Rock: Forgotten, Overlooked or Overshadowed?

Recently I began to pay closer attention to the music that seems to be ruling local radio station air waves of the stations that claim to play today’s “best music” or “today’s hit music” a lot more closely than I previously did. With this I also began paying attention to what the most talked about music or artists are, most appreciated, and who is believed to be today’s most talented or most promising artists are. The one common missing element that I found in all of these? Lack of recognition for rock music.

The local radio station for hit music rarely plays anything except pop or hip-hop. The last big rock song that I heard them play was Saving Abel’s Addicted, which seems to be the exception of rock alienation from hit music. For whatever reason Addicted blew up and hit it big receiving recognition for a period of time. I hoped that this might draw attention back at rock, but it seems it hasn’t.

So I ask each and everyone of you who is reading this to take a second and think about this next question. When was the last time you heard of a rock artist, and I mean a real rock artist get the credit they deserve for their work and talent? Be honest in your answer please, and keep in mind that I don’t mean the “rock” that is dominating today’s charts. By that I mean please understand that even though several places and people classify Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus as rock stars they aren’t and their music is far from rock.

Now why do you think that rock isn’t getting its well deserved credit and recognition? Could it be because the tastes people have in music seem to favor pop and hip-hop over rock and even country? Could it be that rock has just been forgotten about? Or maybe it is just being overshadowed?

A perfect example of a pop star getting more recognition than most rock artists is Britney Spears. Why does she get the large amount of attention that she does anyway? Is it because she actually has good music, or is the attention she receives because of her media stunts and provocative dancing, dressing, and even music videos and live performances?

Let’s be serious for a minute about this. If you don’t like rock then I’m not going to get into a fight with you unless you start it. I understand that everyone has a right to like what they like and I won’t say that people should be forced to listen to what I like, and I expect the same from others. But when it comes to media attention how many of today’s artists are getting their attention from their music and not what they are doing in the public eye, or even media attention stunts?

How many people of the media are actually paying attention to the music and not what the artists are doing either in their personal lives or what happens in their music videos? Do they choose to talk about them because of their music or because of what they are doing in their lives? Better yet do they even care the reason they are talking about them?

Another thing that I would like to bring up quickly; how many people actually understand what rock really is? I mean honestly I’ve been hearing it more and more lately that artists that are clearly pop (mainly artists like the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus) are being called rock stars and their music is being classified as rock. If you like them then that is fine, that doesn’t mean that I do. I’ve even seen postings directed at people who don’t like the Jonas Brothers calling all other types of music crap basically. So I have revised theirs and began sending it around on MySpace.

Just because I don’t like pop or hip-hop doesn’t mean that I think it doesn’t deserve to be recognized, because that would be wrong. I believe that all music should be recognized and receive credit and attention based on the quality of the song or songs. But I also believe that no genre should be taken to the hype and amount of fame that a certain two have reached in the past few years.

If I want to listen to nothing but rock then I will find the local rock station and listen to that or I will find the channel for hard rock on satellite radio. If I want to listen to nothing but country I will find the country channel. And if I wanted to listen to nothing but pop or hip-hop then I’d find the station for which ever of those I want to listen to. But if I want to hear a variety of music, the best of, or today’s hits I want a mix of all different types of music not just two.

I openly admit that I do not like hip-hop at all and to a degree I truly hate it. I don’t care for pop either. Rock is my favorite and to be even more specific hard rock is my favorite. But I also enjoy some country. This doesn’t mean that I think that the hits should only include my favorites but it should include a variety.

So I leave you with one last question. Is rock just simply forgotten and overlooked, overshadowed, or do people just no longer understand exactly what rock is?