[x]

You might be able to find a common theme in classic rock, or competing themes that reflect the period it was made. The youthquake, the rise of teenagers and Baby Boomers, was clearly one theme that gave rise to different music as the generation aged. Is there a common theme or a common experience now? Do Millennials or Gen Z really have a common culture? Do they have a subculture of their own or is it borrowed from rap and hip-hop?

Also, you could argue that it was the gatekeepers -- the record companies and radio stations -- who made classic rock. Play this. Don't play that. Promote this heavily. Ignore that. They don't have that power any more, and there is way too much new music for listeners to go through, pick out things they like, and make them national hits. Hits on the internet are more likely to be cat videos than rock singles, and they're not hits for very long.

Finally, the rock star thing, the mythos, the glory, seems to be dead. Nobody in rock music is going to have the kind of reputation the musicians of the 60s and 70s had, though pop music may still have its gods and legends.

[dfwgator]

Nobody in rock music is going to have the kind of reputation the musicians of the 60s and 70s had,

Just as no classical music composer is going to have the reputation that Beethoven and Bach, etc. had. It's about being the original. Sure there may be a lot of guitar players that are technically better than Jimi Hendrix was. But Jimi created out of nothing, that's why he will be revered years from now.