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THE NEW INDUSTRY OF COOL?

Rock and Roll in the 21st Century


In the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, Rock and Roll was an important movement in the music industry. It was not only about the music, but also about a certain lifestyle that was related to the music. It became, as Lester Bangs states in the movie Almost Famous, an industry of cool:

And they will ruin rock ‘n’ roll, and strangle everything we love about it, right?
And then it just becomes an industry of cool. (Almost Famous)

Nowadays, rock music is more in the background. Hip Hop, R&B and poppy tunes dominate the market. However, rock music is still around with its distinctive culture. At the beginning of the 21st century The White Stripes, The Strokes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) were seen as the saviors of rock and roll. BRMC seems to claim with their 2002 debut single whatever happened to my rock and roll that there is not such a thing as real rock and roll anymore:

I fell in love with the sweet sensation
I gave my heart to a simple chord
I gave my soul to a new religion
Whatever happened to you, rock 'n roll? (BRMC)

Who are right, the critics who say that there is a revival of rock and roll music and culture, or the band itself that says that rock and roll is not much more than a good old memory?

Rock and roll emerged in the 1950’s in Southern United States. The first music of this style was a rhythmic and sensual music style, based on blues, jazz, folk, country and traditional gospel, and was recorded mainly by black artists. Soon after the style developed and got accepted, two rock and roll movies were made: Round up Ryhtm and Rock around the clock. These movies allowed for this music and accessory lifestyle to become well known worldwide. Around 1959, this first Rock and roll period ended in America, because of the, for that times, aggressive and sensual performance of the artists. A couple of these artists are still well known and have been very influential for the current rock music, the most famous and most popular of whom of course being Elvis Presley. However, in spite of the fact that the American music industry focussed on more politically correct acts, rock music remained popular in Europe, being it in a slightly different form. Because no new rock and roll music came from the United States, people in Europe started to experiment with music themselves. Based on Rhythm and Blues new groups were born. These groups, like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones, were the founders of the present-day rock music.

These first European rock bands were quite radical. The bands from the 60’s and 70’s were often dealing with issues about peace and human rights. Also sex, drugs and rock and roll were popular subjects. Not only the lyrics and the accessory music carried out these statements, the way most musicians looked and lived did that too. Long hair, rough live performances and shocking lyrics, it was all part of the scene.
This lifestyle was still obviously visible in the 1990’s, when rock music became very popular again, among other things, because of the emerge of the grunge genre. Grunge band Nirvana can be called legendary and has a lot of influence on the music that emerged after this period. The same goes for contemporary group Guns ‘n’ Roses, although this band was not part of the grunge scene. The lyrics of both bands, often very depressing, dealing with personal and social problems, were sincere; the music loud and rough; the lifestyle of the musicians, to put it mildly, heavy and destructive. Drugs were almost always around, both in the songs as in the lives of the artists. Rock was a culture, a statement, and a lifestyle.

It is impossible to give a plain description of the current rock and roll genre that will be satisfying for everyone. One of the common opinions among fans is that rock music in the 21st century is not inventive and renewing. Jeff, singer and guitarist for the New York based band This Day and Age, voices this opinion, by saying that there might still be a rock culture. However, in his opinion, the quality of the music in that community has drastically decreased.

Another opinion on the scene of these days is that a lot of the so-called rock bands are not genuine. The music business is less concerned with creativity and more with money. Fans of these bands often do not seem to be sincere. They try to create an image around the music that is based on being cool, but forget to be themselves. The same goes for some of musicians. This can make the whole rock culture seem rather fake nowadays. Nevertheless, it was in the 1970’s already, that Lester Bangs seemed to claim that rock music is becoming an industry of cool, and it still is like that. But this statement never affected the fact that there was a rock music based lifestyle in the 1970’s. It is hardly impossible to have a culture that is not partly about being cool.

Yet, there is another opinion. There is a genuine culture that is not mainly about playing in overcrowded stadiums and getting platinum albums. It is about making and living the music. And of course there are sincere bands around that make money with their music. These are the bands that seem to carry out the rock culture of the 21st century. The three bands mentioned before -- BRMC, The Strokes and The White Stripes -- might even be one of them.

Nevertheless, a lot of things have changed since the first rock and roll albums were produced. Really important in the music business in the 21st century, is that everything moves faster; the world has become smaller because of all the new techniques. Live shows seem to be more important than ever, because that is where the crowd can really feel the music in its most genuine way. Thousands of bands are on the road, playing different shows in different countries; almost everything seems to be possible. Music is shared on the internet; special album editions, demo’s and bootlegs can be ordered at web stores from all over the world, while twenty years ago a lot of people did not even know those copies were around. The business being bigger also makes it harder for bands. Record companies do not have the time to give a band a chance to grow anymore. If an album does not sell as expected, the label will not produce a second album for this band. Therefore the use of the Internet, to bring the music to the people is very important. This can be seen when looking at the success of the Arctic Monkeys. They spread the word about their band on the Internet, got fans there and were picked up by a record company to become a new hit. This success story is not the only effect from the Internet. It is easier to download music, and therefore not having to buy the real album. It is still a discussion if this aspect is negative or not. Some of the record companies and bands claim to miss out on the profits out of the record sales by this. Others see downloading as good way to spread their music.

Furthermore, an obvious phenomenon is that the hypes around bands come up fast, but disappear even faster sometimes. Lot of debut albums gets mass attention; the first European or World tours are sold out immediately, but whenever it is time for these bands to really show their quality, they are already replaced by newer, even hipper acts. It is important for bands to make sure they stay in the spotlights if they want to stay around. And that is what makes rock in the 21st century interesting. The always changing world, full of people who really care about music, and bands who have to keep up with this. However, what rock music really stands for these days is impossible to say. It is too broad to give one clear definition; it is whatever one wants it to be.
Even though there are different opinions and not one clear answer, it is sure that rock music still exists. There are still people who fall in love with this sweet sensation and who give their hearts to simple chords. A lot of things have happened to rock and roll since the first rock and roll song was written. Some influences are positive and some are not. However, there has not been a complete revival of rock music in the 21st century, because the genre has already been around the previous centuries. Maybe these days there are no real great new bands that are going to rule the world like the Rolling Stones and U2 did and still do, but on the other hand, maybe the future will yield a band that can last forever. At this moment in the 21st century, rock music is not such as mass hype as it was at the end of the previous century. Is it really becoming a new industry of cool then? Probably not. Therefore the other music movements are too dominant right now. That does not seem to be a real problem though. As long as the crowd is willing to listen to the tunes and the musicians are willing to write songs, there will be real, sincere rock music in the 21st century.