Are bands really disappearing or is it a myth?

Far Out Magazine ^ | February 25, 2025 | Tom Phelan

[DoodleBob]

Pop may have peaked and the decline of mega-bands may have ended with the Philadelphia Eagles destroying Taylor Swift’s team in the Super Bowl.

Further, with youths becoming more conservative, rock may start ascending. And yes, old people, there IS great new rock…A few years ago I posted a series of new, unreleased music that caught my ear on Bandcamp, an independent music portal where (generally) unsigned bands can post their music for purchase.

Some FReepers voiced interest in learning about more new, fresh music that isn't what Sony et al want you to hear.

Thus, for those of you who still believe in capitalism, don't like to be told what is good music, and who believe that music isn't a free good and should be purchased to, among other things, prove commerce is greater than communism, this may be a thread/ping for you.

Below is the Original collection of new tunes/bands that caught my ear, with a few updates at the end. I am not employed in the music industry and I don't make money off of these bands. I simply don't want my musical future to be a combo of vulgar pop tunes, whiny singer-songwriters, or any other form of entertainment that wants me to get an ice pick in the forehead.

Enjoy.

Album: Arise
Artist: Dan Sartain
Song: People Throwing Stones At Glass Houses

Trippy old school rock and roll that's contemporary.

Album: Delusions Of Grandeur
Artist: Delusions Of Grandeur
Song: Drinking My Life Away

Power punk guitar-driven rocker with no hope for tomorrow, the way it used to be.

Album: Beyond the Dome
Artist: Sigma Ori
Song: Beyond the Dome

Thoughtful instrumental progressive rock - a lava lamp could enhance your listening.

Album: Intra-I
Artist: Theon Cross
Song: We Go Again

Experimental electronic new jazz from London featuring THE TUBA!

Album: Kites
Artist: This Winter Machine
Song: Pleasure & Purpose

Melodic, lyrical, neo-progressive rock out of the UK.

Album: Imprints
Artist: Simeon Walker
Song: Gleam

New Classical Music! Minimalist yet tasteful piano that demonstrates that the rests are as important as the notes.

Album: Gary Bartz JID006
Artist: Gary Bartz, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Song: The Message

Jazz saxaphonist for 60+ years Gary Bartz teams up with younger players for a contemporary yet traditionalist jazz tune.

Album: From The Basement (full album)
Artist: Delco Detention
Song: The Joy Of Homeschooling (w/ Neil Fallon of Clutch)

Straight-ahead guitar-driven rock from a 9-year old homeschooled guitarist and 49-year old father/drummer, with vox provided by a modern singer who WANTED to be on the track.

Album: Cannonball Run (full album)
Artist: The Gasölines
Song: Autobahn Outlaws

A repeat from last time, punkabilly guitar-driven rocker from Norway. Watch how fast you drive when you play this in your car. And one of the best album covers in ages.

Artist: Cosmic Order Band
Song: Let's Go Brandon

An original from FReeper Rocco DiPippo and the Cosmic Order Band. The Bidet paper mask is spectacular.

Album: Transhuman (full album)
Artist: Max Boras
Song: Absolute Power

Instrumental, progressive hard rock from a young guy who tears it up on guitar. No woke lyrics.

Album: Hang On (full album)
Artist: Scotty Saints and the True Believers
Song: Devil at my Back

Outstanding contemporary punk rock. This sounds like a Charlie Daniel’s punk tune. I’ve seen this band live and they cook.

Album: The Spin (full album)
Artist: Messa
Song: At Races

Italian mixture of prog, ambient, with metal elements yet vocals that don’t sound like the Cookie Monster.

[A Navy Vet]

THE STONES will live forever.

[Brian Griffin]

“cease to be living memories”

I have 2/3rds of a century under my skin.

[Jonty30]

Bands won’t disappear, but music companies generally only stick with in-house writers and singers.

[plain talk]

The joy of homeschooling was good and worthy of a listen. The rest not so much except for the jazz one.

There is no shortage of music. Actually one thing hasn’t changed much — it has always been hard for average musicians/bands to make a decent living playing music.

But now it’s worse. The business model changed to streaming and now even minimally successful bands are struggling. There are numerous interviews with known musicians where they explain the situation.

For many musicians — consider getting a job and view music as hobby.

[Veto!]

My fave was “The Doors”. album.

Could still dance all night to “Light my Fire”.

[dfwgator]

Who listens to any classical music that was composed in the last 100 years?

At some point there just is no more room for anything really knew.

It’s virtually impossible at this point to do anything with rock music that hasn’t already been done.

[dfwgator]

And now here comes AI on top of it all.

[bigbob]

Well respected music expert Rick Beato did a video on the disappearance of “bands”. It happened in the early 2000s, when the number of bands on the charts dropped from nearly 150 to 3. There are reasons why.

Worth watching:

https://youtu.be/h_DjmtR0Xls

[Getready]

Who cares? A song can be made by AI. Just add a few changes and some personal tweaks. Songs used to tell stories, ask questions, and express emotions, or be an anthem.
All done already. Only differences is syncopation, layering of sounds, and reactions to things that we didn’t see before. No one has solved the age old philosophical issues. (e.g...why do fools fall in love? Why do I miss her(him) so? You cheated, you lied....etc.)
Derivative and boring, and impertinent. Too bad.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

bfl

[Paal Gulli]

It's not that there aren't any bands, it's that most acts now are solo artists or duets. Bands are being created at a far lower rate and are being increasing less represented on the charts since the 1990s.

Why Are Bands Mysteriously Disappearing?

40 years ago, nearly all hit music was recorded by bands. Now it's single digit percentages.

[Jonty30]

I wouldn’t say that, necessarily. There are more ways to combine notes than there are stars in the sky, seriously

It is just that nobody has figured out a new way yet.

[FLNittany]

I agree. It’s all been done.

In addition, if there was anything new to be done, no one has put in the time and practice to see that it was done properly anyway. It’s a lost cause.

[Sparticus]

All I can say is I have rarely heard a decent new song on the radio in at least 10 years. Famous pop singers today just make up lyrics and melody to go with the pre-recorded tracks their managers and producers give them. I swear that some of them can’t find a note that isn’t in the pentatonic scale, and... it’s all Auto-Tuned and time corrected until the musicality has been sucked out of it.

[T.B. Yoits]

40 years ago, nearly all hit music was recorded by bands. Now it's single digit percentages.

Most of the music 40 years ago was made by one writer, maybe one collaborator, and professional studio musicians. If you see a lineage chart of bands at that time, most of them had regular changes to the lineup except for one or two key members. It's rare that a band could gel well enough to make one album, much less two or three.

[MinorityRepublican]

It’s virtually impossible at this point to do anything with rock music that hasn’t already been done.

[dayglored]

Interesting article.

I was okay with the author's overwrought vocabulary right up until the end, but "...essential soundtracks to the febrile contemporary..." did me in. "febrile"? (overheated)

Anyway, I've played rock and roll in bands for 60+ years, mostly doing covers in clubs and bars and the occasional big theater; no stadiums. 99% of the material my bands covered was originally performed by bands, not solo singers.

The 1% was in the early 70's when one of the bands had a female front vocalist who demanded that we include some solo female vocalist covers. That band didn't last more than maybe a year; she disappeared and went into theater.

[cableguymn]

Had a car come in from auction that the satellite radio still worked in.

New music sucks.

I’ll stick with my old mp3s