Mick Jagger “on the mend” following a heart valve procedure, Ozzy Osbourne postponing his tour over a fall, The Who’s Pete Townshend nearly deaf: time is no longer on the side of rock’s legends. And with every farewell tour, biopic, throwback compilation release and mid-20th century icon succumbing to age, chills from rock’s grim reaper can feel increasingly nippy, leaving some in the industry questioning the genre’s future.
Bands flying rock’s banner still exist, of course, with 2000s era groups like The Black Keys and The Killers announcing new music after years of silence. But not one rock group occupied a spot in the top 10 of 2018’s most-streamed acts, according to Nielsen Music, with nine hip hop and R&B performers along with pop megastar Ariana Grande leading the pack.
The influential festival scene has begun relegating rock to lesser stages in favor of headlining pop, rap and electro acts: 2018 was the first year Coachella’s line-up dropped rock groups from the main attractions, with the leading festival following suit for 2019’s edition set to kick off this weekend.
August’s 50th anniversary Woodstock blowout will welcome back staples of the era like Santana, John Fogerty and Canned Heat—but even that event chose headliners including rap royalty Jay-Z, electro-pop performer Halsey and pop star Miley Cyrus to draw a younger crowd. And in perhaps another sign of the genre’s declining share, the top Grammy awards gala hasn’t televised its rock awards in years.
The 1990s are seen by some in the industry as rock’s last glory days, with Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden reigning over the scene. But according to Danny Goldberg, Nirvana’s former manager, by the mid-1990s hip-hop had begun occupying the innovative space formerly claimed by rock, galvanizing young people and reflecting contemporary times.
Today’s rock band of the moment Greta Van Fleet—a Michigan group that nabbed a Best New Artist nomination at this year’s Grammys—has been widely panned by critics as Led Zeppelin copycats.