Stevie Nicks Claims The Internet Destroyed Rock; Seems To Think You Need A Record Label

from the that's-not-how-it-works-any-more dept

What is it with aging rock-n-rollers complaining about the "internet" these days? It's kind of amusing how these rockers, who always tried to present such a rebellious persona, are now acting just like the older generation they mocked. Everything new is evil and bad, huh? We already covered John Mellencamp's recent anti-internet diatribe, where he referred to it as an atomic bomb for the music industry (he meant the recording industry, but apparently doesn't realize it), and now Hypebot points us to the news that Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks is bashing the internet as well, in a very similar manner:

"The Internet has destroyed rock. Children no longer develop social graces. They don't hang out anymore," she complains. "I'm financially stable. I'm okay. But what about the kids trying to make it in this business? If you're not an established band, if you don't have a hit single, they're gonna drop you. There are a lot of people out there as talented as we were, but they can't sustain being in a rock 'n' roll band for long without success. We were able to, but we're going to die out."

First of all, I'm not quite sure what rock and roll and "social graces" have to do with one another. But the rest of her comment reveals an amusing misunderstanding of what is actually happening with "the kids trying to make it in this business today." You see, many of them are realizing they don't need a major label to become successful any more, and they celebrate when they get dropped from a label, because it means they can take control over their own business models and actually do things that make fans happy, rather than piss them off. And many of those things involve using the internet to help create, promote and distribute works, while also building up a strong, loyal and committed fan base. The internet hasn't destroyed rock at all. It's destroying the old gatekeeper system that kept so many out before.

Nicks' mistake is to think that you still need a major record label behind you to be a success. Like other aging rockers, it appears she's a bit out of touch with what's actually going on in the music world.

Filed Under: internet, stevie nicks