Can Mainstream Rock Music Survive

[EmoBorg]

Over the decade, we have seen Hip Hop and Pop music dominating the music charts. I do listen to current Hip Hop and Pop music and i do like some of them but having grown up both as a kid in the 1980s and as a teenager in the 1990s, i do have a soft spot for Rock music. I would certainly like to see Rock back as a force on the mainstream charts.

The last great period when Rock had a strong presence in the mainstream music charts was in the 80s (glam metal, arena rock) and early 90s to mid 90s (grunge, alternative rock). The early 2000s did see some good rock bands on the mainstream charts like Korn, Saliva, Slipknot, Fuel and Puddle of Mudd.

While i am sure Rock will survive into the future, Will it be able regain the huge popularity it once had or even maintain a presence on the mainstream music charts against the likes of Nicki Minaj, Jay Z and Taylor Swift.

Are we going to see mainstream Rock evolve into something like the Folk Rock of Mumford & Sons, the Pop Rock of OneRepublic or the Emo Rock of Jimmy Eat World.

Or is the future of mainstream Rock is to be more like Nickelback or more like Foo Fighters?

 

[Forbin]

Granted I'm old, but I haven't had a clue what "current" pop music is like since, oh... Michelle Branch was the last "new" artist I liked.

 

[Australis]

Rock will last.

That is all.

 

[Darth_Daver]

Can I have Led Zeppelin back please?

 

[Relayer1]

It may not get the press or flash in the pan mega sales, but it does well year in, year out. It has great staying power.

You've only got to look at the size of venue the big rock acts like Iron Maiden, Rush and Metallica play, or the size of the crowd at events like the Download festival to see that there is still a large audience out there.

Its just not trendy...

 

[EmoBorg]

Let me say that i do listen to Hip Hop and Pop music and i do find them catchy. But however, Rock music is still the music that moves my soul. To hear Chris Connell or Brett Scallions rock vocals is something out of this world. Something spiritual.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Define "mainstream rock".

 

[DalekJim]

Rock is still pretty mainstream. It doesn't sell as well as hip hop or pop, but it's definitely way more mainstream than jazz or folk music.

I'm waiting for progressive rock to become mainstream again. By far the genre I listen to the most.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

You may be taking an American-centric view of this.

In Europe, metal (and it's many sub-genres) is frickin' huge, but most Americans haven't even heard of most of the bands.

I started getting into symphonic metal about 6 years ago. Only a few of those bands ever play in North America.

As far as we in America are concerned, all that pop garbage really is taking over radio & the charts, which makes me very happy I found other music to discover.

I think as long as you make yourself aware of other kinds of music, you can find something you like and never have to listen to the radio again (unless it's Sirius/XM, that kicks a$$).

 

[Pingfah]

To hear Chris Connell or Brett Scallions rock vocals is something out of this world. Something spiritual.

I'm seeing Soundgarden in September.

I am giddy with excitement.

 

[EmoBorg]

Define "mainstream rock".

Like for example, the bands that charted in the 2000s.

Jimmy Eat World, Gob, Saliva, Slipkot, Fuel, Deftones, Vertical Horizon, Incubus, Default, Puddle of Mudd, Cold, Foo Fighters, Nickleback, Creed etc etc.

I know that many rock fans dislike Nickleback and Creed but i included them because they do play Rock music even though many folks dislike them.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Define "mainstream rock".

Like for example, the bands that charted in the 2000s.

Jimmy Eat World, Gob, Saliva, Slipkot, Fuel, Deftones, Vertical Horizon, Collective Soul, Default, Puddle of Mudd, Cold, Foo Fighters, Nickleback, Creed etc etc.

I know that many rock fans dislike Nickleback and Creed but i included them because they do play Rock music even though many folks dislike them.

I recognize about half those names. Still it doesn't define what "mainstream rock" is.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

You know why pop and rap dominate the pop charts?

Because the people who addictive-iTunes-click like pop and rap.

There's plenty of great rock coming out, just most of it isn't showing up on the pop charts because so few of its fans (18-35 guys) spend money on music. Arcade Fire, The National, TV On The Radio, LCD Soundsystem. They're called 'indie' but their new albums debut in the top ten and their concerts fill the venue.

 

[Pingfah]

I recognize about half those names. Still it doesn't define what "mainstream rock" is.

It's whatever happens to be popular at the time I suppose. Nobody would have called Nirvana or Pearl Jam mainstream rock when they first appeared, but after selling 50 squillion albums, how can they be anything else?

Rock and heavy guitar music in general needs another shot in the arm like Grunge/90s alt rock gave it. It will survive, but it won't be a major mainstream force until that happens.

 

[DalekJim]

Finding a new band to be a fan of is no longer as easy as just listening to the radio a lot, like it used to. You have to hunt sadly, but there are some amazing things being done with rock music right now. Currently, I'm obsessed with Devin Townsend's music. I also discovered this week a cool band called Unitopia, who remind me a lot of Peter Gabriel era Genesis.

 

[EmoBorg]

I recognize about half those names. Still it doesn't define what "mainstream rock" is.

Basically Rock Music that can appeal to masses like the way mainstream Hip Hop music does right now. Hip Hop is so big and so mainstream right now. Yuo don't really see that with the current Rock Music. You don't really see Rock music toping Billboard's the hot 100 and Billboard 200.

The only rock song in the top 10 right now is Imagine Dragons's Radioactive. The rest are songs from the Pop, Hip Hop and RnB Genres.

Any rock music that is on the general charts is mainstream to me.


http://www.billboard.com/artist/303738/imagine-dragons


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[Mr. Adventure]

I haven't been a big fan of post-grunge rock, most of the stuff on the radio sounds all samey to me (or is that me just getting old?). Everything sounds like what I used to think of as "alternative".

 

[EmoBorg]

I haven't been a big fan of post-grunge rock, most of the stuff on the radio sounds all samey to me (or is that me just getting old?). Everything sounds like what I used to think of as "alternative".

I actually liked the sound of the post grunge era. Collective Soul, Creed, Puddle of Mudd, Staind, Audioslave, Incubus, Fuel, Matchbox Twenty and also the sound of alternative rock bands like Toad The Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms and others that became mainstream after grunge.

 

[DalekJim]

I haven't been a big fan of post-grunge rock

I'm not a big fan of grunge, I prefer my rock to be more overblown, theatrical, and somewhat complicated. Nirvana's Nevermind is an OK album but hardly particularly interesting, and the hits from it were somewhat standard pop. Dream Theater's Images and Words was recorded in the same year and completely blows it away as an album.

 

[Pingfah]

Finding a new band to be a fan of is no longer as easy as just listening to the radio a lot, like it used to. You have to hunt sadly, but there are some amazing things being done with rock music right now. Currently, I'm obsessed with Devin Townsend's music. I also discovered this week a cool band called Unitopia, who remind me a lot of Peter Gabriel era Genesis.

I saw Devin Townsend singing for Vai back in '94. Fuck me that guy has pipes. Really amazing frontman.

To me the radio bands that are shifting decent numbers of records at the moment seem either to be a new breed of folk rockers, or bands still trading on the alt rock scene of the 90s. Popular rock music is pretty tame and bland at the moment. You are right though that if you are prepared to step away from that and go look, there's probably more great rock music around now than there ever has been. I mean, it's much easier to record and distribute now, and you can put together something decently produced on a fraction of the budget big releases used to get.