Axl Rose complains about Los Angeles radio

[landtuna]

The problem with rock is a declining interest among most younger listeners and no growth of interest after the teen years where, apparently, interest declines.

This seems like the chicken and the egg. Teen and young adult interest declines because the music isn't interesting any more -OR- is it the music declines because there is a lack of fans?

I don't have any stats to back up my position but IMHO it was the music that killed the interest. It began in the early to mid-80's with grunge and other forms of junk rock and lasted long enough that it killed off interest in the genre. About that same time pop music splintered like it had never before and now all genres had many fewer fans each. In the 60's and 70's there was an avalanche of experimentation with all forms of rock which we haven't seen in over 25 years now. That about says it all.

 

[Ben Shaton]

The problem with radio is interest among younger listeners has declined period. The ones who like what's on and can tolerate the long commercial blocks still listen, the rest use alternative media sources to pick their music.

 

[justpassingthough]

While I'm sure there is something to be said for the chicken and the egg argument in regards to the decline of rock music and rock radio, I think there is a less scientific reason for this decline.

Rock music was of, by and for the Baby Boomers and Generation X. It was their rebellion on a social and political level and spoke to their time. Generation Y had the same experience with hip hop- as it was the driving social and cultural force behind a generation of children growing up disaffected. They weren't disaffected by a foreign war and sexual and cultural revolution, though, by more so by a decimation of family as an American institutition. Now we're starting to see the wane of hip hop as a cultural force as the Millenial generation tends to prefer more electronic music.

Could it just be that we all get old and one day our tastes no longer reflect what is hip?

 

[landtuna]

While I'm sure there is something to be said for the chicken and the egg argument in regards to the decline of rock music and rock radio, I think there is a less scientific reason for this decline.

Rock music was of, by and for the Baby Boomers and Generation X. It was their rebellion on a social and political level and spoke to their time. Generation Y had the same experience with hip hop- as it was the driving social and cultural force behind a generation of children growing up disaffected. They weren't disaffected by a foreign war and sexual and cultural revolution, though, by more so by a decimation of family as an American institutition. Now we're starting to see the wane of hip hop as a cultural force as the Millenial generation tends to prefer more electronic music.

Could it just be that we all get old and one day our tastes no longer reflect what is hip?

I'm sure there is a certain 'imprint' of musical taste as youngsters that remains with us as we age. Whether or not this tends to exclude other musical forms is debatable. Although I am a big Oldies fan I also have come to appreciate New Age, Big Band (Swing) and even certain forms of Techno as I have aged.

Thinking back to my youth....I can't recall myself or my friends thinking that Johnny and the Hurricanes, or even Elvis, were any form of rebellion. Be-Bop and early RnR were simply good fun and, initially, good dance music. Then came Vietnam and all the political strife of the 60's and there was a great deal of rebellious music but it seemed to fade away with the ending of the war and coming of Disco. The music scene exploded with all sorts of experimentation during the next two decades before a return to "dark" music (grunge and hair bands). We don't seem to have escaped from the terrible musical decades of the 90's and 00's yet. Perhaps one reason for the success of Oldies stations across the country is that the new music is so bad.

One thing that has killed pop music IMHO was video. Originally it was outlets like MTV which made the video presentation more important than the music so performers had to become crazed weirdos to stand out from the crowd. No longer was their music more important than their appearance. This is further exacerbated by shows like American Idol which tries to make stars out of very ordinary performers. And thanks to Disney, et. al., we still have the corporate teeny-bopper attractions like Bieber who have practically no talent other than good hair. Not only do these performers have no originality, they do not do a decent job of covering either. To be sure, we have had these people in the industry since the 50's (and you could argue that it started even earlier with people like Sinatra and the bobby-soxers and even Rudi Vallee before that) but it seems to have reached an invasive level due mainly to their exposure on video in all its forms.

There are a great number of people in music and video whose livelihoods depend upon change. New music. New stars. Without new people to push they would lose their commissions and be out of a job. We have those people to thank for declaring what is "hip" and what is "passe". Other than any influence us older folks get from our children and their children I don't think we, as a group, tend to be followers. We appreciate certain genres based upon our own preferences and don't worry about what is "hip". Perhaps all aging generations go that same route. It may be the natural order of things.

 

[goodhelp]

Axl is someone to complain! But seriously, the chicken or the egg metaphor is more on target. The evolution of "rock radio" includes more than classic rock's top seven artists over and over again. Try these genres:

• Alternative/modern rock
• contemporary folk rock
• Blues rock
• Space rock
• some electronica

The Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, Tedeschi Trucks Band, MUSE and Moby would be typical in each category. In fact a top tracks, well-imaged, upbeat Triple A radio sound would g-r-o-w an audience today. Tightly rotated with heritage artists/tracks, it would be its own universe!

But, of course, the bean-counters would not take such a "risk." My reply: no risk = no gain. Wonder what the "Last DJ" thinks of LA radio now?

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Axl should chill. Maybe the ax should consider recording a My Favorite Sinatra Songs CD.

 

[justpassingthough]

Within the last year, both KROQ and KYSR have been more welcoming to rock acts that are heavily electronic- Foster the People, M83, etc come to mind. I even heard Skrillex on KYSR yesterday at around 1:30 in the afternoon- so perhaps we are starting to see a migration towards younger music that will keep the stations within their demo.

Regardless, these two stations seem to be playing it less safe now than in the past, so that can't be a bad thing for rock radio.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Don't underestimate the effect that 1980's grunge might have had on rock's popularity. We saw what disco did to rock in the '70s, scattering introspecitve, accoustic-loving rockers to other genres, primarily C&W. It can happen.

 

[Bongwater]

Rock for the most part has been stuck in a mold. Very little progress has been made to really invigorate commercial rock music and it doesn't help most rock radio tends to stick to 'classics'. That more than anything is why rock is faltering. Kids have already given up on it. It's their parents music.

It's a shame. But not one that can't be changed. Grunge created a lot of rock fans out of pop/rap fans. Now it takes a NEW rock revolution to bring rock back. And it WILL come. Unexpectedly. You can't predict it. Nobody saw Beatlemania and the British Invasion coming in 1963. Nobody saw hair metal becoming mainstream in 1983. Nobody saw the rise of grunge in 1990. But sooner or later, it will return when people want something different for a change and a new rock sound is there.

But will rock radio programmers know it when it comes? Or will they just shrug their shoulders and go back to playing their 20 year old Smashing Pumpkins songs?

 

[MarkO]

I would suggest regularly checking concert listings and places like the Sub Modern Rock charts web page at FMBQ and Sirius XMU for proof that there is plenty of great, airworthy contemporary rock being released all the time. However, most of us, both young and old, who are seriously into that type of music moved away from listening to mainstream commercial radio long ago, in favor of satellite/LP/HD/college/internet radio, our iTunes collections, and the like. Commercial analog FM stations are still fun to debate about, but listening to them is over as far as I'm concerned. The trend will continue, and mainstream programmers realize that.

 

[FocusGroup]

Seriously? I can't ever remember a time when I told Axel how to sing "Sweet Child Of Mine"!

 

[radiobum]

It's kind of funny-these boards are full of people criticizing radio BUT when Axl Rose does it...

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

I can't recall myself or my friends thinking that Johnny and the Hurricanes, or even Elvis, were any form of rebellion...

And indeed they weren't. In those days, save for one or two performers of the Jerry Lee Lewis ilk, rebellion was chiefly the domain of the fan; the more their parents bristled at the then-new rock & roll genre, the more passionately teenagers embraced it. "Performers" were not yet speaking out. A slight exception might have been the music of early day folk groups, like The Kingston Trio. One could hardly consider their lyrical offerings as "protest" music, certainly not in the bolder sense of the Dylan and Seeger music yet to come.

On-stage rebellion finally became fashionable with the provocations of The Doors, Guess Who and Hendrix, when fans found themselves evolving from rebels themselves to followers of the new rebel ideology.