Is rock dead? The end of an era?
By Martin Olmos
“Rock is dead” many say, time changes, music changes, market changes, but the is the rock really dead?
Is rock dying?
Rock is dead, many say that and figures prove it. In the international charts, either of the most downloaded songs or best-selling albums (of the year 2018), not even a rock artist appears in the first 20. Except for Ed Sheeran, if we can afford to give him credit for sharing the stage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
But there is still hope
When you look at the most successful tours of 2018, U2, Roger Waters, The Eagles, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Def Lepard, James Taylor and The Killers all rank in the top 20. In addition, let us consider that the costs of taking a rock band on stage are far from an artist who bases his show on singing on a track… (It is well known that most do).
Is the market changing?
Do rock lovers no longer download music? Definitely, who is going to see one of the aforementioned rock bands, already has the archive material downloaded in all formats. And with new material not coming out frequently, the charts don’t budge. And if that happens, they don’t have the impact of other years.
Making memory
To remember the last band to hit the music shelves, we’d have to go back to the early 1990s and the BritPop resurgence. (Since Grounge emerged in the late 80’s).
Changing trends
Little by little, the new generations, those who mark the consumer music trends in the market, are forgetting that there is a genre called rock. And not to mention its emblematic artists. Music goes through cycles. At the time it was the Classic, then later the Tango, or the Jazz. They all had a time of splendor and heyday.
Is it time for Rock?
