would an artist playing music like Bob Dylan or Led Zeppelin be very successful today?

Question

its always been a fantasy of mine to start a band and bring back the music of the 60's-70's. Theres something incredibly special to me about songs like Tambourine Man and Tangerine.

Anyway, this is a pretty simple answer and if you share the same musical interests as me i think the answer is probably unfortunate. Would a band today, playing music distinctly separate from the modern distorted music with cliche vocals and songs, be able to "make it big?" It seems like it would be a HUGE challenge for a band like that to get signed as most record labels seems to only be interested in bands like Green Day and My Chemical Romance.

No offense to anyone who likes those bands, of course.


this article is pretty interesting. Its written by John Mellencamp:

http://www.mellencamp.com/?module=news&news_item_id=367

Answer 1

The industry these days seems to revolve around musical acts that are completely interchangeable, so I suspect bands like the Byrds or Led Zeppelin would never draw any attention from record labels. Instead, we're force fed the same bland diet of generic music from bands who not only sound alike, but also dress alike and write about the same subject matter. It's always been that way, to some extent, but in past decades it was still possible for a band with a distinctive sound to break free from the pack. In those days, disc jockeys were free to play songs they liked along with those mandated by the station, which is how many obscure bands became huge.



I share your love of '60s and '70s jangle pop and always wished I could manage to fit a song like Big Star's "Back of a Car" or "September Gurls" into my band's set list, but it would have seemed forced in a club where everyone wanted bands to sound like Nirvana. Ideally, I would have been able to create a sound that was unique to my band, but I'm not that talented. It amazes me that there were once successful bands whose sound was so distinctive, it could be identified by hearing even a snippet of a song's bridge. The guitar, bass and drums were as much a signature as the singer's voice.



Sadly, I don't see any reason for fans of original music to be optimistic about the future. All the bands on the radio are clones of each other and will be forgotten in a few years, when they're replaced by slightly younger clones. And "American Idol" culture encourages people to mimic their favorite pop singers, rather than develop their own singing styles. It's possible global warming is nothing more than the heat generated by people like Mama Cass and John Lennon spinning in their graves at what's happened to music.

Answer 2

And I thought I was the only other person who wanted to know that.



"Making it big" will definitely be more of a challenge with all the pop artists that don't seem to work hard to make their 15 minutes of fame worth it.



Career bands are hard to see from the start. Take Green Day as an example. Who thought three guys playing at one of their mom's restaurants would last 20 years and reach generations?



In order to "prove themselves" I guess you can say, their debut album has to be beyond explosive. It has to make a statement like...hey, good music wasn't just a thing of the past. It can still happen.



It would take heart and hard work. Something that is a rarity in what you hear on the radio today. It would take dedication and absolute determination to not steer off the path like so many other "rock bands" have done. Lyrical content is crucial. Being honest is key.



We need to find real music again. But first, someone needs to make it.

Answer 3

Just remember one thing. Many many rappers use old songs and make it their own by rapping over the music..

Ex. Sting's "Every breadth that you take" made Puff daddy famous. If a song sells a million CD or whatever, whay shouldn't a remake sell at least, half as well.



It depends on how you interpret. Led Zeppelin would have still been popular today if John Bonham (drummer) would still be alive. He was the machine behind the band. As for Dylan, I don't know any singer that sounds as bad as him. But, he is a helluva composer which is why he wrote for the Beatles, Hendrix, Hoplin, among others and all his songs were instant success.

Answer 4

sure