Is rock ‘n’ roll dead? The data suggests it might be

[{ Emilia }]

My point was that I was making a snide remark about the fact that outside the US most people don't give a fuck about this abomination of a music genre.

No deeper meaning, really.




ETA: It's Australia btw, not Austrailia. For future reference:

 

[Pingfah]

Country is not very popular here, it's treated more like a novelty. To most people here, country music is Billy Ray Cyrus.

 

[Relayer1]

Country is not very popular here, it's treated more like a novelty. To most people here, country music is Billy Ray Cyrus.

Or Tammy Wynette and all that cheesy stuff. Despite having a small following over here, it's laughed at.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Also people who like rock are far more likely to download illegally because it skews to college males.

 

[CorporalClegg]

What sells the most and/or gets the most airplay (in various formats) is, by definition, the "mainstream."

No. You may want to consult a dictionary.

Country is not very popular here, it's treated more like a novelty. To most people here, country music is Billy Ray Cyrus.

You mean it isn't?

Also people who like rock are far more likely to download illegally because it skews to college males.

 

[RoJoHen]

Also people who like rock are far more likely to download illegally because it skews to college males.

...he pulled out of his ass.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

What sells the most and/or gets the most airplay (in various formats) is, by definition, the "mainstream."

No. You may want to consult a dictionary.

Country is not very popular here, it's treated more like a novelty. To most people here, country music is Billy Ray Cyrus.

You mean it isn't?

Also people who like rock are far more likely to download illegally because it skews to college males.

G-man is right, though, and it's time to admit it.

Rock would be more popular if radio played it more, but with a few exceptions as far as radio's concerned here in Toronto, the rest of Canada and the United States, rock music isn't really played a lot, which is strange considering all of the cities that have local rock scenes like, say, Toronto (and which had the history of it covered in a recent article.)

 

[Nerys Myk]

How are we defining "RocK" this week?

 

[Roshi]

No.

 

[Australis]

OK, I have a little experience in this (journo for a Aus national rock mag in the 80s).

JJJ staterd as 2JJ, with a mandate to play 'youth' music, and that continues today (fab trivia folks: the first song they played was Skyhooks' 'You Just Like Me Cos I'm Good In Bed'!). The thing to keep in mind is that the station, and now national network, is Government funded, so it doesn't have to bend (so much) to commercial pressures, especially as much as other rock stations do. So this becomes a banchmark because of those imagined freedoms, that the choices by the audience are free of

As is the way with 'youf', they aren't going to listen to their dads' music. So they might listen to rock, but it has to be 'alternative', not something yer dad would like. And of course, each person picks up the songs of the moment and adds them to their own personal soundtrack of their lives.

What these 'kids' listen to is rock, just a bit different, just as there's a difference between 'As You Like It' and 'Blithe Spirit'. Have a listen to this, I'm old and I think this is a great song from Eskimo Joe. It appeared on the 2009 JJJ Hot 100 at 65. It's about the death of Heath Ledger, and being alone far from home.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI9GWamslKU[/yt]

Now Eskimo Joe might be alternative, but they sure are rock. Listen to that middle section and the choppy rhythms. Good stuff.

To put it another way, I've been on a bit of a Who kick, and I saw an interview with Roger Daltrey, and he said "Yeah, I think rock is dead". That was 1970. Its best years were ahead of it. It changes, and always will.

TL: DR: Is rock dead? No.

 

[QuarkforNagus]

I don't think it makes sense to classify hip hop as electronic music. If anything, it's closer to jazz.

 

[MacLeod]

Well to give some stats from the UK

http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/68154


Album

Pop: 33.5%
Rock: 31.3% (peak of 41.5% in 2006, it was 29.4% in 2011)
R&B: 7.2%
Dance: 6.3%

Singles

Pop: 38.5%
Rock: 20%
Dance: 13.8%
R&B: 12.3%
Hip Hop: 10.7%

Wouldn't one expect some fluctuation in the types of genre's that are in vogue?

 

[{ Emilia }]

Looks like R&B is dead.

 

[the G-man]

What sells the most and/or gets the most airplay (in various formats) is, by definition, the "mainstream."

No. You may want to consult a dictionary...

Definition of MAINSTREAM: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence

So, pretty much what I was getting at. The music that people are actually buying and listening to would be the prevailing direction of pop music.

Your apology is accepted.

Also people who like rock are far more likely to download illegally because it skews to college males.

I admit I don't know a lot of college males these days. I further acknowledge the following is purely anecdotal.

But both my daughters are in the mid 20s. They've had/have boyfriends. Those boyfriends were in college a few years ago (or, in the case the guy my older is dating, is back in grad school). I don't think I've ever heard them listen to, or even reference, a rock band they listen to. It's all rap and hip hop. And these are middle class white boys I'm talking about for the most part.

As my daughters and their female friends, the music they listen to tends to be Beyonce, Glee soundtrack recordings and/or dance/electronica.

Furthermore, until recently, I lived in a college town. If I went out to hear "rock" music the audience tended to be people in their 40s or over. The college kids would go to same venue on different nights when other genres were playing. So, again, no real evidence to my eyes of college kids listening to rock that much.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Looks like R&B is dead.

Except in America. Sales may fluctuate, but the beat goes on.

But then the definitions of various genres are getting more and more fractured and sometimes is based solely on who is doing the particular defining (which can be totally arbitrary). Not too long ago, hip-hop would have been considered a subset of R&B just like metal would have been a subset of rock.

 

[{ Emilia }]

What sells the most and/or gets the most airplay (in various formats) is, by definition, the "mainstream."

No. You may want to consult a dictionary...

Definition of MAINSTREAM: a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence

So, pretty much what I was getting at. The music that people are actually buying and listening to would be the prevailing direction of pop music.

With people consuming so much music on youtube or other custom-tailored media like spotify these days it's unclear how much of an influence radio still is.
I think we're enjoying more variety than ever before no matter how "heavy rotation" radio stations are these days.

But both my daughters are in the mid 20s. They've had/have boyfriends. Those boyfriends were in college a few years ago (or, in the case the guy my older is dating, is back in grad school). I don't think I've ever heard them listen to, or even reference, a rock band they listen to. It's all rap and hip hop. And these are middle class white boys I'm talking about for the most part.

Most people I know prefer rock music over other genres. Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal evidence.

 

[Relayer1]

LG Arena, NEC - Black Sabbath : sold out, Beyonce : tickets available...

 

[C.E. Evans]

Ticket sales really aren't a good indication of anything except how popular a particular act is in a particular location. Some acts may sell out venues here and not other venues there.

Like David Hasselholf...

 

[RoJoHen]

Very recently John Mayer canceled a show in my town because, of the 10,000 tickets available, he only sold about 500.

And I think that's dumb. 500 people is still a decent amount of people. Move all their seats close to the stage and give them a good show!

 

[Shaka Zulu]

^All right, I'll admit a little bit that rock isn't dead, but it is on life support.

Oh, what I wouldn't give for a station supported by the government like this to be in Canada from the CBC.