At the turn of the century, alongside the rise of social media and other social platforms, we experienced a drastic change in the way we put out and receive information. This change has directly affected certain aspects of the music industry, specifically leading to the decline of the original “rock band” style of celebrity from decades past.
As a new generation of listeners matures, the earlier styles of rock groups and boy bands have almost disappeared. There are many reasons why this may be, such as the development of a more electronic way of producing music, or the influence of social media.
With significantly less bands rising to stardom, the space in the industry has been replaced with an increased amount of solo artists making a name for themselves.
“Pop stars are taking the attention of the public,” senior and avid concert-goer Dylan Jacob said. “Rock music is just not appealing to the demographic of kids these days.”
These new pop stars have social media to thank for their success, as these apps have transformed the process of discovering and listening to different artists from multiple genres.
“Artists can blow up on social media overnight, because they quickly gain a following,” Jacob said. “I think this is why there are so many new singular artists, they can make a brand for themselves and become stars super fast.”
By using the internet to stay connected to fans and put out music on a vast public network, pop stars have revolutionized the industry. For some reason, this fast-paced environment has caused bands with multiple members to quickly become overlooked.
“Our society has kind of shifted to always [try to] find something new or exciting,” junior Ciarra Poach said.
The newness and diversity that the internet provides consumers with is another factor that fuels this decline.
“New pop stars can be very popular and dominate the radio or social media,” Poach said, “[This exposure] also allows people to want to explore deeper into the pop genre.”
However, it’s not always smooth sailing for these new single artists. Musicians have to constantly keep their followers entertained and intrigued, or they’ll quickly lose support.
“The music industry has to compete with the rest of the content on social media and may have a harder time capturing attention,” said Poach.
As we continue to notice these aspects of social media and how it has affected the music industry, it’s important not to forget our humble beginnings, which all started with the formation and success of rock bands.