Why Are Bands Mysteriously Disappearing?

[@busyworksbeats]

It’s hard to split $0.003 between 5 members

[@jameshisself7375]

Came here to say this

[@bctwitty]

Spot on

[@0dium.]

idea : lets limit bands to 3 members ;)

[@lessismore8533]

lol this exaggeration😂..

[@MacDiggity]

So touring and selling merch is out of the question. As is critical thinking these days...shame.

[@JoePearsonGuitarist]

I’m in a uk band. We got signed to an indie label. We did tours of the U.K. and Europe - we did roughly 200 shows in the last 2.5 years. We have great Spotify numbers. There is a level you can get to, and then you can’t go any further. We’ve had people tell us, at every single gig, that we are one of the best live bands they have ever seen - we’ve had die hard Motörhead fans tell us that we were as good as their favourite band of all time. We attracted interest from major record labels all around the world. I’m an EMG endorsed guitarist and have had many other endorsement deals. We’ve basically quit. There is a block, at a certain level, and it’s almost impossible to go further. The venues aren’t there any more, and certainly in the U.K., the music industry has become so blinkered, and the labels are so unwilling to take a risk on a group of edgy forward thinking guys, with lots of gear and all the work it takes to produce a band of independent thinking musicians. Much easier to have a singer songwriter, put them in the room with all the labels trusted writers, write the same song that you’ve heard a thousand times, then put them and their acoustic on a festival stage. We are making our musical world smaller. That’s what happens when you don’t take risks with art - you pander to the masses. But you know what, the biggest achievement of my life was having an idea for what a band should be, according to all the great rock bands of the past, and writing music, releasing it and playing it live on stage…. And seeing fans lose their mind over it. THE PUBLIC LOVE GREAT BANDS AND ARE DESPERATE TO HEAR AND SEE THEM LIVE, the industry has done this, not the public. Cheap, repetitive fast food music. I’d take the Eagles over that any day.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

Not to mention it's more difficult to tour for up and coming bands now, cos of things like Brexit.

[@JoePearsonGuitarist]

@@TheMusicalElitist luckily we have a reciprocal agreement for the arts which allows 12 weeks of touring, but yes it’s still expensive and a bureaucratic nightmare now

[@petercaron3799]

Five Point Gang? Just giving you a listen. Awesome so far 👏

[@jonescrusher1]

It's a familiar tale, will be interesting to see if this is a cyclical thing , at some point i'd expect tastes to change. Maybe Oasis will get things rolling again lol

[@JoePearsonGuitarist]

@@petercaron3799 thank you! We do have more new material being released soon (series of Spotify singles)

[@mead-wf1xu]

I’ve been playing in a band for ten years. We write songs and do covers. It’s just hard to find gigs and most venues don’t want to hear original music. It doesn’t stop us though. It’s very rewarding to have someone tell us we sound great and I like your song. It’s what keeps us going!

[@LaplacianDalembertian]

+, the absence of bands basically equals absence of musical creativity, because music is a social construct. Music does not exist apart from social structure.

[@lansingdoesbusiness9356]

Keep plugging away and performing, the soul of humanity needs folks like you.

[@unduloid]

@@LaplacianDalembertian It's true. There are no solo artists making great music.... Oh, wait....

[@rogerjohnson7001]

What is the name of your band, songs? Where is it located?

[@themadmallard]

respect to the grind

[@gcanaday1]

Kids don't play anymore. I used to walk in the neighborhood and every afternoon after school I could catch two to theee garage bands playing in basements, garages, whatever. Not now. I haven't heard that in TWENTY YEARS.

[@jccoey]

Computers and video games are to blame for this trend. Sucking away our attention and leaving us addicted to our devices.

[@mateusbez2669]

There are no local scenes anymore. No bars/clubs where a local band can play live and get bigger and better. So the bands are dying, and the talented artists just become a solo act. This is a huge problem for instrumentalists - they don't have anywhere to make money anymore.

[@TJKoch91]

Yep. I live in Milwaukee, WI and with a very small set of exceptions, all bars and clubs only want DJs, cover bands, or solo singer/acoustic guitarists. Even in a cover band its like pulling teeth to get gigs unless you are already well-established from years ago.

[@holderrrrname]

Texas still has a big alternative scene. Teethe being one of the bands.

[@Vay72]

tulsa ok has a very very big music scene, ^ it’s out there

[@michaelscerbo35]

This is also a major part of the problem. No one goes to gigs, so bands don’t get hired, or bars that try to market bands, will close fairly quickly. Baltimore is showing it post Covid with the crown and Sidebar both closing which were huge for hardcore scene

[@AlphaMachina]

On top of this, radio is dying. No one listens to it anymore, and it was always the radio stations who gave local bands a chance, eventually getting them heard.

[@NenjiAvero]

Another reason is that the industry (Marketing, Music etc) is pushing deadbrain pop music through all possible channels since the second half of the 90s. They've been promoting Rock as "dead" for so long, because they want people to basically only listen to the music that is the easiest to create and easiest to sell.

[@EndTikTokandTwitter]

True, but pop-rock exists because is pretty easy to mass produce as a lower grade quality version of rock

[@carpediemearth]

Is rock automatically better music than pop? Cause there's plenty of shltty rock music, and plenty of corporate rock music. Pop is a massive umbrella and countless quality artists, including some of the best artists of all time, have written great pop records.

[@mikepalmer1971]

Yep.

[@vampiresquid]

Nobody is “promoting rock as dead” ffs. What does that even mean?

[@mikepalmer1971]

@@vampiresquid It has been said for years not sure why you never heard it.

[@jefftaylor5884]

Session/live musician here in Nashville. In a 35 year career in this town, I’ve seen the changes you are talking about here and elsewhere. All your reasons at the end are spot on. However, as difficult as it is to be in a band and promote one nowadays, my greatest joy in this business has come from bands that I have been a part of. There is something so wonderful about an actual community of creative people working to bring beauty into a broken world in a live surrounding. At this stage in my career, I still enjoy recording for various artists, but playing in a half dozen bands across genres in a town that loves live music is the most satisfying…None of it will garner 100 million views or followers, but that matters little here. Watching people moved in real time does. Long live bands!

[@Hyperion9997]

thank you for being a musician and bringing joy to people!

[@robertgraham70]

Well said Jeff. I have always loved being in bands.....and still am!

[@slimofpgh]

I'm an avocational drummer and lived in Nashville for about ten years. I played in an all-original punk band and really loved being part of a community of encouraging and supportive musicians. We'd play on a four-band bill on a Wednesday night at Springwater or The 5 Spot and we'd all hang around for each other's sets and often the cumulative number of performers was larger than the patrons. The joys of being in a band are many -- collaborating on music, becoming friends beyond the band (my wife had to have serious surgery while I was sick with COVID; the bass player and his wife visited her in hospital), performing even when nobody is listening. And I'm really grateful to have had the Nashville experience where new and original music is valued and sought out. And yes, Nashville has a vibrant and varied punk community!

[@scottyflamingo1413]

Young people do not know about leaving their house to go see a band and hear live music. If not on tiktok then it doesn't exist. No wonder the whole live concert scene is mostly filled up with nostalgia acts. Venues will eventually dry up, leaving less room for anyone to perform except for talent contests.

[@GoodBaleadaMusic]

You nailed how local relevance is only important. Thats music. Worry about this in Nashville. People will then always look to Nashville.

[@pigknickers2975]

So much I could write about this. I turned pro about age 21, scored a major deal in 1996 (that went nowhere ultimately), had major mgmt, have done records (twice got in the charts), composed for films, won an award for advertising music, written three popular tv themes, had a studio in the late 90s in London, spent years as a live engineer after my deal went south, worked as a session musician for a decade, contributed music to a dozen films, done so many things, now mix and remaster mainly for revivalist labels where sales of 1000-2000 are the norm, but we do shift a bit of vinyl over a year. When I was a kid, there was either the radio, do your homework, learn piano, or lark about with your friends. Us local young musos found each other and all we dreamed of was the big time, working fiercely hard to get better. Myself and a friend got there for a bit in the 90s. It was so utterly amazing it's hard to describe that life. But it's gone, like a dream it just blinked out of existence. Kids today have the attention span of a gnat and appear to be depressed. I don't blame them. Bands are about collective power (which is where the true power of music lies - the joining together of voices and intention to create more than the sum of its parts) -- and this does not align with this self-focussed new world where narcissist traits are everywhere. Imagine replacing a football team with just one really talented footballer who had to do it all. The labels like it, but the output is not the same. Ultimately our culture is dying, and the musical output is a good barometer of the health of a society I think. Before much longer the lack of new bands or good music will be a small problem. We are moving to a time where that will be a luxury few will be concerned with, we will worry about heating and eating and trying to survive tyrannical governments. I stopped working in studios as the quality of who was coming in through the door was profoundly depressing. It was either 2 bob rappers or kids that hadn't realised rock had died already. I did my last session in 2015 and don't miss it at all. Music gave me my life, amazing connections, and ultimately a wisdom that comes from trying to master an artform over a lifetime. But I was in a unique piece of time that existed for a few decades. We are now in a new time, but it's just a shame our time was better than this time now. Anyway sorry for the waffle, happy xmas to all.

[@nickmaganini4416]

Its not just the music industry. People aren't learning how to play instruments anymore. I play drums for a few churches in my area and......seriously, no one plays instuments like they used to. Its sad. I have a small music room in my house to ensure my kids will ALWAYS have access to musical instruments.

[@matthewvelazquez2013]

You are teaching them?

[@puppude]

churches 😂

[@nickmaganini4416]

@@matthewvelazquez2013 yep or if they want to take lessons. I suck at piano so my son has a teacher for that.

[@nickmaganini4416]

@@puppude Yeah man. I bring in an extra 200+ a weekend just sitting behind a drum set. I guess thats laughable? Dont hate, some of the best voices/muscians are in a church.

[@pickles224]

I say this as someone who teaches guitar lessons for a living… this is absolutely false.

[@treborsevlad2treborsevlad271]

American Idol. It changed a generation of kid's idea of how music should be presented and that's by a singer not a band focus. Solo singers in bedrooms everywhere started blossoming and going on KZbin, Instgram, TikTok.....

[@dathorndike4908]

Good point

[@iedermensisanders]

This is a solid explanation indeed

[@sneetchw]

Thats a good theory

[@bobarctor2063]

Absolutely! I definitely sensed a sea change in the way popular music was perceived when American Idol became the touchstone of the industry. Originality and creativity were no longer part of the equation. Band dynamics were no longer part of the equation. It was essentially a glorified karaoke competition and while the singers who rose to the top were undoubtedly fantastic singers, nothing else mattered but the vocalist and if they could sing a well-known known song at a high level of skill. With the massive success of American Idol there seemed to be a great contraction in the variation and originality of popular music. I am not saying it was totally their fault but they were a big part of it. And when you consider the stratospheric success that program had for years and years, It is very sad to realize how very little it contributed to any lasting or memorable music. The vast majority of it pretty much disposable garbage.

[@-______-______-]

Pop idol and X factor ruined music.

[@jurgen951]

Another contributing factor; kids growing up the past two decades have a lot of alternatives to entertain themselves with, specially spending time alone staring at screens. This removes the urge to “hang out and just do stuff”, which is usually the recipe for band creations.

[@JoshuaKA02]

This is true. Of course 'entertain' has to be used loosely here if I were to say this, as I've never seen much value in what's usually on those screens. I quit TV when MTV gave up real music, and I finally gave up on most social media when I noticed it had little value either.

[@larsinthewoods]

Spot on. The record industry really didn't have any competition for our attention back in the previous century. Neither did we have all the modern comforts like streaming. Or the Internet in any meaningful sense for that matter. The record industry had by far a monopoly on kids' time. It's not like that anymore. Modern kids are bombarded from all directions by industries that want to sell them stuff. And they're buying.

[@Mialamorena1]

@@larsinthewoods It’s interesting you called streaming a “ modern comfort”

[@acerimmer8338]

Absolutely. We have become an isolated society. Fewer and fewer kids just 'hang out'. Internet and phones have completely changed social dynamics.

[@gamesmaster1060]

I'm not sure about that, it's not that bands arnt being made, there's loads of good bands out there, they just arnt in the mainstream charts

[@balldice374]

Spot on Rick. Regarding Spotify a 2015 report indicated that major labels kept 73% of Spotify Premium payouts, with artists receiving only 11% and writers/publishers.

[@andrewneale3266]

The decline of bands is a sad reflection of how fragmented the music industry has become. It's not just about making music anymore-it's about solo fame, fast hits, and viral moments. Bands used to be about unity, creativity, and the energy of a group that created something larger than themselves. Now, with digital production, individualism is prioritized, leaving behind the soul and camaraderie that bands brought to the stage. It's a sorry state when the art of working together is replaced by one-hit wonders and fleeting online trends, stripping music of its depth and emotional connection.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

The fragmentation alone is enough to do damage. Back in the day when a popular song came on you knew that millions of people were all listening to it & having the same feelings at the exact same time. It became part of the social/historical tapestry.

[@Randomjackass135]

But the opposite of fragmentation is what happened. Literally centralizing the industry to streamline profit. There’s a certain economic system that does that, but we’re not going to talk about that.

[@andrewneale3266]

@@sensorycircuits1338 Absolutely, that shared experience was powerful. When a popular song hit the airwaves, it was like a unifying force-people across the world were tuned in, feeling the same emotions and connecting through the music. It became part of our collective memory, shaping social and historical moments in a way that’s hard to replicate now. With today's fragmented music landscape, everyone's in their own bubble, listening to personalized playlists, and that communal feeling is lost. It’s sad to think we’ve traded those universal, culture-defining moments for fleeting, isolated experiences.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

@@andrewneale3266 Yes, the years from 1939 (age of radio) to 2001(first iPod) were special and may never be replicated. We should consider ourselves lucky to have been a part of it.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

@@andrewneale3266 The years between 1939 (advent of radio) & 2001 (first iPod) were special & may never be replicated. We should feel fortunate to have been a part of it.

[@rapidfirerob4]

Heavy sigh. I feel so lucky to have grown up in the 60s and 70s with so much great music. We went outside to play sports, games, hung out, played music. We had three tv channels and we were the remotes. Thank goodness technology was so primitive. I'm in two bands. Old guy rant over.

[@sandrajune1871]

Yes, More bands then than all the stars in heaven 60s, 70s then centralization and technocracy = the end.

[@eaglesandowls]

Every generation has great music. Just like every generation has bad music, even the 60s and 70s. The bad music has just been forgotten.

[@mario10zeus]

​@@eaglesandowlsnope, the 70s and 80s were golden periods

[@SearchIndex]

@@mario10zeusDavid Bowie Golden Years 😂

[@weirdscience6820]

"we were the remote" 😅

[@kelleyforeman]

I think it's a symptom of a greater problem today: people don't hang out any more, especially kids. If you want to be in bands, you've got to meet like-minded musicians and hang out. Most of the great band members started doing this as teenagers, even if that wasn't the band made them famous. Kids today don't want to leave their houses. Of course, neither do their parents.

[@Arkansya]

also, most promotion goes from social media which is tailored for persona, not groups

[@caseyjones3522]

this just isnt true. granted its anecdotal but kids at my apartment complex are always hanging together. maybe thats just unique to apartments though

[@notcontentwithlosing]

there's plenty of bands. just not on the charts.

[@skyen85]

To me, your comment is precise and grounded in reality.

[@neanderthal4394]

As a teenager, kids still hang out. I literally just went to the movies with one of my friends. I know lots of people who hang out. Even teenagers who play instruments still hang out and jam.

[@olganesterowicz]

I live in Poland. It's really hard to live off the music. Jam sessions in my region of Silesia is organized only in 1 month, too little to practice in the band setting, neighbors regularly complain about "too much of noise" and call the police and thus we musicians have nowhere to play, not to mention many rehearsal rooms are too far away from my house and some of them are too expensive. And of course, we are psyopped by the "rock/metal is dead" schtick. No wonder, there aren't many musicians, I dislike my life, I wish I were never alive, despite the fact I play guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and I sing (Rush is my biggest inspiration, almost coincidentally, because I accidentally resemble Geddy Lee) and yet, AI will replace us, probably. DEPRESSING AF!!!

[@garyunsworth726]

It's a total nightmare, mate. Keep your head up.

[@Stockholm.sweden]

I was in a rock band until recently. We recorded two albums with a well established rock producer. Mastered everything at WestWestSide in New York. Got great reviews in several UK rock magazines. Tried to promote the album our selves but had good distribution of the CDs and vinyls we printed. But it is so hard to break through all the noise on distribution platforms like Spotify, Tidal and Apple Music. All the work we put in and so little in return. It's just HARD to be in a band these days. We are to old for TikTok and none of us are keen on being a KZbinr. How can we gain audience? It's bloody impossible as It's not about music any more.

[@raufmeister]

i will tell you something you need consistence, over time it will go up, many gave up once they see one song not going a hit, spotify recommends songs randomly when you heard the same genre, 2 popular songs, 1 unpopular thats how it works

[@inakidelbarrio5747]

​@@raufmeisterWhat make you think that over time it will go up? Nothing seems to indicate that.

[@MetalDeathHead]

whats the name of your band?

[@rwefree9469]

Kind of silly to watch a video and post on it here and not see the value of promoting yourself without needing a record company. If people like your music on YT, word will spread. Learn how to promote on YT. There is much info regarding that.

[@MetalDeathHead]

@@rwefree9469 yeah, if the music is good enough it will spread

[@jrrm3]

Another factor is mass media's focus on singers, not bands or other musicians. E.g The Voice. I'm a working drummer and this focus filters all the way down to local acts.

[@Pandamasque]

The horrid influence of TV talent shows on how the public perceives music are a whole separate subject.

[@TheDoctor394]

Is that a terribly new thing though? I'm speaking generally, but I think it's been a thing throughout rock history that when a band has one main singer, that singer tends to get much of the focus in the public eye.

[@jrrm3]

@@TheDoctor394 I know what you mean, and that's true to a degree, but the focus now seems 100% on singers. Rick's point is that's become the commercial reality as well.

[@TheDoctor394]

@@jrrm3 Yeah, that's true. I'm in Australia and work in Outside School Hours Care and, as someone who's very out of touch with today's music, there's one act from whom I cannot escape. Taylor Swift. I could hardly name another singer, and certainly no band that any pre-teen seems interested in, but kids here certainly adore Taylor. I go back to "my" period in the 80s, and I find it hard to believe that if I was an old fuddy duddy back then that I would only be hearing about, say, Michael Jackson. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would think I'd have been exposed to Jackson, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran and many others, both soloists and bands. So my thinking has been that it's not only bands that are disappearing, but it's almost like there are fewer "big" musical acts in general.

[@AGuitarNinja]

Music to non musicians is just background noise for vibez you could play the most complex opus and after you’re done they’ll ask you to play something stupid every time

[@headrusted]

My band has been together for 20 yrs. Heavy metal music, we recorded and released 2 albums on our own. And still remain to make music. It's never been about money, fame, or charts. We love to create music, and we do it for that reason.

[@svetlanaandrasova6086]

Your band name?

[@headrusted]

@svetlanaandrasova6086 Its Headrust. From Tucson AZ.

[@mauer62]

Thats why artists like ourselves have been taken advantage of. We don't care about the money and the music industry knows it.

[@andrewgreenwood8727]

That's serious Rick !!! We were so lucky growing up, over the last 40 yrs or so, I am 62 now !! I feel very privileged & crave listening to bands !

[@Pandamasque]

That's because bands tend to be an organic phenomenon. A bunch of kids get together to make music, get discovered by A&R of a record company, boom (or poof). Modern day entertainment industry DOESN'T DO ORGANIC. Around the break of the century the industry has figured out that taking the "middle man" i.e. the artist out of the equation makes their business less risky and more predictable. So instead of making money searching for artists who want to make music, they took charge and began making "artists" and putting them together from the ground up like a business venture where everything is accounted for and risks are carefully managed.

[@Liam123-r8o]

But then why is the "middle man" not making good music?

[@johnnyguitar6639]

Think you my be on to something here. Spice girls was created,same goes for many other at the time N'sync backstreet boys etc.

[@caseyjones3522]

@@Liam123-r8o because the zoomers and other normies are just lapping up the garbage that the major labels feed them because they dont search for music themselves. the majors also have control over playlists on Spotify.

[@JJDon5150]

Those are good points, but you also have to consider that with the rise of DAWs, home studios and home recording equipment, and streaming platforms, bands don't actually need record labels to help them produce and release songs or albums anymore. This was already happening in the late 90s/early 00s. If I'm a 4 piece band, which is already splitting up the money 4 ways, why would I want to get a record deal and let the A&R Rep and the record company take all the profits from my band? That's not even including money spent on using a recording studio or renting gear. Financially for a lot of bands, it makes way more sense to do it all yourself.

[@Smith-wk6pb]

It is a business venture no matter how you slice it.

[@BoosterGauche]

And the labels aren’t even supporting their solo artists anymore! I heard a quote just yesterday: “The good news is you can do it all by yourself. The bad news is you have to do it all by yourself.”

[@steeleye11]

I don't think this necessarily means help from labels but rather help creating songs as this one person has to do all the instruments and the result is purely based on his own creativity instead of the input from different people with their ideas and experiences.

[@steeleye11]

of course you could still hire musicians to help out... then maybe help from labels comes in

[@wolfeflambe]

While we steal your voice to teach AI to steal your listeners.

[@joetrent4753]

@@steeleye11That sounds expensive.

[@TV_Schleuderprogramm]

How a foreigner sees the US: Hardly any-one of you could ventilate all his views without getting entangled. So with the bands.

[@ArchStanton19966]

My wife is a music teacher and she notices that kids mainly want to sing. They don't want to learn how to play an instrument, no doubt influenced by all the singing shows and current flavours of the month. I played in bands all my life from the age of 15 to 40, part time/full time. I loved it, and the most incredible part was the coming together with other musicians, making music and playing live. Nothing like it. Saddens me to hear that not many kids are picking up instruments nowadays...such a shame. They don't realize what they're missing.

[@charlesdjones1]

My son plays trumpet at school, piano at church, and is picking up the guitar. He's only 11. But I support him in anything he shows interest in. Many parents don't want to be bothered by the noise that comes with playing live instruments, and honestly my dad's generation was a lot more tolerant of it than mine. Most kids want simple, electronic samples (I guess they call music these days) which the record labels are more than happy to sit ten-thousand producers down in front of a computer to keep them happy. Sad times.

[@ArchStanton19966]

@@charlesdjones1 I agree buddy. Older generations were much more tolerant. I think it was just accepted that instruments were loud and made noise. I sound proofed a room in the basement and my daughter is showing some interest in the drums, which I'm happy about, but if she doesn't that's fine too. I'll encourage but not force. We also have a piano and guitars around so hopefully she'll be interested in one of them. Good on your son and good on you for encouraging him. I can imagine the kids out there that would actually like to play an instrument but parents will be "No, absolutely not. Too noisy."

[@rickchyczewski576]

They may want to sing but most can;t. I mean I certainly wanted to when I was 19 lol. Maybe in this era of instant gratification, kids have no patience to learn that instrument. Unless they are introduced to older music they have nothing to emulate. My brother was a guitar player. Why? I think a big reason was us being kids listening to records. Kiss, zeppelin, acdc ect. Looking at the album covers and the group members while listening..just hours and hours on the floor listening

[@mikesteelheart]

They don't even have to learn how to sing. Ever watched Tik Tok? All you have to do is put on a fun outfit and lip sync to the chorus of hit songs. Talent is no longer required to get a following.

[@teddmented]

Kids are also overwhelmed with and indulge in other distractions like video games and social media. When they get together they’re on their iphones. Music requires a lot of effort and motivation to learn.

[@hotace9595]

I have worked in the music industry as an audio engineer for a decade with a few big artists in the rap community. What a lot of people do not understand, including people commenting here, is that the product of a music artist is not music anymore. Music is not the end product. Period. Full stop. The music is now only a form of marketing for bands and artists to monetize themselves with shows, merchandise, or whatever else they can do to monetize it. The truth is that this takes a ton of work and money and very few are cut out for that life of manually monetizing a fan base in todays world. When you as a musician add your music to spotify, guess what? Everyone with a spotify subscription has already bought your music. And you didnt see a penny yet.

[@PaulieTheDude]

Good point. I'd add that its either an art or a product.

[@failingdisciple938]

Interesting perspective. Sounds right.

[@firstnamelastname956]

The “artists” that go into the music scene for the purpose of making money is the reason why so many of these people have so much trouble creating. They don’t try and master their craft by creating original art pieces that stems from their own psyche, they’d rather rap about some bs over some generic 808 trap beat just like EVERYBODY ELSE. It’s so lame, the problem is most newer people try and join the scene to make it big on Tik tok, try and earn money from streams, etc and choose to neglect the creative process for a formula that mostly everybody has adopted. Too many people want to be like somebody else. True artists master their craft by creating day in, day out. It’s never about the money.

[@Incandescentiron]

"Video killed the radio star." About a decade after MTV came along, a friend of mine pointed out that band members were now expected to be visually attractive. This narrowed the field of performers, evolving into soloists with cover model looks.

[@danweston6109]

Kids these days still wanna be rockstars. But their rockstars = influencers, not musicians. TikTok may have killed the video star.

[@michaelwashere]

The popularity of shows like American Idol showed that people didn't care about bands no matter how they looked. It was all about the singer/performance.

[@n.oneimportant5]

So glad you said this. Prince said this same thing 20 years ago. Paraphrasing: "You started to see the industry change not long after MTV took off. Not blaming them because if you do that, you may as well blame me as well as I was all over that channel back then. It's just when things slowly started to change." Again, paraphrasing, but that was the gist of his argument.

[@darryldouglas6004]

I think it’s because like you said technology has made it much easier to produce music. The editing is easy. The mixing and arrangement are simplified. Many producers are actually multi instrumentalists and writers. With a DAW you can go from concept to full song in a day. Forming, building maintaining and organizing a band for sessions is difficult.😃

[@4444-LV]

I have to disagree, I mean look at Billy Eilish and Post Malone, they're hardly attractive!

[@frankdaly2413]

I’m a full-time musician and almost 50 years old. Something I’ve noticed over the last 30 years is that when music programs started to leave the schools, no one was interested in playing any music. That’s obviously going to equate to no bands. However, I have noticed over the last five years. There is a resurgence of young 20 somethings forming great classic rock style bands! my daughter explained that they grew up playing guitar hero so they knew all the old songs. Also, I’m seeing over the last 10 years that many school of rocks are opening. Thank God! There’s an entire generation right now in their 30s that missed out on playing instruments, but it looks like it’s slowly turning around?

[@somenuttysquirrel]

I spent half my life in a band, a semi-pro guitarist... Countless hours practicing..... After the laptop/midi stuff got to a certain point, even a hardcore purest as I was, lead me to scratch my head, wondering why I was beating my self to death when I could just plug all the notes in a computer, press Play, and have it sound perfect, right out-of-the-box. I haven't touched my guitar in 5 years.

[@TomTaquito-zu8kv]

​@@somenuttysquirrelI'm in a similar position, although I still play many instruments for fun and record guitar/bass and my terrible singing. I can play drums, but acoustic drums are way harder to record and you basically need a studio setup. It hurts because I was always the drummer in bands. Always had tons of fun in bands and still want to make one, but some of the band break-ups I've been in are just ridiculous. My first band basically just started ghosting me and doing stuff without me, but pretended like they weren't doing anything. They just weren't nice to me one day and clearly didn't like me. So I basically decided "screw you guys, I'll do my own thing." Now I basically just write songs for fun by myself and the plan is if it ever goes somewhere, I'll recruit a few friends to play live with me. But the point is that I own the entire brand this time. That way no one can take it away from me. It's like how some bands constantly change members, but the frontman always stays because he practically is the band. That's the position I want to be in next time. Anyway, sorry for the long winded comment. Just wanted to give my amateur 2 cents into why being in a band can be difficult and suck ass, but it's always so much fun in the moment. For what it's worth, I'm also quite young. Mid-20s.

[@vkngwmn6636]

Artists aren't lockstep puppets normally and music makes people think unless it's been industry created studio stuff

[@MiaTheodoratus]

School of Rock is now owned by Roark…which is a bit evil and predatory to artists :(. Used to fairly pay teachers…not so much right now

[@MrDirtydaves]

@@MiaTheodoratusI was simply thinking, I’ve known of quite a few “school of rock” schools for over a decade now. What’s weird is how FEW bands end up coming out of those places

[@mellano3]

It is very sad. I am an English EFL teacher and the first thing I ask my students to break the ice is "what music do you like?" as it's easier for you to speak about something you have an interest in. The answer is 99% of the time "I don't know. Anything. Trap music" There are very few kids now who play or want to play an instrument, let alone be in a band. Learning something is hard work... I almost cried when a 12 year old was wearing a Nirvana shirt on the day of our first lesson, so I said OMG do you like Nirvana? That is so cool! He replied it was a T-shirt he had just picked up from a shop which had replicas of old ones. Another student who is now 20, once told me "music from the 90s all sounds the same" what can you tell someone who clearly has no idea what they're talking about? Very dishartening

[@46I37]

Our son goes to a private boys high school in brisbane australia. There are about 400 students in the music program. They have enough to put on an 80 piece orchestra and have string and wind ensembles, jazz band, 3 choirs, several rock bands. Thats pretty typical of a private school in Australia. All hope is not lost!

[@MontyRaddimus]

IMO accepting trap music is outcome of bad parenting. Good music taste comes from within family., not so schools or media. Musically uneducated parents generate musically illiterate offspring.

[@astridkjellberg]

@@MontyRaddimusthat is completely untrue. everyone i know who has great taste has parents that have 0 idea about music. including me. i always discovered it all by myself. and ironically, some of my old friends had the worst music taste on earth and they had parents that are educated (as in uni) and actually have great taste and therefore "the cool parents" it's a shame really. but i do agree on trap music = bad parenting. clearly nobody in those "artist"s lives loved them enough.

[@astridkjellberg]

@@mellano3 i have never seen anyone that says "90's music all sounds the same" in my age range (young adult) but what kind of ignorance would you have to even form that sentence. my god. it really is unanswerable.

[@raufmeister]

@@MontyRaddimus not true, it all depends on you and the enviorement you grew up, usually people tend to follow friends taste of music and make deep research, i discovered alternative music and grunge due to a friend of mine who liked, also i used to like a lot of metal bands because my friends did so, i liked to find new bands and stuff

[@StuTheDon17]

I've been having these same thoughts for over 5 years now and even predicted the collapse of live music. I'm from Australia, and in the last 18 months, nearly every major festival has been cancelled. The kids who usually attend these gigs say tickets are too expensive and are blaming the cost of living crisis and greed from event companies. But what they don't know is every generation before them experienced the same thing. Being young and broke. The difference is that we would do anything to get to these festivals because there were bands and proper live music and performances. We were ok with being broke for a while if it meant we had that amazing weekend. Kids now don't want to do that because todays music suck ass and it simply is not worth the $180 ticket to see someone stand behind a laptop for an hour long set. So it isn't greed and the local economy to blame. It is the quality and standards of the art. And technology is to blame.

[@moxieoxenfree2872]

People just don't spend time together anymore. Folls used to jam because it was a fun outlet but now everybody's just glued to a telephone

[@applea.m.h.3560]

Says the person on their telephone

[@Person0fColor]

@@applea.m.h.3560you posted this 6 days after that initial comment. I’d hate to think it took you that long to come up with that but in all reality it probably did

[@applea.m.h.3560]

@@Person0fColor you think I saw the comment the day it was posted?

[@arglebargle5531]

​@@applea.m.h.3560how do you not realize the difference between using a phone and being glued to one.

[@BillClinton228]

I don't agree, I just don't think there are any good reasons to be a band anymore... everyone grows up eventually and has to pay bills and raise a family and you can't pay bills with passion and hope that you might some day be paid for your art. Talent isn't everything, connections and networking is mostly what its all about and thats just not what most musicians are interested in doing.

[@quailstudios]

This is one reason why guitar lessons aren't as popular anymore. There are no guitar players that kids are looking up to as teenagers. I teach more piano lessons now than guitar lessons. It used to be 50-50 but now it's more like 90-10.

[@orlock20]

Those female singers need somebody to play those Beth Hart songs. She plays keyboards, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass guitar, but also works with traditional bands and big bands. Yes, a Wah-Wah pedal and rock screams can be used on a jazz song and she has proven (that's an Adele dig that Tim Pierce brought up). Guitarists she has worked with include Slash, Tim Pierce, Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Eric Gales, Walter Trout, Buddy Guy and Neal Schon.

[@jonathanolson1185]

SOME kids. There are tons who are aspiring musicians. Especially in the metal scene. My son loves metal but listens to literally everything. Hip hop, classic Rock, metal.

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

@@jonathanolson1185 you are right. Metal even these days has some really good guitarists but of course it's not a popular genre so many get overlooked.

[@TokyoBlue587]

Wow that’s sad

[@rmoz2729]

Just saw Iron Maiden in Sydney the other night. Packed, and not just full of us old blokes. Young blokes everywhere, including my 18 year old son. The charts have never reflected what’s going on, except for The Beatles.

[@Gemer9094]

I ran the numbers on the top 100 songs back to 1960. Bands were big in the 1960-1970 and slowly fell out to the single artist. This means music came from the bottom up rather than top down (control by record labels). Today the most common word found in the title of a song is "featuring" were two artist are paired together in a contractual relationship for one song only. This has been the case for the last 10 years. If you categorize music by 3 groups: 1. Groups 2. Single artist 3. Paired artist (where the word featuring is inserted) You will see that the 3rd category dominates. There is no mechanism today that allows bands to organically to grow. This has been the situation at least since 2010.

[@themadmallard]

No Limit Records spearheaded this, if i had to guess.

[@dye5915]

I used common sense and found that due to the transition to digital formats the "Manipulation & Corruption" on a level the music industry had never seen changed everything being disscussed why bands dissappeared basically, the algorithm, etc was programmed not to include them in favour of more profitable and easier manipulated and exploited kids n the music industry

[@HeavyTopspin]

Also that the whole concept of "feat." didn't exist then. You'd just find it buried in the liner notes, or more likely find out years later on a "Behind the Music" or even KZbin channels like Rick's or Professor of Rock that some famous artist sang background vocals or played an instrument on another artist's track.

[@nobbynoris]

The whole 'featuring' thing is way, way older than ten years. It was a huge part of the acid house scene in the late-80s, and, who knows, maybe part of the disco scene before that.

[@MikePhillips-pl6ov]

​@@nobbynoristhanks, was going to say exactly the same

[@KurnelK]

My friend works in the industry and he says it basically boils down to money (shock horror). It costs them far less for someone to produce music in their bedroom using pro tools than it does to give a deal to a band to make an album. The proliferation of solo artists is just down to what the record companies make available.

[@Beckola44]

I have been playing lead guitar, keyboards, bass, and mandolin in a band for over 40 years. We have written, arranged, recorded, and mixes our own songs. The songs we write are very very good and we play covers. It is a sad state the direction the music industry has gone in over the past 20 years. I haven't listened to the hit songs from the past 15 years. Most of them sound the same. I am also not a fan of rap and hip hop. I still listen to the bands from the 50s, 60s, 70, and 80s. IT TAKES MORE TALENT WHEN A BAND GOES ON STAGE AND PLAYS THEIR OWN INSTRUMENTS AND SING! I think it's just LAZY for some artists that go onstage with piped in music in the background like Karaoke. Thank you for the video Rick.

[@lessismore8533]

Mumble rap nowadays SUCKS definitely But even if you’re not a hip hop fan, you must acknowledge there is REAL authentic hip hop that’s not mumble rap. I think it peaked in the 80s/early 90s. LL Cool J, Run DMC, JJ Fad, etc

[@tanyakilbane7636]

Scaryoke😢

[@dathorndike4908]

@@lessismore8533 The early 90's was great for rap/ Hip Hop, but by the mid 90's that was starting to fade big time.

[@Beckola44]

@@lessismore8533 To each their own. I am a big fan of Rock and Blues since the 50s and 60s. I know there are some Rock songs that sound like garbage but I do not like ANY of the rap and hip hop from any decade. I do not like Opera either.

[@js27-a5t]

There's a stereotype that when people get older, they hate the pop music of the younger crowd. But I actually think when it's all said and done, people will look back and see the 2010s, at least circa 2015, as when pop music just got undeniably crappy. Some of the reasons Beato spells out in this and other videos. They include having masses of songwriters contributing to generic pop songs with autotune and no real musicians and no groove etc. etc. In typical neoliberal fashion (think about AI), the workers (musicians) are eliminated so that the whole thing can be streamlined where the wealthy rich person (the celebrity singer) and their team gets the money.

[@BorkBork94]

It's tough when everyone is working full time jobs but oh boy am I happy that I got a band that's sticking together. Just the act of going to the rehearsal space once a week, meeting your buddies, have some coffee and rant about the week. And then get into the zone and just play/write music together. I wouldn't trade it for anything else to be honest. For me, when we're all in the zone, playing our music together. It's the highest high I could possibly experience. Doesn't matter that we're not making much money, or that we're not getting on some Spotify lists or whatnot. It's Fun, therefor it is Great.

[@gailrobinson3168]

Agree 💯 ‼️Nothing is more fun than getting together and making music in this crazy world we're living in. There is no better feeling than the thrill of playing for a crowd, with your friends, or just jamming by yourself. Best of luck, long live bands ‼️

[@Friops]

The world has forgotten that sometimes, things dont have to go further than "it's fun"

[@alexanderh2715]

And you can finally crank up those 100 watt tube amps :D. The way the guitars scream from the jvm Marshall and the engl savage we run is just pure emotion.

[@LiveTilliDie]

What's your band name?

[@BorkBork94]

@@LiveTilliDie We're The Tsunamis, we got a youtube channel with that name where our EP Welcome to Rhode island is uploaded, plus a silly selfproduced music video. (Try searching: The Tsunamis - Surf Satan) Also a couple of live gig clips and whatnot. Our EP is also available on streaming services. Thank you for asking! Appreciate it

[@rhodridavies9426]

If you want bands, then please go check out your local rock and metal scenes, wherever you are! South Wales, where I am, has a thriving scene with loads of bands, including my own, trying to make our mark, but the shows are regularly half full at best and the venues are so close to shutting down it's scary! So if you are one of those people that keep asking where are all the bands, but rarely can be bothered to go down your local music venue to check out the new guys, then frankly, you are part of the problem. We are out there, there is loads of great music to be discovered. Go support your local bands and venues, help bring the next generation of music makers to the fore!

[@nathanclark4674]

A HUGE amen to this! Long Live Live Music!!

[@irishspagetti6565]

Most people don't wanna even leave their house anymore unless to go to work or shop and maybe occasionally go out to eat, it's just too expensive to plan a night out these days for alot of folks

[@doberman_hund]

good comment

[@Hellenicheavymetal]

I think a better way is to look at rating/review sites like Metalstorm (& rateyourmusic) and youtube channels like The Metal Meltdown and Thrails of Metal. Some of the best modern bands are covered there.

[@glen1555]

South Wales that's where Sassafras, Man and Budgie originated

[@packrat-y7j]

I was in several bands in NYC, and one of the things that seems to be overlooked is: Substance Abuse. Lets be real here for a minute, substance abuse is a serious issue within the music industry. I wanted to fix some issues I was having, and that was very hard with the rest of the band still continuing on the path of whatever self destructive behavior they chose. I went back to making music by myself (as much as I hate that) - in the long run it was better for me as I didn't have to be around people under the influence starting fights, etc.i

[@todhannigan8779]

Being in a band is hard work, and the whole thing can easily crash and burn……But being part of a good band is such a visceral thrill, I cant think of anything I would rather do!

[@caseyjones3522]

"I cant think of anything I would rather do!" uh...make money. we all have to do it otherwise we cant enjoy being in a band.

[@ZACohea]

I believe, that we are less than a decade away robot bands. Everything can be set up the same way every time, and robots will play everything exactly the same way every time. An artist will simply load in setlist programming, and the robots at the venue will automatically tweak parameters to fit the room. Live instruments without ego will be everywhere, including hole-in-the- wall dive bars, in short order.

[@tts626]

Hard work and not much reward either. I've had the privilege to see some great local talent, as good as any big name. They all had to grow up, get real jobs. I suppose that's better than burning out a heroine addict.

[@glenpeladeau]

Same here Tod!

[@sensorycircuits1338]

Buy a drum machine or deal with a drummer's ego. Easy choice.

[@bobbrogan6065]

Shows like the voice, America/Britain’s got talent shifter the focus to vocalists. The problem is the collaborative has been sucked out of the music making g process. It’s disheartening. Keep up the great work, Rick and hope you’re healing well, Bob :-)

[@Augfordpdoggie]

but what do they sing on there? music from the 70s and 80s back when we had bands. I hate the world so much

[@KyleJon]

But that is about MONEY. The record CO’s want a pre packaged, star vocalist with a following, they didn’t HAVE TO PAY FOR, and even made MILLIONS “discovering,” It’s ALL about MONEY.

[@GMitchell2012]

Correct Grammar/spelling anyone. KZbin shows you that it is wrong ffs.

[@frankmarsh1159]

One of the problems with those shows is that the judges have awful taste in music...So here we are 20 years later and young people today make soulless vapid music because they grew up watching talent shows where the judges liked and rewarded soulless vapid music.

[@talalzahid2241]

thank you so much for your kind wishes :)

[@freddiefreeloader77]

SO glad Rick has picked this up. Ive been boring people with this stat for weeks. The Podcast is called 'The Rest is Entertainment' for those who want to know. Its a UK literature/TV/Film/ pop culture podcast from a production company stated by a famous english football (soccer) player and its great.

[@jonarific8504]

Didn't realise until the other day his brother was in suede so guess he has a good insight into peak indie era bands also.

[@bernierose719]

Richard osman wasn’t a footballer

[@poppowerorchestra]

@@bernierose719 Gary Lineker was though - he owns it ;)

[@Tuesdays_Gone]

You’re exactly right. For the past 20 years I’ve been feeling the same way, but couldn’t adequately express into words my feelings on today’s music, except that it sucks. I lack the technical and musical knowledge to put it into words. You nailed it.

[@CedricJustice]

As a drummer, economics are everything. To be a drummer, you (essentially) need a car. That's 250$/mo minimum. To play in a band, you need a rehearsal space. I have no idea what it costs anymore, but back in the 90s it was upwards of 500$/mo; you split that with another band and other members, and it was do-able, but it still cost you money. You need equipment: drums, sticks, electronics?, amps?. You need network of people/friends, which means you need to stay in one city. If you tour, you need a van. All of this is on you, the musician. And then, when you are a little band, you get to a show, the door is split with the venue 40%, they take 100$ for the sound guy, there's always some other cost, the opening band gets a slice, etc. When I ended my music career of over 25 years, with a band that played regularly for 20, we had a final show. There were about 400 people that came, all paying (ostensibly) 10$/head (But the venue or ticket fees went to those parties, which were upwards of 40%). Then the venue took 40% for advertising and costs; they kept all the drink sales as well. When all was said and done, I think I got 3% of the door. As the headliner. The whole band got maybe 18%, I think, if I remember everything clearly. Economics have a huge role in this. There is just no reward for a band anymore other than energy. There's no way to recoup your investment of time and equipment and precision and practice. I never did it for the money. But the money is a part of why I stopped bothering.

[@FeroxX_Gosu]

"I never did it for the money. But the money is a part of why I stopped bothering." I can relate sadly... still rocking a KoRn tribute band tho, thats somewhat viable... doin just a few shows a year.

[@stationlightyears1532]

Sadly so. I don't play live anymore; the acoustic kit stays flight-cased, since 2017. I use an electronic kit in my tiny studio now, for remote sessions; that's about it. I do miss the buzz of playing live, but there's so much nonsense and hassle surrounding that short time of being on stage, plus the poor money situation (mostly loss-making exercises for me); then there's the lack of venues in the UK, so many local places just don't know what they want to be - sports bar, music venue, gastro pub; it all got watered down and having live acts a token gesture. It just stopped being enjoyable.

[@davidowens5898]

Bandland is depressingly expensive.

[@michaelparker3709]

Oh, don't forget... After investing in a shed load of expensive equipment, dragging that crap around, setting up in a cramped alcove and attempting to master your sound. Three songs in, the complaints about the volume start. 😑

[@hirokomlm131]

Most people don't make the economic connection. All the great music that came out of NYC in the late seventies through the eighties happened when the property value plummeted because of drugs and crime. Artists took over because making art was affordable. Ironically, most of the recent small bands that quit because of expenses have no idea about the big jazz orchestras that disappeared 50 years before them for the exact same reason. Music just gets smaller and smaller.

[@danjones9589]

There is nothing that compares to a live band that is playing their own music to a crowd of fans. They are giving a piece of themselves individually and collectively, and if you are paying attention it makes you a better, healthier person. I am always grateful for a live performance that is sincere and shows conviction. It doesn't help that too many people are consuming music on ear buds & addicted to skipping tracks.

[@hasp24]

Yes, nothing compares to bands (or even solo artists) that write and perform their own music. I remember the days when manufactured pop bands like N'Sync and The Spice Girls copped a lot of flak for not making their own music but at least they came from different factories and so there was some variety to those groups. Compared to today when you have less than a handful of the same people that produce and write lyrics for over 80% of the glorified karaoke singers topping the charts.

[@SDsailor7]

If you listen to the Warning you don't skip any tracks because all their songs are bangers!

[@davidcavalari226]

Bands are for people who think of music as an art form that's interesting to pay attention to. Most people aren't like that. To most people, music is a kind of background noise that sets a mood. That's why people are so blown away when AI can generate 20 seconds of music that superficially sounds like a specific genre, but which isn't interesting to actively listen to. I don't even know that this is a new phenomenon, honestly. Whenever I've done a gig and someone requests a song, they get excited when you start, and they maybe pay attention through the end of the first chorus, tops. Then their attention wanders until you stop playing, and then they clap. The average person's attention span for music is strictly less than 90 seconds.

[@tygher]

@@SDsailor7 exactly!!

[@danjones9589]

@@davidcavalari226 Perhaps it is not a new phenomenon, but just a lot more prevalent. A good friend of mine, a hyper business man, never actually "heard" music until marijuana was legalized in California and he started to imbibe. He was shocked that he could "feel" the music and get into a new state of mind. I urged him to keep smoking and hope to get him interested in some jazz one day. Funny that he wanted me to join him to have the same experience. I let him know I have something like synesthesia and with a glass of wine and a bit of counterpoint and harmony I start seeing things.

[@TheFunkybert]

Another punch in the gut for Gen X who grew up pre internet, cell phone, and with actual bands to idolize. And we are not even that old.. yet.

[@enmitygauged44]

Hang on to & support who is still rocking. I've always gone to a few concerts every year. I'm 57, so that adds up to a lot of shows. And I'm going to see Iron Maiden in November!

[@r3cy]

well we are old, but we're not ready to admit it yet.

[@rathelmmc3194]

Mid 40s to late 50s isn't old? Nah we're old now.

[@richarddietz2659]

Video games too, we grew up with the rise and fall of the greatest videogames

[@samuelluria4744]

​@rathelmmc3194 - Early 50's and I feel OLD AS HELL!!😜

[@FranklinJuniper-uh2lk]

Being an old person I don't listen to that newer stuff. I'm stuck in the past & listening to what I like. Band music

[@thegregoutdoors7632]

So many young music enthusiasts are reacting to music of the 70s and are blown away by how great it is, I think music is long overdue to.a revisit of true creativity and musicianship that once existed .

[@orlock20]

Few people want to hear it. People that want real singing, real instruments and guitar solos should be listening to modern blues which makes up about 1% of U.S. album sales.

[@marco31]

That's the problem... they react to it, instead of playing.

[@mauron8389]

70's were mid

[@GuyCybershy]

There's no way to recreate the culture that produced all that amazing talent. Young people have far more entertainment choices and most would rather play video games and are willing to pay for them.

[@sharonpaulsen5884]

Jazz bands exist everywhere. Unfortunately, not shared in the mainstream. Soooo many younger generations are missing incredible music. Love your channel Rick B. ❤

[@510SPINESPLITTA8]

Zoomers love jazz tho. Their music is way more funky and technical than what my generation of Millennials were doing.

[@510SPINESPLITTA8]

Take hope!

[@gdoodle]

I don’t here any on the radio or see any with over a million monthly streams.

[@510SPINESPLITTA8]

@@gdoodle good thing that jazz has no need for industry clout.

[@hotlanta35]

Jazz hasn’t been mainstream since the 1940s

[@igaltalianski1976]

1. Who needs charts 2. support your local venues 3. buy records on Bandcamp

[@travis43]

Are you me? Exactly what I would say.

[@DeKempster]

Buy directly from the artist, even beter.

[@unintendedinfo2239]

@@DeKempster bandcamp is directly from the artist p much

[@AlamoMelt]

Exactly! The Billboard Top 100 has not been an indicator of quality in my lifetime.

[@dathorndike4908]

I have bought lot of cds and lps on Bandcamp. Discogs, too. There are really great bands who cannot even get Amazon to sell thier music today. It's pathetic.

[@D1Snr]

Graham Coxon of Blur (a UK band), said thatnits more difficult to form bands today as young people have so many other things they can do to pass the time. When he started out in the 80's there was no social media, no massive computer game industry and other options like a vast television network to watch all day. For him, he had less distractions to perfect his craft of guitar playing. But also, young people nowdays tend to socialise online rather than meeting up in person and going to venues. Decades ago A & Rs would scout local venues to see which bands are creating a buzz and following. Now the A & R's look at social media for talent. Most things on social media seem contrived and fake

[@Paul_Wetor]

There are too many distractions today. Years ago, people had to go out to see bands, and they were inspired to play in bands. Today people surf the internet and fiddle with their phones, play video games, or watch streaming TV. First you have to find people who play who are willing to leave their house to play together. Then (good luck) try to find people with the same attitude or tastes. Next comes practice time, but after that...what? There are few places that offer live music. Playing live gives feedback about whether your songs are good or not. The goal of a garage band is to get out of the garage, not play there forever.

[@beingsshepherd]

Well ... I imagine that a visionary leader could pull all that together with their enthusiasm and charisma, then inspire others to follow. Rick doesn't even allude to the glaring absence of male solo superstars in today's popular music.

[@Paul_Wetor]

@@beingsshepherd Good point. Ed Sheeran, maybe.

[@beingsshepherd]

​@@Paul_Wetor As with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Mars, Sam Smith, Justin Bieber, they're contemporary _stars_ but nowhere near an Elvis, Bowie, Michael Jackson level. Some have even argued that there exist no film stars under the age of 30 today.

[@Evie170]

Yes, it's become a real 'homebody' culture, especially since the lockdowns. Many people would rather just stay at home, doing their hobbies, avoiding the crowds and saving money, too.

[@heinwuppdich9110]

There is hardly anything better than playing in a band, making music together, on real instruments, played by real people. As long as there are people who understand this, there is hope. And for some, perhaps also success. But that's not the most important thing, as long as you're enthusiastic about the music.

[@maykasaharav2k385]

Agreed! 💜

[@gdoodle]

@@heinwuppdich9110 until you get sick of each others odor on the tour bus.

[@dingickso4098]

@@gdoodle or Jeff snoring again next to my ears.

[@heinwuppdich9110]

@@gdoodleNo need for touring to have this. A small practice room without ventilation will do.

[@Kevinksk92]

@@heinwuppdich9110 and just make music for yourself and put it in spotify,..dont need some record label ,..how i feel

[@justinysmith8194]

The following comments are from a former professional musician who watched the de-evolution of society in real time over the past 30 years. People have lost interest in going out altogether. We don't go to movies anymore. No more high school dances. No more roller skating rinks. No more drive-ins. No more socializing or courting in general... Unless you count hook-up culture or friends with benefits. Young people dont even get married anymore. Its too expensive for them, and social media has the sexes not even trusting or seeing the value in the opposite sex. People order food in. People watch movies on demand. We go online to see what others are doing with no real skin in the game. Young folks don't care about bands because they can't relate to them. Besides, the music industry today is a smoldering wreckage. Clubs don't hire bands anymore, and when they do, bands are paid the same as they were in the 80's. If there is a crowd, they ask for songs that are over 50 years old. Outside of that, life is peachy!

[@thespecial]

Called it you literally named this generation Spot on ! Will be glad to have a conversation with a person like you!

[@_not_sure_]

Who goes to high school dances?

[@TedTedness]

I care about "The Liliac Band" Bigtime!!

[@DonaldRickert]

Rock is the new jazz. It's not the cultural Zeitgeist it once was. It's quickly becoming old hat.

[@DonaldRickert]

​@@_not_sure_Steven Tyler. That's where he took a chance.

[@CM8008s]

I’ve been waiting for a video about this. The Sunset Strip ain’t what it used to be

[@DanielEdwards-]

As a live sound engineer I noticed this trend unfolding as far back as 12-15 years ago. None of the bands that did form or exist very rarely went on to bigger things. New, full rock bands are still out there, in the live scene. They just seemed to be replaced with a lot of solo artists with an acoustic guitar, particularly around the time Ed Sheeran blew up. Live showcases got quite boring for a long time and I frequently say to people you need to make a few friends that can play bass and the drums. What’s most depressing is the damn cover bands - Abba, Queen, ACDC, Oasis. The nostalgia thing is so depressing.

[@MicroSBs]

Metal and its sub genres are the only rock genres growing ( slowly ) but it is.

[@Obssy]

The tribute bands are also everywhere, it's depressing.

[@JeffreyOller]

Seems to me it affected women-led bands first. After the cardigans, sixpence none the richer, and ace of base, female musicians have almost exclusively been solo artists.

[@niaralosusa]

...the tribute bands are depressing, but people are hungry to hear those bands' music...and not pay $400 a ticket to do so!

[@colty7764]

I think it stems from sort of a mass psychology transformation of the upcoming generation. Few people today grew up in intact families.. many were raised in daycare centers from their 1st year. In my day, the majority were raised by stay at home mothers until about 6 yrs old. The psychological foundations then allowed for more freedom of creativity (vs conformity). Many things you see today stem from this. Even the music scores you hear for movies is much lower quality.. much lower aesthetic quality The movies themselves suffer the same way. Poor creativity and aestetics.

[@KyleJon]

It all comes down to MONEY or lack of it!!! They have taken away songwriters ability to make millions from songwriting, instead “paying them” .003 CENTS A STREAM. They have taken away the ability for bands to make a living in the bars, paying them in 1963 wages. So what do people do? 1) Give up (Mutt Lange, Mike Shipley, Desmond Child, Music Row Nashville) 2) Get a real job and get married and have kids 3) Wear 16 “hats” trying to do EVERYTHING yourself ( lyrics, music, arrangements, drums, bass, guitar, vocals, harmonies, mix, master, produce engineer etc) That’s why there are no bands around, and mediocre music

[@nealkriesterer]

Who is "they" All the money left the music industry with the start of piracy. I remember how Lars Ulrich was treated like some kind of monster when he tried to fight Napster. But here we are 25 years later, the music is terrible, and yet people still can't admit that piracy is a huge problem.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Great post! It's now the American way. Greed rules all.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@@nealkriesterer A lot of "they" are people who can no longer afford to buy music, and haven't been able to for years. The greatest demographic in the US are the working poor. The RIAA has no one but themselves to blame for not seeing the future of streaming, even sharing, before they finally did long after the horse had left the barn. It was all a big money grab for them, protecting what they had, refusing to adapt or change, as everyone else moved forward.

[@ASTROMEGA]

I identify with all 3. I don't care about Spotify 0.003 scraps. If I am happy with the final track and I have couple of likes and a comment. It's bliss.

[@noeldelcourt]

100% right...

[@TSGEnt]

The music industry is ruined. I've been in the business since the 80's. I've seen it change radically.

[@ArenHill]

The music industry is thriving. It's art that is struggling.

[@zulu5157]

For me not only the industry is ruined. Tiktok smashes music into pieces. Even a radiosong with 3:30 minutes is to long for the kids.

[@DMurdock]

@@zulu5157Nah, there has never been a better time for indie artists. You just have to dig for them like people used to dig through shelves of vinyl.

[@massapower]

​@@ArenHillStrongly Disagree 😏🙄

[@SM-qe4wd]

The industry was already ruined by the 80s. You're just too young to remember the eras before

[@thinker9115]

I think having a bunch of musical friends and forming a band is such a great way to develop a number of skills. Back in the 70s and 80s, even for 'non musical' individuals (as I thought of myself then) music was both a glue and an oil for friendships. A way of building confidence, camaraderie and finding meaning in creativity. I hope it continues to be so but as your research shows the situation has and is changing. Many thanks for your thought provoking work and insights into the music world.

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

I think there are few factors: 1) Individual producer/performer using advanced technology at home 2) It’s hard for a touring band to get recognition (live gigs etc) 3) There’s not a lot of money for bands to sustain them during early years 4) Internet distribution (No A&R selection) 5) Most youngsters don’t pay much attention to music in general. 6) There’s no anticipation for new music or a concept album. We used to wait for a new album to come out and play it together and really take it in and then discuss/critique. A big bonding moment when you listened to a Pink Floyd album together for example!! Topics at school breaks were “Did you listen to so-and-so’s new album ?”.

[@mk1st]

“listen to an album”, heck my three daughters can barely make it through a whole song.

[@JustLikeHeaven77]

You forgot marketing. Corporate music is overmarketed to the point that my friends will hum a song and ask me, "What is that song that goes like..." and I'll reply, Taylor Swift, and their like. DAMMIT! 😂😂😂😂

[@StephenDoty84]

And Michael Jackson was still able to touch a lot children with his music, as a solo, when he left the Jackson 5 band.

[@fivedaysinjune]

Plus, music journalism and press have dwindled majorly. I used to flick through the rock magazines to see what was hot and to see what posters were inside.

[@Hilbrandi]

​@@StephenDoty84 with his music and with his own hands.

[@leaphchausew7277]

We'll see a resurgence. I teach kids who listen to classic rock from the 60s all the way through to the 90s and they're not particularly a minority. I also teach in a very working class town. Some of the kids are starting bands and their peers love it because it's novel to them: they've literally not been surrounded by them. I like to remain optimistic anyway.

[@SamSung-nf6tr]

I noticed that too. I never listened to my mom's music even my older sisters music was dated. Today's young people listen to my music.

[@birberking6999]

Thank you so much for your perspective! Always wonderful to see a more centered and less black-and-white view of things. I am in that demographic so I appreciate being acknowledged

[@eb7713]

My 12 year old grandson plays drums in school and hopes to be a musician / computer engineer someday. Surprisingly, he knows of and enjoys a lot of the old bands from the 70s and 80s. Maybe there is hope for the future after all. ❤

[@thegray5730]

We are in the middle of a creative dark age...music, TV, graphic novels, movies, videogames all empty corporate vessels.

[@darby_hudson]

well said... this is also a silver lining... it's easier than ever to cut through and be 'real' or even great because of this

[@sm0k1nggnu_]

Just the big ones. There is so much good music being made, so, so many great and creative indie games, so many good movies that don't get shown in the big cinemas. It's all there, it's just not mainstream anymore because investing in something like this has become too risky for big corporations.

[@whirlingrazors]

The parasite will diminish the value of everything that has any worth to us. We'll be left solely with our dreams, in hope for some meaning. The monopoly will rise from within our slumber. Maybe, maybe not... Tell me about the bright future.

[@jaydee9086]

Why "dark" cuz everything be black?

[@PolarbearYGT]

Exactly

[@rydelldownward7808]

Business destroys art.

[@scandata]

Part of it is the availability of so much music. When we were younger our only access to music was radio, Mtv, or buying the album. Our focus was narrowed by the limits of what was available. Now there are so many streaming services covering every genre available - and any song or artist on demand - that people are not as readily dedicated to one band (or artist), so their survival rate is much slimmer. It's like an endless buffet where you can't pick a favorite because you're too distracted with the next platter (pun intended). No label wants to invest in a whole band when they can limit the risk to one individual.

[@daz4627]

You 100% nailed it.... these days, music is no more than fast food ... lots of choice and none of them very satisfying.

[@notbraindead7298]

Good pun!! 😂

[@EPortillo5000]

When you hear the radio even the ones that played an specific genre you got exposed to a variety of artist now kids put any artist on a playlist loop and they don't hear nothing else and as someone pointed in another comment the young ones are always at home they live in bubbles they are not exposed to music that is not in their playlists.

[@tubester4567]

nah, its because nobody buys music anymore. They dont have the money to invest in bands, real musicians and pay top studio engineers and producers.

[@myplan8166]

Pretty good explanation of a mechanism that kills culture because of making money by computing.

[@armsamelia]

It makes me sad. I'm a college student but prefer old school rock from the 50's to about 2007. I know I'm an old soul. I welcome it, but it is hard for me to relate to others my age sometimes lol. Thank goodness for this channel!

[@CatholicTraditional]

And sadly, Boston singer Brad Delp died in 2007. This turned out to be the beginning of the end. 😢

[@cptnoremac]

*'50s

[@DrummerJacob]

well rock was invented in the 50s so you wont really find any rock before that haha

[@drno87]

@@DrummerJacob Back in those days, they called it Rock & Roll.

[@InventorZahran]

⁠@@DrummerJacobThere was rockabilly and jump blues in the 40s, but those didn't fully evolve into the rock we're familiar with until the early 50s.

[@baha6877]

I drove a cab for 8 years, I picked up a DJ and drove him to a club one night. He asked me what I thought were his most requested songs. I replied "Led Zeppelin and The Who". I nailed it! I always got my best tips from the children late at night when I played those bands in the car...

[@youreallygotmenow4855]

Really cool story, dude! I assume this was in the '70s, right? I just don't see this happening in the 2000s (for instance), let alone after!

[@gregh5061]

Nice, are you based off of the UK?

[@baha6877]

Actually between 2012 and 2020!​@@youreallygotmenow4855

[@baha6877]

​@@gregh5061No, but I have always enjoyed the UK Subs

[@baha6877]

Ha, 2012 to 2020!

[@TomasRosberg]

A few other things at play (im my humble opinion) -People make music alone on their computers now, they used to make music together. -social media has an impact on people, individualism is the norm now, everyone is their own brand. You see this also in how people socialise. -With entertainment being available 24/7,people don't get bored anymore, I used to play in bands when I was a teenager in the 90s not only for the love of music, also because it was a fun activity and an excuse to meet my friends, we even organised parties so our band could play. A lot has changed with how people socialise. -shows used to be live, now they are partially pre recorded and musicians are easily interchangeable, festivals love this because they can secure each slot and it's not so important that each musician unique, the more interchangeable the easier it is to find a sub for a gig, also learning a set to a backing track is way easier and can be done at hw instead of a rehearsal room. (yes we used to have sheet music, but the musicians that could rrally read and perform were limited and in high demand, hence why the session musician is a dying breed)

[@stratman1192]

I would add to your list a couple of other drivers that may have contributed to the demise of bands. - Stricter driving under the influence laws, which in turn, limits younger folks' willingness to support live music in local bars. - Expense and risk venue owners undertake in hiring unknown bands. Much cheaper more consistent business model to put up big-screen TVs and hire DJs.

[@johngddr5288]

@@stratman1192so people got poorer and poorer as the decades went by. Our economic power has been strip mined where people pirate for the inability to afford CDs Uber/Taxis cost money .etc

[@stratman1192]

@@johngddr5288 Hmmm, so explain why football games sell out and large music acts sell thousands of seats at $100+

[@johngddr5288]

@@stratman1192 Third party vendors like Ticketmaster are price gouging tickets of music acts. Tickets don't cost that much untill they gain x3-5 of their original price from Ticketmaster. Even for large music acts, its shitty what they do since it affects lower known artists too.

[@JustLikeHeaven77]

Corporate marketing tells the kids what to listen to.

[@BarbecueFitness]

Im in a rockband! Im 46 and were going nowhere. I love it!

[@WithmeVerissimusWhostoned]

_'There's nothing wrong with going nowhere, baby... but we should be going nowhere fast!'_ \o/

[@devolve42]

I'm 50 and I have no idea why I own guitars. I mean, I love playing them, but my only audience is my dog. He's there for every show, though.

[@KellySKline]

@@devolve42 - Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something. Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

[@eyesuckle]

@@devolve42 But how much merch is he buying?

[@CheerfullyCynical829]

That should be your band name, Going Nowhere

[@stratman006]

I run a trio. 35 years. And we play our ass"s off. Been playing for 50 years. Still humping gear. Love your channel Rick. Keep it up.

[@cathridge]

Started long before the current status. No one noticed because it was mostly black bands. In the 70s there were at least 100 black soul/r&b bands different bands in rhe charts and radio. From Sly & the Family Stone to Parliament-Funkadelic. Ohio Players, Commodores, LTD, EWF, Brick, Rose Royce, BT Express, etc. Then the 80s came and suddenly 65% of those bands couldn't get a hit on the radio, not even black radio. Other bands had their lead singers poached to become stars. Lionel Ritchie from Commodores, Jeffrey Osborne from LTD, Michael Jackson from The Jacksons left to become solo artists. By 1983, very few of those bands were charting except maybe Commodores and EWF. Black radio was inundated with early hip hop (which was more cost effective production-wise), solo artists or vocal groups. There were new electric boogie soul groups but they had a few hits then left. Now rock bands are seeing it happen. The industry doesn't like bands. They think they're too dysfunctional (which they are). Too many opinions to satisfy. Issues with songwriting credits especially when someone quits. Labels prefer solo artists who they can control and saddle with whatever producer they want and build a band of hired gun musicians around them. Bands exist more underground than on the charts

[@subplzorideleteurchannel7193]

I, as a guitarist, was recently invited by my friend’s cousin, who is a drummer, to start a band. I’m 18, he’s 15, both have music taste that isn’t the most popular at our high school. Both of us never had the opportunities to play our instruments with other like-minded people. Then again, I realize that being in a band, especially if you play hard rock, punk, or metal, isn’t going to make you some ultra-millionaire. I can vaguely remember when bands were big, like when I was little in the late 2000’s/early 2010’s, and I definitely noticed a shift even at that age. Plus, mainstream music died as soon as COVID hit, all the good new stuff is with the online underground/indie scene. It’s sad that kids born just 5 years after me can’t remember the era of bands. I’ve even met middle schoolers who don’t even know what a guitar is, and everyone knew what a guitar and a rock band were when I was in middle school, and that was only about 5 or so years ago.

[@Osmium192]

As a now 35 year old who was in high school from 2004-2008, this is an amazing sentence to read. Absolutely shocking. I’m thinking of trying to get my 16 year old niece into playing guitar but I wonder if it’s even worth the effort? I feel bad for Gen Z. You guys missed out on the last hurrah of pretty much everything.

[@enigmaticallis3110]

Bring back rock and roll!!!!🎸🎶🎵🤘🤘

[@wolfiethedog76]

​@@Osmium192The 90's were the true end of the good music....

[@Paul-zu2hf]

The 90s was the best decade we've ever had. It was perfect.

[@REDOPTICALCORP]

As an artist who's older and grew up in the 80s and 90s, I was led to believe bands were necessary. You had to go out and tour to get yourself heard. With the ability to play guitar, bass, piano, while having the musical background to compose and arrange, I can now make music and upload it without any restrictions. We as people have become so reliant on talking through digital means, we don't approach each other as easily and ask "hey, wanna form a band?" We just make music without fear of instant rejection and hope it gets heard.

[@DxModel219]

The only group that’s still making music today from the 80s were doing what people are doing now with digital samples is Depeche Mode. They were so ahead of their times.

[@Red-yx5yo]

bands may not be climbing the charts but they are out there touring all over the place. There are tons of new talent. I support live music and attend at least 30 to 40 shows a year. That is pretty good for an old man.

[@marshallsokoloff]

But many/most of the touring bands end up with next to nothing once production costs and venue costs take their slice. Recently, may bands lament that the only place they can make money is at the merch table, bit now venues want part of that too.

[@Red-yx5yo]

@@marshallsokoloff Context context contest. My comment was based off what Rick said are not charting. They are certainly not making as much as previous eras but there are many great bands still out there working.

[@williamb3323]

Sweet! I do the same thing. loads of talented musicians out there. I love it when they say "here is a song we just wrote" love it.

[@Red-yx5yo]

@@williamb3323 i went to see the Steelwoods last night. They were on fire last night and the sound was dialed in perfect.

[@Wowjustwow37]

I just went to see Tems, going to see Thee Sacred Souls in December. Been going to shows since I was 14, and I don’t ever plan to stop!! ❤

[@KathleenGreer-hk6yl]

I don't know what happened in other countries, but here in the USA, it's the result of three trends. First, when schools axed all the arts programs to save money. Second, the proliferation of the rap/hip hop trend. Youths found out that they really didn't need any talent to do rap. Third, the music industry focused only on commercial success. In the old days, artists would spend time in the studio, writing songs and exploring growth in their art and some time touring. Eventually, it drove the real artists out of the major labels to independent labels where artists could evolve the way they wanted. This led to more solo artists who developed serious cult followings and stayed true to their muse.

[@leonwalpole6556]

I live in Japan. Looking at this week's Japanese Billboard Hot 100, more than 1/3 of the songs are by bands (not "boy bands," although there are plenty of those too, but actual bands who play instruments and write their own music). Actually, one band (Mrs. Green Apple) has 14 songs in the top 100 right now. Many Japanese high schools have a "keion-bu" - a club where the members form (mostly rock) bands, practice together after school, and perform at school events. Being in a band, going to see live rock music, and listening to music by bands all still seem to be quite popular here.

[@ToveriJuri]

The music industry in US and apparently in UK is atrocious. Plenty of bands doing well in the top charts here too. Obviously pop artists are dominating, but bands haven't disappeared at all.

[@jordangarcia6701]

how would you feel about a band called tao kaizen ? We love the name and our idea is to spread eastern philosophies to midwest america using the chinese daoism (tao) and the japanese word kaizen which i've only heard about but seems to mean improving a little each day id like to gel these two words together but i don't know if them coming from different countries and using it in one american band name would seem disrespectful? we want to respect everybody but we want to show people the way of flowing with life with our music

[@nomorenames5568]

Japanese people have a more refined sense of taste than contemporary Americans and it really shows in what's popular in both countries. If complex heavy instrumentation was popular in America it would top the charts, it's not the labels fault everyone hates it now. Basically the ONLY thing Americans listen to is very simple hip-hop/rap and pop songs which mimic hip-hop/rap. That means it's all extremely repetitive and fairly simple despite how much they try to dress it up with vocal and bass effects. I work with many regular middle class 25-35 year old Americans and we have music playing at most times that anyone can play. It plays popular hip-hop/rap at all hours in the background and no one even really notices it's on most of the time. But, anytime I play literally any other genre, be it relaxing piano Jazz or a lesser known rap artist that has actual complex beats, or any electronic music at all even just relaxing liquid DnB, I will have coworkers tell me that they can't handle the music I'm playing. It's the weirdest thing, it's not like they're even mad about that they just get this look in their eyes of confusion and ask me to turn "this weird music" off because its making them feel strange. It's also very common to hear from people older than 20 that they "don't listen to music anymore, at all". When the average middle age American finds coffee shop jazz music to be weird there is a very deep problem with our culture. Because as we all know, it's entirely possible to have complex music top the charts and in fact it's the norm for healthy societies.

[@MJ-xk5ts]

Jazz is popular in Japan as well.

[@eRisforus]

The other kind of arts such as anime also help maintaining the diversity in Japanese music industry. Because the opening and ending songs need to match the show’s unique vibe.

[@Surge92]

For someone who grew up in the early to mid-'80s, an era when great bands ruled the airwaves, and enjoyed every minute of it, it's appalling the way shitty, pre-fabricated solo pop stars have taken over. Fortunately, there's no rule that says I have to listen to their cookie cutter music, and I can continue to enjoy the bands I grew up with.

[@milan_spasić]

Or you can not listen to the charts and instead listen to thousands of new and amazing bands that exist today.

[@andreabradley5837]

There are still people out there making great original music, in bands. Just have to dig a little deeper now.

[@SeanFrayne]

Bands require a huge investment in both time and money and while they can make it work short term, unless they signed to a label and bankrolled to rehearse and pay for studio time, it just doesn't make financial sense. Music production shifted to bedrooms, CD sales disappeared, money dried up. There's no money in making and performing music unless you're in the top 0.05%. Band members quit for more lucrative careers (in pretty much any other industry) or it just gets too hard juggling side hustles - too many moving parts. I'm currently in the top 1.7% of artists on Spotify and earning about $100 a month. It's sad but what are we supposed to do as musicians aside from adapt and move on?

[@virvum_cypher]

There are so many new albums coming out by bands weekly that I can't keep up with all of them, and I only listen to metal. They just aren't on the radio.

[@robertturner8040]

Go look at the music coming out of Japan for rock and metal and surprisingly there mostly all girl bands.

[@alasdaircosnett5502]

As a musician friend once said to me "the band's the thing" Whether it makes top ten or not, the experience of being in and watching/hearing a live band play is a close to magic as I've ever felt. 😎🎶💙

[@envixfy13222]

I have been in a band for over ten years. It is truly a brother hood. We write our own music and do covers. However, Covid put out of business a lot of the venues that we used to play at. Also, our drummer died two years ago, and it's been hard to find a replacement because nobody wants to do it. It's been hard to get motivated again. My boys have given me hope and asked me to help them start a band. I'm thankful to Ricks videos. I have my boys watch them it is helping to open their minds up and bring awareness. Maybe my boys will be in that Top Ten someday. Forever grateful to you Rick! We are thankful to your Insite and content.

[@envixfy13222]

This is my son's account to find our band you can search (the claw marcs)

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Music has been devalued and now just mood wallpaper. For me one of the greatest moments in my life was that first time of being in a serious band and have that thrill when you realise your limitations and the adrenaline rush as it made you play better. And the worst part is dealing with other peoples egos.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

Egos man, I can get a sampler and not deal with egos.

[@julosx]

@@sensorycircuits1338 Then you competely lose the other members creativity, you know the thing that brings you good memories for the rest of your life.

[@SO-ym3zs]

It saddens me that guitar-driven rock bands have all but disappeared from mainstream culture. Ditto all the funk, soul, and R&B groups that used to dominate. But I'll always have all the awesome music recorded from the 60's to early 90's to enjoy :) Ditto with other genres: I'm not overly worried that tastes changed and small-combo jazz was driven deep underground (in part by rock and pop) to become an obscure niche. Or that Classical music makes up only a tiny percentage of ticket and album sales.

[@caseyjones3522]

i dont enjoy listening to the same music over and over.

[@SO-ym3zs]

@@caseyjones3522 I do if it's good, and as someone who likes different styles and genres, I literally have centuries of existing music to fall back on. Which is not to say I don't enjoy new stuff, too, but I'm not going to get too worked up about inevitable changes in popular taste.

[@cptnoremac]

*'60s to early '90s

[@shaun5552]

There are still modern bands around with original music that would've fitted in just perfectly years ago had they been born a few decades earlier. Two obvious examples are Halestorm and The Warning but there's plenty more if you go looking.

[@ryangatling2973]

Man I've been saying this for the past 20 years. The loss of Black bands is tragic. We used to have tons of groups EWF, Commodores, Confunkshun, LTD, the star bands (Atlantic Star, Starpoint, Midnight Star), Miami Sound Machine, DeBarge, SOS Band, The Time, Daz Band, et al. There is something fundamentally wrong... We have gone from a generation of creators to a generation of consumers.

[@jayzind1836]

As electronic means became better, the industry realised they could save a buck by just having 1-2 guys building stuff from sampled instruments. This technical shift is also part of the reason for the mainstream promotion of genres such as rap/hip-hop for example, not "just" a matter of changing taste.

[@ramirosotto]

As if you weren't a consumer in the 70s, 80s

[@randomcompdude]

Welcome to the American dream of abolsolute homogenization

[@PixelVermont]

miss Living Color

[@allanv7661]

In America they have removed music from general education curriculum. Kids now are growing up listening to drum machines, sound effects and cursing.

[@pickles224]

Yeah dude because it’s not like those things didn’t exist in the 80’s 🙄

[@alexjenner1108]

There were two venues I used to go to and see live rock bands. One was closed because developers built some apartments close to the bar where the bands played. Then the apartment owners who apparently moved into the city to be close to dinning and entertainment, decided that the entertainment was too loud, so they complained and had it shut down. The other was a larger bar where a lot of rock bands played. They sold the venue to a developer who built a huge multi-level business and apartment block. I'm not sure which came first, bands declining, or venues closing.

[@mattjns]

One great thing here in Melbourne Victoria Australia is the “Agent Of Change” law we’ve had for about a decade now. A lot of apartment complexes started to be built near live music venues as gentrification of once uninhabited areas took place. Then the noise complaints started with the new residents. The Agent Of Change laws passed in 2014. Basically if YOU are the “agent of change” ie; you weren’t there first, it’s up to YOU (builders developers etc) to build in appropriate levels of soundproofing, entrances not near venue entrances etc. on your new apartments.

[@sensorycircuits1338]

Back when land was cheap, the music was plentiful.

[@zanzone7133]

From The Kinks "Come Dancing": They put a parking lot on a piece of land Where the supermarket used to stand Before that they put up a bowling alley On the site that used to be the local palais That's where the big bands used to come and play My sister went there on a Saturday... Come Dancing... Now I'm grown up and playing in a band And there's a car park where the palais used to stand My sister's married and she lives on an estate Her daughters go out, now it's her turn to wait She knows they get away with things she never could But if I asked her, I wonder if she would... Come dancing.... Joni M. - "They paved paradise, put up a parking lot"

[@RogerCaplan]

The extreme level of real estate price inflation means that it's harder and harder for any commercial property to justify its existence and this hits live music venues particularly hard. Business rates and property taxes increase massively along with general inflation in food, drink, utilities and other costs to the business so the only way to keep going is to put up prices and hope that doesn't scare off all your customers. Meanwhile the property or the land it's built on has increased in value massively making it a far more attractive proposition to close the venue entirely and sell the plot for redevelopment into new apartments that'll generate far more profit than it ever could.

[@Fastvoice]

Another reason: Less and less rehearsal spaces. Which is of course also due to the skyrocketing rents and house prices.

[@JohnnyTheDoe]

Hey Rick. I'm 43, American, and have lived in the UK for 18 years. I just went to my first-ever-in-my-life live gig at the weekend. It was for Blossoms, indie rock & syth-pop band out of Manchester UK. They recently topped the UK charts with their №1 album Gary. The point of the video is still valid. But at least bands CAN still hit №1. Edit: They spent 2 weeks at 1, and dropped to 52. Astounding.

[@capnceltblood5347]

I think you will find a correlation between the rise of Karaoke in bars and the demise of bands. It became much cheaper to get a karaoke DJ in with his machine and let the patrons entertain themselves than it was go get bands in and play. Less and less venues available supported less and less new bands. And as you mentioned it was more cost effective to promote solo artists and have pros write and play the music.

[@soundgrips]

I played in bands from 2004 - 2020. I was never famous but opened for a lot of well known rock bands. There were live shows in multiple places in pretty much every city just about every night. I knew people who would watch live shows every friday and saturday night. That all ended when covid hit and things have never been the same.

[@SuperStrik9]

Covid really screwed things especially for smaller and mid size venues (not to mention the artists/bands). They haven't been able to return to the same profit margins they were making even in 2019. Bands are now seeing their merch sales being cut into by venues which is bullshit. Ticketmaster and Live Nation are a big part of it. That duopoly (really a monopoly imo) needs to be stopped/broken up or at least heavily regulated for the survival of the live music industry. As a musician and fan myself like you this is a topic I am greatly passionate about.

[@6ch6ris6]

yeah i heard most bands cant even get a rehearsal room these days after covid. so sad

[@soundgrips]

@@6ch6ris6 We were paying something like $200 - $250 CAD per month for our space. I'd hate to see what the price is now. I wouldn't be surprised if it was made into something else to get more rent money, but it's attached to a mechanic shop and the setup would make it hard to convert to something else.

[@pensivepenguin3000]

I completely disagree, as somebody who also was active in bands around that same time. I think whatever hit live music took because of Covid has since come roaring back. I think the loss of smaller venues has been a more slow and gradual thing for the past 20 years

[@pensivepenguin3000]

@@6ch6ris6 what are you talking about? It’s not 2020. We aren’t social distancing anymore lol. That’s nonsense

[@alessandronicoletti144]

As a young musician (I'm 17) who's in a band, I find it very difficult to live without it. Even though I play drums in my band for the most part, I can play different instruments. Sometimes I'll make music by myself or start a new song I wanna do with the other guys, but I never feel the same way doing it alone. Sure, I have a lot of ideas for the song and I like to arrange it the way I have it my mind, especially if the idea was mine, but without those other 3 guys I'm not able to write songs the same way. I need the human contact of taking each other's ideas and take them to another level together to create something that we all feel like is worthy of being listened to. I can't have that by myself. I totally get why it's hard to love bands these days, and I get that it would be easier for me to make music by myself, but I just can't imagine it. We're 4 guys who complement each other, because we all have different backgrounds and ideas, and I feel like that's where the interesting music is born, the music that varies and that is not always the same vibe. For me it's essential. That's just me though, I just wanted to share my experience here.

[@jamesmacleod9382]

I also saw a British critic some years ago who said that 95 was the last year a band made the year end top ten. I can't remember who he was. But he felt that rock music will (at the time) go the way of jazz and that small venues and clubs will be the only place to see bands.

[@NoDaysOff-oz2zl]

That's why the Communists at The Guardian didn't like Oasis getting back together.

[@pingwang6831]

the way rock music dies is similar to the way classical music died. as it goes, it is becoming more and more for small circle of "cultured" people (most rock fans are college people into art/social science/IT and so on) and the "ordinary class" feel disconnected

[@ryanbenedetti-kp2yx]

@@pingwang6831 or you just grew up on 80's hair metal in the early 90's and didnt listen to your dad when he said dont listen to the Grateful Dead and would hand you a Priest cassette instead and pop in my GD greatest hits cd with his headphones after they went to bed. 30 years later I still listen to Tesla, Crue, and Poison daily with my JGB and Dead, with a touch of Umph and Phish to finish the day. Jazz is cool too kids.

[@thewaronu8842]

@@pingwang6831 News to me classical music died, hell of a lot more people supporting it than in Mozart's day , 'cause there are more people. What you are essentially saying is that rock music is now only being listened to by people who actually like it, sounds like a good thiing to me

[@pingwang6831]

@@ryanbenedetti-kp2yx true, i think it is not necessarily a bad thing for rock that rock reduces to be like blues/jazz/soul.

[@theborgv]

It's the times. In the early 90s my buddies and I would hangout at each other's homes and garages, watching tv, reading comic books, playing the drums and guitars, as we grew older we'd do gigs. Nowadays young people are on their phone and laptops.

[@brandoshreds]

There's no money in being an Original band, and It's nearly impossible to get one off the ground without moonlighting as a cover act for weddings and corporate gigs to pay for photoshoots, recording, and videos. Once you make the decision to go "All In" on the original side, the money disappears, quality drops, and guys get frustrated and quit.

[@EgoShredder]

Commercially successful music is usually all about the common denominator / the bottom line, and purely a business strategy more than anything else. That means churning out product for the masses to consume and later discard. Most of the public these days consist of NPCs wanting mechanical, repetitive noise to act as a backdrop to their inane existence.

[@KyleJon]

@@brandoshreds Truth. And the original band has to compete with LIFETIME CATALOGUES of a 100 artists the wedding band plays.

[@pvampman]

Another problem with musicians is that social media has made it easy to just get a KZbin channel and be on social media and think they’re gunna get famous that way too. It’s pure laziness as far as I’m concerned. But having a KZbin channel and getting a cheap audio interface to showcase your talents is what everyone is trying to do. Way over saturated

[@laurencefraser]

There's money in origional material as a solo act (if perhaps not as much as there might once have been unless you combine it with other things). As a band? seems like the money there is being hired by the solo guys and/or as the 'house' band to do all the backing/backup/whatever work for a bunch of different people.

[@1madcracker]

As a working musician in a very active cover band, your videos have helped to us navigate the business aspect of music. It sure as hell isn’t sunshine and roses for too many musicians. I suppose I’m no different than anyone else, I love playing live music, crappy pay and all.

[@nathanclark4674]

There is NO substitute. Period. Proof of this is how many bands from the last 50 years are still touring (albeit often times with a majority of replacement members) and doing a couple hundred dates a year. The public still appreciates live music.

[@BallyStudios]

Great video, as usual! For extra context, it's worth mentioning that Richard Osman, (the guy referenced in the video),is the brother of Mat Osman, the bassist of Suede, a pretty huge band in the UK, so he has a lot of insight into this. As a rehearsal and recording studio that has had 1,500 bands passing through our doors over the years, (Coldplay recorded their first 2 EP''s with us), one factor that rarely gets mentioned is that a band usually needs all of it's members to be in the same room at the same time to make music. Many musicians are now working unpredictable shift work, so it is a lot harder to organise time to get together. Big cities are better places for bands to be exposed to a bigger audience, but those cities are much more expensive, and many of the bands that come to us have two jobs, meaning it's really difficult to find the time to rehearse. They get on well when they meet, but they rarely meet due to the cost of living. It used to be that bands would play gigs in the evening and THAT would be their second job, it would help the band to develop, but now with the increased cost of living it's difficult for smaller venues to get people in the door as people no longer have the money to go to those small gigs, and so bands can no longer get paid to play those smaller gigs. The impact of the 'cost of living' means it's both harder for bands to find time to rehearse, and it's also harder for bands to earn the money from those smaller gigs that used to earn the money for them to put into the kitty for the usual costs of running a band. In my opinion, that is the biggest factor that has caused the decline in bands.

[@-______-______-]

I would also say that the decline has been steady since the smoking ban and the increase in the cost of alcohol.

[@i_dont_know_jack]

I found that it's difficult to find band members who are willing to show up to practice sessions, people just don't take it seriously anymore and gigs are just too expensive. It's just not worth it anymore. I've given up the hobby after playing for 13 years.

[@toddjosue2512]

I tell high school students all the time to start bands ...hopefully it comes back around ..lot of live shows everywhere but they are just not in the mainstream

[@easter_sunday]

It won't. The publishing companies have made it too expensive for local venues to host bands.

[@FunsongsMusicByPeterRahill]

Of course - that's what Garages are for!

[@NecramoniumVideo]

I have seen a slow return of bands though, one excellent band is Greta Van Fleet who have this great late 1960's, early 1970's rock sound.

[@matturner6890]

@@NecramoniumVideo Just stop with them. Great, a bunch of industry (Robert) plants playing at being Led Zeppelin. Yuck.

[@morganqorishchi8181]

@@matturner6890 I feel like this comment sums it up. If you don't play in a band, people will say it's a sign of the end of an era. If you do play in a band, you're an industry plant and it's the end of an era. A lot of people are deadset on "if it's new, it sucks" to the point where any option proposed is bad to them.

[@willbill6449]

I think it's largely another indication of the individualism of the 2020's. We simply aren't interested. Which is sad

[@Makartz]

Yes! I resonate with this. "It's a hassle to get all the band members to practice, record and tour. Easier to do it myself with an accompanying AI" Hopefully this can be turned around and at least have power trios feat AI lol xD

[@SonicProfessor_a.k.a._T._Andra]

"We"?? Please speak for yourself, alone.

[@littleinkling4604]

Individualism or isolation of the individual?

[@joeskis]

huh? we're far more moving in the homogeneous group mentality than individual. It's not about an individual achievement and celebrating that it's about celebrating the specific "community" they claim to represent.

[@SonicProfessor_a.k.a._T._Andra]

"Individualism" isn't a product of, nor a symptom of "the 2020s," by any means. It's, even, difficult to argue that it's 'been amped-up' in any significant manner, at this point (other than, simply, the natural: increase through accrual, generated by: how long something is permitted to continue/increase, by itself). The significant misunderstanding of "individuality" and its overbearing impact upon ALL thinking and, thereby: behavior has been in effect, ...for the majority of the 20th Century (and beyond, of course!). It is particularly viral and instilled in: the United States and ignores the shallow dismissal and neglect it demands (never mind: permits!) in its existence. "One man" never, f'in', achieved ANYTHING, WHATSOEVER. No matter WHAT you bring up or imagine: there was always: "s team," "a family" involved. And necessary. A single individual without any help or support achieves nothing (perhaps "1-in-🤷🤷" one-hundred-nontillion might fall on such a result. Point is: you will never experience or witness it. If you HAVE??: MAKE RECORDS. It's the rarest of rarities!). ...but the idea of **ahem** "self-sufficiency" and "individual achievement" has been marketed and INSISTED, publicly, upon, certainly in the mythology of the United States and ABSOLUTELY post-W.W. II, when: the lack of direct, physical impacts on the face of the U.S. (N. America, overall, in fact), permitted: the manufacturing and service divisions of almost all businesses, to "make" and provide for the rest of the world (including a devastated European and Eur-Asian landscape!), while they were rebuilding,/SO that they could rebuild/So that they would attempt to rebuild. The tools and materials came from the U.S., primarily, who had the wherewithal and, subsequently, made massive profits. ...so: "individualism" grew, particularly, in that time and in the doctrines born from and strengthened in those times. ...becoming stronger, yet, also, more esoteric, from those points onward. ...Nowadays, the fallacy has become accepted as "the only reality" and "the best way" (or "the only way"). Which is a lie and a mask ...but: this is how brainwashing also works. A lie repeated innumerable times and with no alternatives/opposition shown\offered\permitted, becomes accepted as: the only viable answer. ... subsequently, what gets understood as "the truth" (even when it is NOT!). ...all I, really, wanted to express was that: the infection by "individualism" is long-standing and has NO basis in: "today" or: recency. ...the rest of your assessments/assertions are quote true and accurate, though. 👍

[@WordDustNYC]

No money, No Dreams of Recording contracts, No Bands. RIP Reunion Tours

[@JokersNtheOddball]

I'm still holding out until the world proves itself guilty of ignoring real music when it was there.

[@whois3581]

@@JokersNtheOddball There is still some real music there, but it's spread out far and thin, you have to dig for it through the over saturated mess, and it's very much overshadowed by shallow pop for way too many years.

[@Moyzesh.mp3]

Fuck reunion tours, I want more new stuff!!!!!

[@JokersNtheOddball]

@whois3581 yeah I'm just joking anyway. It's horribly depressing for this world to have missed all that music. Living lives listening to bad music.or no music or less... I don't know. What can you do?

[@travisspaulding2222]

There's some truth to this. I think young kids have more social media aspirations than record contracts. 360 deals have killed any kind of romanticizing the record contract because bands can barely scrape by. Instead, they see KZbinrs getting success without the need of a label, thus without the need of a band. And then when you do see a band able to make a decent living, they are a tribute band. Bands seem better off dressing up like a band and playing their music on tour than to get ripped off by labels and streaming services.

[@Strat782]

Sad days due to record companies and Ticket masters greed.

[@jamesfurz7406]

I feel like this title needs a slight tweak, "Why are band mysteriously disappearing from the popular methods of consuming media today?". I say this, because I'm not sure that there are than many less bands today. I'm in the UK and you can pretty much find a festival ever weekend for most of the year where you'll hear and see some truly incredible artists, but they aren't money making machines as is the requirement of "pop" music and they aren't tiktok obsessed children who seem to be the target audience of just about everything these days, because that's who will give you their money. Shout out to all the amazing small and medium bands out there who are still rocking it!

[@RoseanneSeason7]

KZbin is full of clickbate 💯

[@GottfriedWendehals]

I absolutely agree. Only saw your comment after having written a very similar one. No lack of good music in the British isles.

[@RogerCaplan]

@@GottfriedWendehals There's been a definite reduction in the number of venues where you can see live music though, especially from bands or artists playing their own stuff.

[@wildvinesmusic]

I agree, it's not getting any easier to put a band together. A lot of musicians struggle to find one collaborator, let alone a full band.

[@iDMaimon]

I'm "in the band". And the biggest obstacle for us - is to get together for rehearsals on regular basis. We just don't have enough free time. 😢 All of us have to work full-time 8-12 hours a day and somehow to find a free time for rehearsals. That's just the new reality we live in... 😑 And another observation: just take a look how many musicians are around. A lot! But all of them are "a lonely musicians" playing along with metronomes in their bedrooms. 😞 This is just heartbreaking. We live in ages of loneliness.

[@frankfriedlos3721]

"We live in ages of loneliness." "A plague of lighthouse keepers", in fact. Sorry, couldn't resist it.

[@finlandia4]

Also most of your time is spent working during the week, & Saturdays are usually busy doing house/family stuff. That leaves Sunday where the last thing I want to do is a 3-4 hour rehearsal

[@PropagandasaurusRex]

Most solo hit songs are written and produced by one person in one day or a week, more often than not not even part of an entire album. Most bands take months, if not years, to rehearse endlessly and finally record an album. The amount of people willing to do that has decreased dramatically.

[@82stuntman]

23 years ago I worked as a bass and guitar instructor full time while playing jazz gigs at restaurants, bars, coffee houses. It was thriving. The public supported it. Many musicians were part of the local scene and it flurished. Then, we see more "progressive" corporate establishments replacing all the old school clubs, bars and restaurants. We see the public become less interested in live music and more interested in artificial forms of entertainment. Then we see things like "guitar hero" which pulled the next generation of potential musicians more toward, well nothing productive.. By 2020 whatever was left of Bands and live music turned into skype performances and remote recording options. Theres a lot that is affecting not only bands and music, every industry Nd even society in general. Question is, are we being engineered towards anything positive?