 According
to an article published on February 1, 2005 in the New York Daily
News, Rock Bands have lost their luster over the past few years.The columnist Jim Farber, who has been the Daily News chief pop music critic for more than a decade, has touched on some very important points that has led to the lack of Rock Music on the top of the music charts. After reading the article titled “Rock's in a hard place” the question was posed, “Is Rock Dead?” ,I couldn’t really disagree with the content of Farber’s article, facts are facts, but I found a need to go a little deeper and expand on the thought, so here is my take on the state of the Rock Music industry.. With Rap, Pop and R&B toping the charts week in and week out how can the Rock Music industry compete? Well I don’t think that it’s so much a matter of competing with Rap, R&B or Pop, as it is of producing quality original music that music fans will listen to not only today but twenty years from now. This is why bands like Led Zeppelin, Motley Crue, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Gun N Roses, Coldplay, Soundgarden and Metalica are timeless. I know that I left out a few but my point is what has happened to the Rock Bands that dominated the charts. I think that Rock Bands today are afraid to be who they really are because they are looking at the record deal as opposed to expressing themselves through their music. They feel compelled to fit the cookie cutter mold that is presented to them and they jump in headfirst. They hear a certain style of music on the radio that is successful and music is written accordingly. That is what the problem is with the Rock Industry today, the originality and creativity is being suppressed, this is why if you flip on your local rock station and not the classic rock station but a modern rock station, a lot of the songs have a similar sound. Rock fans don’t want to hear the same sound but from a different band, they want to hear something new, something original. I feel that this is one of the main components that have led to the decline of sales for some of the most hyped up Rock bands in the world of Rock today. The industry sets the standard but is that doing a service for those music starved Rock fans that are just looking to embrace the next big Rock sensation? I personally don’t think so , fans are looking for it and the Rock industry should make an effort to deliver it to them. The level of media hype and MTV time that was received by such bands as The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol and The Rapture, you would think that they would be on top of the music charts but they have yet to make a scratch in them. They have yet to reach the level of success that was anticipated. Is this a sign that something is not working?, it sure seems that way. But the Rock Industry is not totally to blame, the artist themselves should take responsibility and remove that notion that I hear time and time again “This is what record companies want so if I want to get signed I have to write a song similar to what is popular with the fans today”. They have to dismiss that thought because if not then the vicious cycle will continue and the Rock Industry will continue to slide. Maybe Rock music executives may want to take pointers from George Steinbrenner from the New York Yankees and scout around some more. Take a closer look at Rock bands that may have a future and not just those that fit the mold of the moment. Granted that one band in fifty or hundred is suited for stardom and it’s a tedious task to find that one but this is what the Rock Industry needs to boost it’s presence. Kid Rock recently mentioned to the Associated Press that "Labels like Atlantic and Warner Chappell aren't the great music labels they used to be. They're just businesses now," When I speak to fellow musicians about the state of music today, they have a bitter jaded view on it. I think that it is possible to have a Rock band that can have great songs and touch people, connect with them. Whether it’s Rock, Rap, R&B, every emotion should come out when you listen to good music and great music should be able to stand the test of time. I have made a promise to myself, my band and my fans, that “Almighty Love Noise” will continue to make music that touches their souls in some way. So to all the Rock artist that are out there just write from your soul and your music will speak for you, stop thinking about the big record deal, think about your music outlasting you. By Swan , the Lead Singer of the New York Rock Band “Almighty Love Noise” swan@almightylovenoise.com www.almightylovenoise.com |