugged: Pearl Jam and also solidified legendary status like Nirvana MTV Unplugged. The downfall of this once great musical platform is a prime example of the downfall of Rock music.
Was the Golden Age of Rock detrimental?
The Golden age of rock is considered to have been from the late 1960s to the mid 1990s. Pioneers of the genre such as Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley kickstarted a whole generation of rock and roll icons and ended with what I believe to be the emergence of Alternative rock in the 90s. I believe that this golden age of 30 or so years actually did more harm to the longevity of the genre than it did good. Sure, there have been a few big names who have popped up recently and have tried to keep the classical sound alive. Greta Van Fleet is a name that usually comes up in these discussions but to me they’re nothing more than Led Zeppelin wannabes with a whole lot less talent. It's hard to find a new identity in this genre when so many greats have come through and already done it.
Sellouts and Fakes
Throughout the years there have been multiple examples of bands who have “sold out” to appeal to the new sounds of popular music. Metallica were notorious for being branded as sellouts in the late 80s when their new hit song One appeared on MTV, and also when they shaved their heads to fit in with the emerging Alternative Rock scene in the 90s. More Recently bands such as Arctic Monkeys and TheBlack Keys seemed to have done a complete flip on what their original rock sound was in my opinion. In the Arctic Monkeys case if you listen to all their albums up to and including their self-titled AM, they had a very distinct distorted alternative rock sound. They spent years experimenting... attempting to find what their true sound was, and I believe they found it on this album. AM was also their best charting album in the US at that point peaking at #6 on the charts. Then for whatever reason they decided to change the sound once again and give us a softer pop... almost RnB sounding album with The Car to the disappointment of many fans, myself included. As for The Black Keys they held such a unique take on rock and roll with this garage band blues-esc sound. Only for them to turn around and give us two radio friendly albums with Dropout Boogie and the newest Ohio Players. Sure, both of these bands may now appeal to a bigger audience but why be losers and sellout to your dedicated fans who’ve supported you since the beginning?
Giving the Spotlight to talentless Artists
When talentless artists such Ice Spice, Cardi B, Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo are given platforms you know music is in trouble. I'm fully convinced that without ratchet hot Cheeto eating girls and 20–30-year-old college burnout chicks. All of these artists would be flipping burgers at your local Mcdonalds. From disturbing self-objectifying lyrics to stupid songs about ex-boyfriends that nobody actually cares about. When did this become accepted? I wish some attention would still be paid to finding underground rock bands and bringing them into the limelight like it used to be. Unfortunately, it seems like the shift in cultural interest is towards this type of music.
Conclusion
I understand that music, like all things, has to change, I just wish that someone would step up to the plate and bring my generation, and those to come, something similar to what music used to be. I’m holding out hope that real rock music will make a comeback when people finally grow tired of listening to sellouts, female rappers, and Taylor Swifts.
