Mrs.P
The Wonder Wench
"Harmonix shut down the Guitar Hero franchise because they said no one was spending money on rock and roll."
Just one of the articles I have seen so far:
Guitar Hero shut down. Is rock really dying? Can Muse save rock?
February 10th, 2011 2
8 am PT
By Diana Diaz, LA Rock Music Examiner
With Guitar Hero shutting down production and announcing the layoffs of 500 employees at its Santa Monica offices, it begs the question, is rock really a dying art form?
Muse’s guitar virtuoso lead singer, Matt Bellamy was truly proud of his Guitar Hero avatar. The band filled Staples Center in Los Angeles for two nights before continuing on to fill The Pond in Anaheim.
Under the banner of rock U2 drew record crowds on their 2010 360 Tour. Bruce Springsteen is considered to be a living legend. Van Halen still fills large staduims. Coachella draws tens of thousands of rock fans out to the desert each year, where rumor has it, Muse stole the show.
The Beatles catalog was released on iTunes and has sold incredibly well, most likely bolstered by The Beatles: Rock Band. According to Billboard Magazine, Aerosmith’s catalog saw a 40% leap in sales when Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was released this year.
However, even years ago in 1980s, the Beastie Boys languished on the sidelines when they formed a punk/metal band. When they started rapping, they scored major hits.
Rapper B.o.B. plays guitar and keyboards, and sings bridges and choruses himself, but seems to score hit due to those rap sections. Or is he actually just organically incorporating live rock into hip hop rather than sampling as in "Don't Let Me Fall"? Having reviewed him live at the Pac Sun Beach Ballyhoo, it was surprizing just how much singing and guitar work he did with his full live band.
The indie rock band, Menomena incorporates hip hop rhythms via their amazingly talented drummer, Danny Seim, though they do not rap. Meanwhile indie alt rockers The XX lay down hefty beats to undergird delicately sparse guitars and keyboards.
Muse’s song, “Undisclosed Desires” incorporated some hip-hop elements and soulful singing. Is it possible that the definition of rock has broadened to include whatever beat patterns one would like.
Hip hop artists have sampled great guitar riffs on a regular basis going way back to the 1980s. The Black Eyed Peas scored one of their biggest hits by sampling the guitar riff from Miserlou for “Pump It” and often incorporate singing. The dubious art form of rap rock and rap metal sprang from Aerosmith performing “Walk This Way” with Run DMC.
Rock and hip hop have rarely been pure music forms. Music forms have forever shifted and changed with time. As the music industry changes, more and more bands shift to independent and DIY production. But major labels still own most of the airwaves and push hip hop, r & b, pop, and dance. They deal in hits.
Yet what happens on independent labels has changed the rules of the game in unpredictable ways in prior decades. The game isn't over yet, rock isn't out of the game.
Rock certainly looks to be quite alive in Muse's video for their Grammy nominated rock song, The Resistance. The crowd at the Glastonbury 2010 sang along so loudly to both the riff and chorus that Muse appear to be the saviors for the genre with "Plug In Baby." It's unbelieveable it took years for them to be signed by a major label.
There's another unanswered question. What's to become of Bellamy's Guitar Hero avatar?
Just one of the articles I have seen so far:
Guitar Hero shut down. Is rock really dying? Can Muse save rock?
February 10th, 2011 2
8 am PT By Diana Diaz, LA Rock Music Examiner
With Guitar Hero shutting down production and announcing the layoffs of 500 employees at its Santa Monica offices, it begs the question, is rock really a dying art form?
Muse’s guitar virtuoso lead singer, Matt Bellamy was truly proud of his Guitar Hero avatar. The band filled Staples Center in Los Angeles for two nights before continuing on to fill The Pond in Anaheim.
Under the banner of rock U2 drew record crowds on their 2010 360 Tour. Bruce Springsteen is considered to be a living legend. Van Halen still fills large staduims. Coachella draws tens of thousands of rock fans out to the desert each year, where rumor has it, Muse stole the show.
The Beatles catalog was released on iTunes and has sold incredibly well, most likely bolstered by The Beatles: Rock Band. According to Billboard Magazine, Aerosmith’s catalog saw a 40% leap in sales when Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was released this year.
However, even years ago in 1980s, the Beastie Boys languished on the sidelines when they formed a punk/metal band. When they started rapping, they scored major hits.
Rapper B.o.B. plays guitar and keyboards, and sings bridges and choruses himself, but seems to score hit due to those rap sections. Or is he actually just organically incorporating live rock into hip hop rather than sampling as in "Don't Let Me Fall"? Having reviewed him live at the Pac Sun Beach Ballyhoo, it was surprizing just how much singing and guitar work he did with his full live band.
The indie rock band, Menomena incorporates hip hop rhythms via their amazingly talented drummer, Danny Seim, though they do not rap. Meanwhile indie alt rockers The XX lay down hefty beats to undergird delicately sparse guitars and keyboards.
Muse’s song, “Undisclosed Desires” incorporated some hip-hop elements and soulful singing. Is it possible that the definition of rock has broadened to include whatever beat patterns one would like.
Hip hop artists have sampled great guitar riffs on a regular basis going way back to the 1980s. The Black Eyed Peas scored one of their biggest hits by sampling the guitar riff from Miserlou for “Pump It” and often incorporate singing. The dubious art form of rap rock and rap metal sprang from Aerosmith performing “Walk This Way” with Run DMC.
Rock and hip hop have rarely been pure music forms. Music forms have forever shifted and changed with time. As the music industry changes, more and more bands shift to independent and DIY production. But major labels still own most of the airwaves and push hip hop, r & b, pop, and dance. They deal in hits.
Yet what happens on independent labels has changed the rules of the game in unpredictable ways in prior decades. The game isn't over yet, rock isn't out of the game.
Rock certainly looks to be quite alive in Muse's video for their Grammy nominated rock song, The Resistance. The crowd at the Glastonbury 2010 sang along so loudly to both the riff and chorus that Muse appear to be the saviors for the genre with "Plug In Baby." It's unbelieveable it took years for them to be signed by a major label.
There's another unanswered question. What's to become of Bellamy's Guitar Hero avatar?
