What do you think is the root cause for all these non-stop “Is Rock Dead?” questions?

Question

I’m of the belief that this might top the list for the single most stupid and annoying question in this solar system. However, maybe there is a logical explanation as to the source of this infection. I’ll throw some out; perhaps working together we can solve this mysterious affliction.

1. Radio never embraced the new decade since they continued to play Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Green Day everyday, every hour as if we were still in the 90’s.
2. People are lazier than ever and don’t bother to look unless it’s handed to them on a silver platter.
3. Once we get older, we become partial to the music of our relative youth. Therefore, nothing that comes out after could ever be better. I call it the generation effect.
4. Too many people are still busy crying over Guns N Roses. Time to move on, there ain’t nothing to see here.

Kruger, Freddy Kruger - Great points. The staying power of those thrash bands is nothing short of remarkable.

Dave - Yes, MTV has fallen off the canyon and landed into a flaming heap of feces. What kills me though is that we all know it sucks so why do people continue to watch? Perhaps to hear that 30 seconds of a Killers song as the credits roll after another "riveting" episode of My Sweet 16.

john d - Totally didn't answer the question, but yes, Type O rocks and serves as further evidence that rock lives.

Sookie - I'm just soooo heartbroken. That nasty Axl keeps getting my hopes up for this new album which you know is going to blow. Then it never comes out. Call me crazy, but I'm starting to think he might also be a liar. There is no Chinese Democracy, it's a myth much like the unicorn. :)

Answer 1

It's a combination of all 4. Plus, there is a large population of people that just think they look cool calling music dead. It's been happening in Punk since the Sex Pistols broke up.

There is only one instance in which I will give the person regurgitating that stupid statement any merit. If they write it in a song, and start playing shows. It's easy to point out faults, it's more difficult to find solutions. Otherwise, they are complaining for the sake of complaining and because they think it looks cool. Which reminds me of my new favorite term: Scenesters!

Answer 2

My answer isn't much different than the others. But I think all these "is rock dead" questions stem from the fact that rock n' roll just doesn't seem very rock n' roll as of late. It's currently in a very pop-oriented, glamorized state. Even the heavier radio rock bands are putting out pretty predictable music. It might also have to do with the fact that since about 1997, rock music isn't exactly the "coolest" type of music as far as MTV and it's 12 year old audience is concerned. It's all about pop and hip-hop. A good example is when you look at those "NOW That's What I Call Music" compilations that come out every couple of months, they always have 15 songs from pop and rap artists, and then 3 rock songs at the end...and it's usually Nickelback, Coldplay or Fall Out Boy. I think some fans are aware that rock doesn't seem to have that edge that it had in the 70's and early 90's. Hell, even the so-called punk bands are very pop-oriented now.

I don't think this means rock is dead. Rock won't ever die, not in this lifetime. It just goes through weird phases and sometimes its not as popular as it has been before. Rock is quite popular now, it's just very radio-friendly. With time, rock will be dangerous again.

Answer 3

I agree with you on this one, especially #2 & #3, and my two cents will probably play into both of those points, specifically.

It seems like the early days of rock, there was a vision. There were barriers broken and audiences shocked when "Elvis the pelvis" danced on the Ed Sullivan show and Beatlemania took over (imagine, the Beatles, the first boy band ever. However, I don't hold them responsible for the Backstree Boys)....

Then rock hit its "golden age" (for lack of a better word) with its guitar anthems and songs that are still beloved 30+ years later.

Then comes the 80s, and rock splintered rapidly into a billion different directions, and barriers were broken all over again - Aerosmith rapped with Run DMC, hair metal was born, some artists went underground....

Then, just when we couldn't take any more, this little band from Seattle put out a single called "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and barriers we didn't even know existed were broken - AGAIN!

Now, it seems like today's newer rock artists don't have those barriers to break, or envelopes to push. They're puppets, and the puppetmasters? The labels. The new Big Things are just the vision of the label, and not necessarily the artists themselves.

I don't necessarily think that our generation has heard the best music ever. We just need someone to stand up and break through the sea of garbage that's out there now.

So to stop babbling and answer your question, no. Rock isn't dead. It's merely sleeping until some handsome prince comes along and breaks the spell.

Answer 4

95% of people get their music from commercial outlets, such as broadcast radio, Sattelite Radio, Record Stores, P2P networks, and the like. The only way that music can be distributed to the masses like this, is to create "commercially viable" rock, the definition of which is changing daily. Bands like Saliva and Chevelle were big in '03, but by '05, they were has-beens, replaced by the likes of Hinder and Flyleaf. Every once in a while, you get a band with staying power, such as Linkin Park, but that's because their music never changes, and their fan base is comfortable with them. And then bands like Nickelback, Chevelle, and Finger 11 come back into the mainstream every once in a while.

"Good" bands are only known locally, perhaps regionally, such as Nirvana ca. 1987. When they hit the commercial market, all the "good" stuff gets thrown out, and you're left with an album like "Nevermind". That's why all the bands you hear on the radio sound the same.

Answer 5

Well, people are definitely lazier these days, and I have certainly gravitated towards the music of my younger days (although I have the sense and ambition to actively seek out new music). I also think the internet is hugely responsible... because the label executives are morons. Check this out:

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/11/universal_music_ceo_doug_morris.html

Here's a portion of the article:

"When Morris is asked why the music business didn't work harder, in the early days of file-sharing, to build its own (legal) online presence, there's this exchange:

"There's no one in the record industry that's a technologist," Morris explains. "That's a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn't. They just didn't know what to do. It's like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?"
Personally, I would hire a vet. But to Morris, even that wasn't an option. "We didn't know who to hire," he says, becoming more agitated. "I wouldn't be able to recognize a good technology person — anyone with a good bullshit story would have gotten past me."

Even though we shouldn't be, we're actually a little shocked. We'd always assumed the labels had met with a team of technology experts in the late nineties and ignored their advice, but it turns out they never even got that far — they didn't even try!"


Now, with no albums being sold, the record labels have given up on promotion, and any sold rock act that doesn't immediately become a top draw is going to fade away because they're not allowed the time or given the opportunity to build a fan base. The labels basically f*cked themselves and every struggling musician out there in the process by not being pro-active.

Anyway... no new bands getting pushed to the moon = silly rock is dead questions.






NP: "Here Comes Trouble" - Dangerous Toys

Answer 6

Oh man, now that you mention it this one was certainly one for the top 10 a while back. That one bugs the hell out of me.

My answer is primarily a combination of 2 and 3 (with a splash of 4, which really ties into #3. Number 1 is also valid, but to a lesser extent in my opinion). I think the 3-4 combo speaks to the experiences of older people suffering from number 2. I won't get too far into it because you pretty much summed it up very nicely in the sentences. I do agree that there is certainly a tendency to glorify the music that you clung to in adolescence/early adulthood. I think it has to do with that in particular being an exciting discovery period, and plus maybe we're all still overly opinionated 17 year olds in a deep, dark place we don't like to acknowledge.

The other thing, that I will keep brief, because it would be like my 15th rant on the subject... actually I'll just post a couple equations.

creative product = overtime hours + extended schedule + excess studio hours = too expensive

General listening public = manipulatable + generally won't seek out alternatives + (Cool Video + Hawt artist = more important anyways)

and plus, people like us will buy albums that are more expansive but have slightly less production value (and thus smaller budget) that they can put out on a lower profile label that they probably own anyways.

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Chinese Democracy.... Ugh, I wish I could line up GNR and slap them all 3 Stooges style.

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To the person above who said there isn't real rock anymore because of all the genres my response would be that the music has expanded, sure, over time music evolves for better or worse. The problem with it being all broken up is the fault of music librarians who can't just accept something is a broad category. It's gotten out of control, sure, but that isn't the music it's people pontificating on it. The information age has had this "put everything in a little box" effect, but music has always been a broad art. In fact, if music is more expansive now I would consider that a plus. Don't get caught up in symantics, just enjoy the tunes.

Answer 7

Art is so subjective and it moves us in very personal and intimate ways.
I can tell you that I don't think rock will ever die, but I do feel the last decade has not brought those kind of artists that will withstand the proof of time as someone said here wisely.
It is also a reflection of our time and the way medias commercialize music.
But mostly it is the nostalgia we feel towards the time in history when music was truly revolutionary and brand new...
there might be many irreverent bands out there, but there will always be only one Frank Zappa, for example, so his legacy will never be surpassed...
I am not annoyed with the repetitive questions, and if I don't want to answer them, well I don't and move on to the next one.

good luck and have a nice weekend......

Answer 8

I have numerous theories, but My basic belief is that bands are not given the ability to develop, so their music never improves. Therefore bands have no staying power and they can't build an audience. Bob Seger released 3 albums prior to Live Bullet to limited sales. Today, he would be run out on a rail...But he was given a chance to improve and the legend that is Seger just had a sold out tour and a gold album after a 20 year hiatus. There aren't many artists today that will get that level of response. Certainly not FOB or MCR who will go the way of NSYNC or New Kids and disappear into ebay sales.

Answer 9

thank you for saying this!! but ill answer all these if i may so they know the answer already again lol!! 1 >>if you feel have a penis and will grow sometimes until you are 20! you only got what you got so stop worrying about it and if you feel small after all this don't waste your money buying penis pills they don't work either!! then you will be broke with a small penis and cant pay for hookers lol!! 2>> your not old enough to make enough semen to replace what you shot but shooting a load only makes a mess to clean up so why bother with it if you can still feel the great feelings of jerkin it man why bother worrying thank god you don't then you don't have the mess to clean up when your older you will wish you didn't shoot so you wouldn't knock ya girls up lol!! 3>>refer to answer number 1!!! best of luck and ill add one more question as well!!! 4>> yes it is normal for you to jerk off 20 times a day you got an arm a hand and anything that feels that good has to be done lmao!! and yes another good reason to be masturbating is heck your a guy so why not!! so enjoy it while you can you will slow down a lil bit when your older and even married but you will not stop so why bother trying!!! best of luck and thx for letting me answer this!!! GOOD QUESTION MAN!!

Answer 10

I'd like to blame the sub-genres, everyone's quite happy to proclaim the death of "punk" and in the same sentence hail "emo" ... it's sickening...
No one likes to admit that it just fits under the label of 'rock', so they insist on creating new ways of selling themself.

It's far from dead, if anything, it's too big... rock's got to the point now where it's so largely accepted as 'just music', we concentrate more on the subtle differences...
Why do pop groups nowdays use heavy guitar-laden riffs?
Even Hip-Hop artists are pulling out 3 piece bands to play behind them...

It's not dead, it's just mainstream.