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I think there is a difference between "rock star" and "corporate rock millionaire"....theres a lot of "rock stars" out there but, these days, some still have to work part time flipping burgers to make ends meet...."corporate rock millionaires" who have made large livings primarily off their music, their brand/band touring the world in busses with built in jacuzzis and stripper poles (and merch sales are the 'bonus', not the primary source of income) are the dying breed
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
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- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
I'm somewhat with you. I'm a metalhead. I agree there are thousands of worthy guitar heroes. However, no one knows who they are (in the mainstream). At the time, whether you liked the music or not, everyone knew who Clapton or Hendrix was. Whether you liked the music or not, you knew who Eddie Van Halen was. Whether you liked the music or not, you knew who Slash was. Today? Who is it? You mentioned Misha Mansoor. I had to look that up. Dude looks like he's an outtanding musician...but he's not a superstar. He's not Taylor Swift. He's not EVH. He's a fantastic musician in a niche market. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not going to distill through the masses to get more people interested in playing guitar. It's going to distill through the underground and get some people interested in playing the guitar. That's reality. Misha may have the power/ability to inspire a generation, but if a generation doesn't hear him or doesn't want to listen to him, then that power won't be used in that way.
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
It doesn't matter who pushes him, the masses don't want to listen to his music. I want to listen to his music. You want to listen to his music. Most people don't. Thus, no matter who endorses him, he won't be a superstar.
Definitely agree. I'd go further and say the corporate rock millionaire is a dead bread. Long dead.
From a numbers perspective, there are more guitar players now, of course, there are more of everything, every day.
This is more about poor management of companies, fueled by short-sighted MBAs trained to think that every business could be capable of double digit growth forever, who are hopefully long gone when the price is to be paid. At heart, this is a business article, not one on the arts.
This is more about poor management of companies, fueled by short-sighted MBAs trained to think that every business could be capable of double digit growth forever, who are hopefully long gone when the price is to be paid. At heart, this is a business article, not one on the arts.
The thing is, being a YouTuber isn't a full time job. Lots of YouTubers have a "real" job. So unlike somebody out on tour (who also makes almost no money), they can have a decent job, and then have a music hobby that actually pays!
I'd love to see a Taylor Swift cutout at a guitar store. I'd be willing to exist such a thing doesn't exist, and if it did exist, everyone who sees it would think it's a joke. Swift can play guitar, and props to her, that's cool, but shes not Slash (which for some reason we're referring to in this thread).
You can certainly reach an audience more efficiently on the internet, that's for sure.
As the article detailed, Taylor is the biggest driving force in guitar sales at the moment, at least according to the CEO of Fender.
Taylor Guitars is even experiencing a bit of a renaissance based solely on the surname.
There is no Taylor Swift cutout at the guitar store because there are as of yet no signature guitars bearing her name. This oversight in potential revenue will likely be corrected in the near future.
One way I look at it is that there are still tons of people around my age who grew up with the same things and like a lot of the same things (including rock music) who are a potential audience. And by the time they're all gone, I will be too.
You make some good points but there will never be another Clapton. He invented the style he plays, defined a generation. Many may try to emulate him, but they will never be the "new" Clapton, my opinion with all respect.
Which has little to do with whether people are inspired to pursue it as a hobby and thus buy new gear. How many bedroom bluesmen did Clapton inspire that never made a dime from their hobby and never intended to?
Blues? Clapton certainly did not invent The Blues.
I only know of the existence of the Taylor Taylor because I was recently browsing guitars for my daughter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known a TS signature model if it fell on me.
