Most lately I've been ragging on new popular rock bands that have usurped the title of modern"rockstars". Usually through comparison with their older counterparts from the past, you can visibly see and audibly hear the lack of much needed testosterone and grit.
Through this observation I've concluded that we live in a generation that endorses 'pussy rock', 'easy listening'; rock that is so lacking in guitar drive, macho sex appeal and balls that it is simply odd to even call it rock n roll. And that's exactly what's happened. It isn't rock n roll. We have a whole generation void of challenging rock music prevalent in popular culture. And why wouldn't macho rock be non-existent in popular culture? A whole generation is built on irony and sarcasm where older/classic styles are soullessly appropriated with an ever so prevalent tongue and cheek comedy factor and if attempted to be taken seriously it is ridiculed with more passive aggressive sarcasm or negatively labeled nostalgia.
Boy's music has always been Rock N Roll. In the modern day however, Boys music is Rap (who managed to capture the larger than life aspect that Rock music abandoned, although that seems to be slightly dwindling as well). So in fact, it seems Boys music in general, is a dying breed. Not surprising considering the majority of consumers of online purchases including Books, Music and Video are Women. Over 61% in fact. But this information is quite broad so here is where it gets interesting. Women spend more time on social networks, are more likely to email, and also spend more time and money at online retailers. Let's take a look at online music purchases only.
"Over 2/3 of Top Single Download purchases were of artists with a female majority fanbase""Over 80% of Top Album purchases were of artists with a female majority fanbase"(Not to mention the pop charts are dominated by Female Performers: Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Pink, Beyonce, etc..)This is not a slight skew in favor of one group over another. It is a blatant domination of the consumer market. In essence, the music business is first and foremost a business. The most important law of good business is supply and demand. Popular music, in the modern day, is irrefutably decided by female consumers (whether you believe that is a good or bad thing is subjective). Therefore; if the demand is a majority female, the supply will be meant to cater towards a majority female audience. And the 'rest' will remain a minority until the demand shifts.
This brings me to my next point. "Ok, so women decide which music is popular. What does that have to do with Rock N Roll today?"
The answer is, everything and nothing. To put it simply: Generally speaking, Women by in large prefer softer music. Men generally like music that is more aggressive than women. This is not just a theory, there are tons of statistics to back this up. Aggressive music is mostly dominated by male fans. The more aggressive the music gets, the more male dominated it becomes and ultimately the more underground it becomes. While there are exceptions to this consumer analogy it most certainly is an accurate stereotype. You might say "What are you talking about? My sister headbangs all day to Toxic-NecroBloodRapedFetus". Guess what? She's the exception. How many smelly, unshaven, frizzy-haired dudes surround her at that concert?
In essence what this means is that women, as the majority consumer, ultimately dictate which artists become 'stars' ,or to put it in other terms, which artists 'break the glass ceiling'. Ever notice your favorite artists start off heavy and raw? As they begin to grow their sound slowly or drastically shifts into a more poppy and accessible sound. Whether this is a conscious decision or not depends on the band and your subjective opinion. But there is no denying that many bands have captured much higher status with the release of a more 'commercial' record (i.e. Metallica – Black Album, Motley Crue – Home Sweet Home from Theatre Of Pain).
Ultimately, a solid and strong underground following is built by a fan base of men/boys. But a Rockstar is created a by a huge female fan base. This is has always been true (Elvis, The Beatles), but especially true in the modern day more than ever. Women, generally speaking, are more inclined than men to stress the importance of social life (whether admitted or not). Being a social being, in the center of attention is generally more important to women than it is to men (primarily due to evolutionary purposes). This makes them more easily impressionable in terms of popular marketing and pop culture. Case in point; fashion. Generally, young women are concerned with what's 'in', what's popular and what is fashionable. Music is by no means an exception to this mentality. If a certain Rapper, band, group is 'in', has an accessible sound and is effectively marketed in such a way; then that is what young women will buy for that time. It will later become disposable like last fall's pair of leggings.
To be honest, the consumer's gender is not nearly as important as the mentality and creed of the consumer. The way society acts and what society deems acceptable has completely shifted from the heyday of Rock N Roll. This is what really deems if we have fertile ground for real Rock N Roll to flourish and to have an important place in modern society. But more on that in another piece. ;)
Side Note: Of course I am speaking generally. These are observations based mostly on statistics about social studies, psychology and human behavior. I am NOT speaking about ALL women, nor is this an attack on women. There are always exceptions to what I am mentioning, but the stereotype is quite accurate. It is not my intention to start a pissing contest between men and women. I am well aware that you are not able to criticize women in any way without being vehemently attacked in the modern day. But if you are able to think critically, logically, objectively and with a bit of common sense you may agree. The fact that I need to justify this says allot about how sensitive and politically correct society has become. And to be 100% blunt, Political correctness and real Rock N Roll don't mix, successfully I should say.
Derp!
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