Did Rick music stop being commercially viable 10-15 years ago?

Submitted by youwontfindout223 t3_zybrs2 in Music

For context I graduated HS in 2003 so I grew up listening to iconic rock bands like Metallica, Tool, Korn, Foo Fighters, RATM, Pearl Jam, Linkin Park etc. New, hugely successful bands were coming out every year. These days I can’t think of a single well known rock band that’s become well known in the past 10 years at all. Anyone have some insight on what happened?

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Soup89 t1_j24wdmj wrote

Most of the ricks died out about 20 years ago. There are a few left in captivity, but that's about it.

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schullringus t1_j24x450 wrote

I can't name any well know musical acts let alone Rick ones

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lixia t1_j24xq7c wrote

Nah, Rick is never going to give (you) up!

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bkupron t1_j24ybsy wrote

You stopped listening to new music. Look at the lineup of Shakey Knees or other festivals. There are tons of new bands. None of them named Rick though.

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AmazonDriver2023 t1_j250d3z wrote

The last time there was a rock scene was the early 2000's with garage rock. Ie The Strokes, The White Stripes, The Hives, BRMC,, etc. Every now and then you'll get a popular album by the Foo fighters, green day, or U2 but in general rock is pretty much dead. Name one band under 30 who sell out arenas consistently without a co headliner.

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RaycharlesN t1_j251u1d wrote

Man you are totally missing it. There is a whole new wave of classic rock bands out and they’re kicking ass.

Dirty Honey,Goodbye June, Greta Vanfleet.. catch up to the classic rock revival, it’s awesome

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Atomicityy t1_j252d98 wrote

Two thoughts.

One, a fellow Redditor pointed out recently that the Rick fanbase is a bit of a rigid one in terms of nostalgia. Oversaturation. There is already so much great stuff that new Rick bands have a harder time getting a foot in the door.

Second, apparently the average person stops exploring new music around their 30s. Let’s call them the passive consumers. Active consumers enjoy discovering new sounds and don’t wait for passive exposure through radio/tv/clubs/friends etc.

I’m sure there’s new Rick out there, you just gotta make an effort. A quick Spotify search gives me this 2022 playlist, 2nd 2022 playlist, 3rd 2022 playlist, best of 2019, best of 2018, best of 2017, best of 2020 and 2010’s rock anthems

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Golden_Section_3313 t1_j252dlm wrote

It’s easier to make computer songs than learn to play guitar. That shit is difficult. That’s my take. Lots of new rock bands, they just don’t play it on the radio.

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djwixel t1_j253iy9 wrote

I mean Maneskin i guess

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NOT000 t1_j253mmf wrote

i suspect people have found its easier to use computers, or samplers, to make music and u dont need several members to agree or obey. that sort of music is usually not classified as rock.

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pattydickens t1_j2568kw wrote

There are tons of great rock bands to discover, and it's probably easier to find them than any time I can remember. Just because stuff isn't Top40 or played on radio stations that run endless loops of the same 50 songs written 50 years ago doesn't mean it's not there. It just means you stopped looking.

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cellenium125 t1_j25dvbt wrote

That typo is going to cost you your inbox. Rick in peace

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straightedge1974 t1_j265cjm wrote

If you mean mainstream chart dominating, stadium filling, creating the zeitgeist for a new generation, then yes (and I miss it very much). As far as commercial viability as in, new bands being able to make a living producing and distributing albums and touring with new generations starting them and enjoying them from the audience, then no.

I really, really wish I could have gone to the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert, watching that I thought that it was probably the last great stadium rock show, but who knows; though I will say that the energy isn't the same when it's mostly older people and not thousands of people in their teens and twenties going wild. Music works in cycles, people WILL get tired of the presently dominant trends and there are a lot of young people who are into rock, real instruments and the whole vibe that goes with it.

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MDS1138 t1_j26i2kz wrote

My take is that early 2000's felt like the last gasp of the monoculture, and now, like so many fanbases, rock/guitar-based music is more of a niche thing that you go out of your way to be a fan of. I graduated in '99, so I don't know if my perspective is skewed because I'm old and wouldn't know what's universally hip these days anyway, but that's how I feel.

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Chocolate_Rage t1_j26kw4j wrote

Musician here for 15 years or so.

Rock and metal is pretty obscure now compared to country, rap or electronic.

I've played a lot of shows, a couple cds out with various acts, been signed etc. It was fun, but not financially worth it in the long run. I am thankful for my experiences but part of me wishes I'd just stuck to a career early on and been a normal human

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TheLarix t1_j26nix2 wrote

He probably got a nice bump from the rick rolling craze, but otherwise, probably.

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barstoolLA t1_j271j2o wrote

Rick Berman you ruined music too! Wait a minute, that ain't Rick Berman. What is it with Ricks?

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ScooterMcFudden t1_j271uth wrote

I mean… Rick James dies, so I guess there’s less Rick music, but I’m sure other Ricks are out there making music.

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MemberLot t1_j27co3x wrote

I blame auto tune. It really came on hard in the early 2000s.

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Isshin98 t1_j284ej2 wrote

Last time I checked there are still hundreds of metal and rock concerts/festivals selling out every year, so no.

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youwontfindout223 OP t1_j2a9d5a wrote

Replying to Isshin98 (#1,175,658)

Yeah but can you name one band that started in the past 10 years that’s as regarded as highly as the other bands I listed in the post? I’d imagine most if not all of those concerts selling out are from bands formed 15+ years ago. My thought was that record companies aren’t looking for rock bands anymore because they don’t sell like pop/rap do these days.

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Isshin98 t1_j2aejko wrote

Replying to youwontfindout223 (#1,193,262)

That's your own extremely narrow definition of what's "commercially viable" if you exclude all bands that didn't exist 10 years ago. Clearly it's still commercially viable for big rock bands to go on tour and continue making music, otherwise it wouldn't happen. Perhaps a better question would be why there haven't been any bands that were founded 10-15 years ago that grew as big as the ones you mentioned in that amount of time? Probably more of a topic for a scientific paper than Reddit if you ask me.

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youwontfindout223 OP t1_j2afbia wrote

Replying to Isshin98 (#1,194,511)

The question, I guess in a roundabout way, meant to ask if it’s viable for record companies to invest in new rock bands. Seems as though the answer is no. There are big bands from 15-20 years ago that are on tour obviously doing well but it seems as though record companies do not want to invest in new rock bands as evidence by the fact that no one has been able to name a new rock band from the past 10 years that’s well known, doing well commercially, or charting.

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Isshin98 t1_j2aj6fg wrote

Replying to youwontfindout223 (#1,194,651)

If by "viable" you only count bands that reached Metallica levels, then you already answered your own question and this thread was completely unnecessary.

You won't have to do much research to find dozens of rock and metal bands in the last 15 years with record label contracts. If it wasn't "viable", they wouldn't exist. Hell, you know that contracts could also be cancelled if bands formed before that stopped being viable? But if you're already going into this topic closed-minded you're just wasting your time.

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youwontfindout223 OP t1_j2aju2a wrote

Replying to Isshin98 (#1,195,541)

Ok, name them. That’s what I’m asking. If there are new rock bands that formed in the past 10 years that have achieved high commercial success to the point of say the top 100 bands from the 90s to say 2005, what are their names?

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Isshin98 t1_j2akq4e wrote

Replying to youwontfindout223 (#1,195,698)

You can literally look up the Wikipedia article with the stupid amount of record labels that have specialized in rock and metal music and pick any band that has released an album with them in the past 15 years.

Also you constantly narrowing down your definition of commercial success doesn't help your point.

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Isshin98 t1_j2alx41 wrote

Replying to youwontfindout223 (#1,196,019)

It literally takes you two seconds to Google and get a way more complete response than I can ever give you. But if you insist me doing the work for you, here are some bands that I've seen at sold out shows at quite large venues the past few years:

Rammstein, Sabaton, Amon Amarth, Parkway Drive, Nightwish, Trivium, Mastodon, Gojira, Arch Enemy, Behemoth, Powerwolf, and more.

Doubt you'll care much since you already went into this with defined answer.

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Isshin98 t1_j2b00sk wrote

Replying to youwontfindout223 (#1,199,375)

Like I said, you'd better have been off asking why rock bands aren't growing that big anymore. But your question was if that type of music is still commercially viable, which it clearly is. Pop music being dominated by other types of artists doesn't change that.

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