Rock Today

What Makes It Special

Whether it was American or British musicians who are the "real" stars of rock music is always open to debate.

What is certain is that musicians from both sides of the Atlantic have contributed immensely to what is rock music today.

Now what today is popular rock music? Certainly the "purist" hard rock bands are still in evidence but off-shoots have flourished. EMO, post-punk revival, Metalcore and garage rock all contribute to todays rock music industry.

What has happened to the spiritual side of rock music? Well artists like Pete Townshend have continued to pour their soul into their creativity and it is certainly true that these "rock gods" have influenced entire generations. Whether fashion or culture stems from the perceptions taken from embracing rock culture into the mainstream high street fashion is conceivable. Today, fashion houses offering an urban retro look pass on to the masses, copies or facsimiles of style for the consumer to wear in adulation of their idols.

The industry is no longer just about music. The advent of digital downloads has killed of the single and album you would buy in the stores. Now you just download the track you wish to keep.

In some ways this has eroded what made rock music special when die hard enthusiasts would queue for the latest release outside their music store and reverently take their new album home to listen on their record player. Today with MP3 players in popular use, most consumers just download their tracks and it is a very common sight to see people in a world of their own, listening to music and totally oblivious to what is going on in their immediate surroundings. A panacea for the masses or an erosion of communal spirituality and togetherness that so often accompanied the release of a new track?

What do you believe?