Is Queen Still More Relevant Than Taylor Swift?

[Pogre]

Another interesting video from Rick Beato. In it he goes through streaming stats on Spotify and discovers some surprising and interesting results.

He raises a good point too. Queen's music is still being used in recent movies and videos to this day, which definitely helps keep them on the map. Perhaps if say, the Jimi Hendrix estate were to polish up and release some archival videos on yt or something he'd be a lot more relevant today. As it is he and a few other legendary talents are slowly fading into obscurity.

 

[panteragstk]

I don't even need to read it to answer:

Yes, yes it is. "Classic" rock is classic is just that. Classic. It's timeless and never really gets "old" persay.

Pop in general because very dated very quickly. I'm sure she has some great songs, but are any of them timeless? Hard to say for any current music honestly, just like it was when any music was "new".

 

[lovinthehd]

Seems I've heard a few Hendrix tracks here and there used still, hard to imagine Hendrix not being relevant in any case. Especially compared to someone like Taylor Swift. Queen prices their stuff better for more exposure? Dunno. Didn't watch the video, Rick gets on my nerves pretty quick usually

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Taylor who?

 

[Trebdp83]

Everybody knows the name, even if they can’t shake it off, shake it off.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Everybody knows the name, even if they can’t shake it off, shake it off.

Shake it like a Polaroid picture?

 

[highfigh]

Another interesting video from Rick Beato. In it he goes through streaming stats on Spotify and discovers some surprising and interesting results.

He raises a good point too. Queen's music is still being used in recent movies and videos to this day, which definitely helps keep them on the map. Perhaps if say, the Jimi Hendrix estate were to polish up and release some archival videos on yt or something he'd be a lot more relevant today. As it is he and a few other legendary talents are slowly fading into obscurity.

Hendrix may be disappearing from POP culture, but his fans know where to find new music and videos- unfortunately, his sister is a bit of a money grubber. People make videos about him frequently, including some showing why it's so hard to sound very similar to him- it wasn't just his playing a right-handed guitar as a lefty, but the studio that was built for him, Eddie Kramer's recording techniques, the new effect pedals that he used (some were made specifically for him) and the fact that he was never afraid to ask "What will happen if....?". He also recorded almost constantly when he was in the studio- that led to a lot of songs that were assembled and a constant array of new licks and riffs. People hear new music now and it's mostly rehashed, but in some cases, it's rehashed obscure music- that's why it seems new and fresh.

WRT Queen's music that's replayed and used for commercial applications- dig into their catalog and it's only a few of their well-known songs that are used, but they had some great stuff that would probably never be used because it's too foreign to mainstream pop-based listeners. Most people know 'We Will Rock You', 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and a couple of others, but that's all. I'm not sure that makes them more 'relevant'- it just means those songs are usable for commercials and TV/movies.

 

[Pogre]

I'm not sure that makes them more 'relevant'- it just means those songs are usable for commercials and TV/movies.

2 billion streams over the course of a month. Did you watch the video?

 

[Trebdp83]

Shake it like a Polaroid picture?

Sure, or like a martini.

 

[panteragstk]

Another interesting video from Rick Beato. In it he goes through streaming stats on Spotify and discovers some surprising and interesting results.

He raises a good point too. Queen's music is still being used in recent movies and videos to this day, which definitely helps keep them on the map. Perhaps if say, the Jimi Hendrix estate were to polish up and release some archival videos on yt or something he'd be a lot more relevant today. As it is he and a few other legendary talents are slowly fading into obscurity.

Ok. I actually watched the video this time and my first post wasn't that far off.

Look at Adele. She was massively popular there for a good while, but she's not as popular as I would have thought. I would have thought she'd have MANY more plays than Queen, but that's not what happened.

These numbers tell a good story in that people still very much want good music and if it's new, then it is, but there are still PLENTY of people that appreciate bands that haven't existed for decades. That just means that we should be getting more popular "rock" bands than we get.

Why aren't we getting new rock bands that have as much exposure as the POP and some of the "rap" that's mainstream?

 

[Trebdp83]

Some stuff is timeless and some stuff is a product of its time. Psychedelic Rock isn't standing the test of time. Grunge hasn't held up well either though both hold a special place in the hearts of those who were young when they were in play. Some bands put out hits that take on a life of their own and become anthems. Look at Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" or Queen's "We Are The Champions." Some put out classic albums that come back around again and again. Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" is currently number twenty f#%kin' seven on the Billboard 200. Lots of new "Fast Music" out there now that can be compared to "Fast Food." It provides a quick fix that feels good at the moment but doesn't last very long. Rock bands that devote their look and sound to the current times might find it hard to continue when the trend changes. Think KISS going into the 80's or any 80's hair band going into the 90's. Some such as The Rolling Stones and U2 found continued success for decades. They were still releasing new albums and had new hits to play in concert instead of just relying on their greatest hits from way back. I agree about the lack of new rock bands out there. One needs to really look for them and the influence from the labels to be as pop friendly as possible is stronger than ever.

 

[highfigh]

2 billion streams over the course of a month. Did you watch the video?

Yeah, I did watch it.

Look at the time when the older bands were on the top- the people who were listening to them at the time are old enough (as Beato mentioned) that they may not want to use this type of format or service- I don't use Spotify- maybe Beato should check Pandora or the others to average the number of listeners. I can't imagine people who listen to new music giving a rat's butt about most of the music from the older bands unless it was in a movie they liked.

Personally, I care just as much about a lot of the newer music I have heard- I wouldn't listen to Ed Shearen, Avett Bros and a lot of this stuff if someone paid me- it's just not what interests me but the music I listen to and prefer isn't simple, pop music. It seems that people don't want to think about the music when it's playing- are they actually listening to it the way people did in the past? Hard to say without asking.

Beato mentions YT and Spotify, but he makes a low of money from those two services, so he has a vested interest in their success. Pretty narrow sample of listening habits, IMO. Spotify doesn't show stats like # of subscribers on the podcasts, though.

 

[slipperybidness]

Hendrix may be disappearing from POP culture, but his fans know where to find new music and videos- unfortunately, his sister is a bit of a money grubber. People make videos about him frequently, including some showing why it's so hard to sound very similar to him- it wasn't just his playing a right-handed guitar as a lefty, but the studio that was built for him, Eddie Kramer's recording techniques, the new effect pedals that he used (some were made specifically for him) and the fact that he was never afraid to ask "What will happen if....?". He also recorded almost constantly when he was in the studio- that led to a lot of songs that were assembled and a constant array of new licks and riffs. People hear new music now and it's mostly rehashed, but in some cases, it's rehashed obscure music- that's why it seems new and fresh.

WRT Queen's music that's replayed and used for commercial applications- dig into their catalog and it's only a few of their well-known songs that are used, but they had some great stuff that would probably never be used because it's too foreign to mainstream pop-based listeners. Most people know 'We Will Rock You', 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and a couple of others, but that's all. I'm not sure that makes them more 'relevant'- it just means those songs are usable for commercials and TV/movies.

The irony about his studio is that he actually spent very little time there, and passed away not long after it was completed.

I visited the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle a couple months back, they had a Hendrix room (and a Nirvana room of course), and had the sound board from Electric Lady Land on display. This museum was better than I had expected.

 

[highfigh]

The irony about his studio is that he actually spent very little time there, and passed away not long after it was completed.

I visited the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle a couple months back, they had a Hendrix room (and a Nirvana room of course), and had the sound board from Electric Lady Land on display. This museum was better than I had expected.

Did Paul Allen have anything to do with that? Maybe Dave Grohl?

 

[slipperybidness]

Did Paul Allen have anything to do with that? Maybe Dave Grohl?

Yup. The museum got it's start from Paul Allen's personal collection of SciFi memorabilia, he opened the SciFi Hall of Fame and Museum, and it grew from there into the MoPop.

One of my personal favorite items on display was one of Asimov's typewriters! Items from Tron, Dune, Planet of the Apes, and many others are there.

It houses the largest collection of Nirvana and Hendrix memorabilia, should be no surprise there. I would assume many of the Nirvana items were from Grohl, but the only item I remember for sure was a complete drum set that he had donated.

They also have a dedicated theater with free showings all day long, looked to be a come/go as you please. I recall seeing time slots for Nirvana Unplugged and Hendrix's Band of Gypsies. Unfortunately, my timing didn't work out to catch anything in the theater, but Band of Gypsies is my favorite Hendrix album.

 

[highfigh]

Yup. The museum got it's start from Paul Allen's personal collection of SciFi memorabilia, he opened the SciFi Hall of Fame and Museum, and it grew from there into the MoPop.

One of my personal favorite items on display was one of Asimov's typewriters! Items from Tron, Dune, Planet of the Apes, and many others are there.

It houses the largest collection of Nirvana and Hendrix memorabilia, should be no surprise there. I would assume many of the Nirvana items were from Grohl, but the only item I remember for sure was a complete drum set that he had donated.

They also have a dedicated theater with free showings all day long, looked to be a come/go as you please. I recall seeing time slots for Nirvana Unplugged and Hendrix's Band of Gypsies. Unfortunately, my timing didn't work out to catch anything in the theater, but Band of Gypsies is my favorite Hendrix album.

Buddy Miles sat in with a friend of mine at a local club in '95- they did a bunch of Hendrix/Band of Gypsies stuff and since my friend started playing because of Hendrix, they absolutely killed it. Miles played on the regular drummer's set and sounded SOOOO much more powerful....

Not long after, a Madison newspaper interviewed Buddy and asked about that night- he said Greg was the best guitarist he had played with in 25 years.

I heard an LP from Buddy Miles that Hendrix had produced- it's one of the reasons I really hate that he's gone and I'd have loved to hear what he would have been doing later.

 

[lovinthehd]

Each time I see this thread title in the list I think how sad it would be if Taylor Swift was ever as relevant as Queen?

 

[eljr]

Yes, yes it is. "Classic" rock is classic is just that. Classic. It's timeless and never really gets "old" persay.

What can I do but laugh. BTW, ever notice Classic Rock is a subset of Pop/Rock?

Nothing timeless about it. Thank God it morphed into Alternative in the 90's is all I can say. After that, it died as is normal and natural.

 

[eljr]

Each time I see this thread title in the list I think how sad it would be if Taylor Swift was ever as relevant as Queen?

Why?

Time is change. It's normal and natural.

Off subject and all but I never liked Queen. I tried so hard. I tried yet again about 5 years ago, I just can't listen to them. I prefer Swift.

 

[lovinthehd]

What can I do but laugh. BTW, ever notice Classic Rock is a subset of Pop/Rock?

Nothing timeless about it. Thank God it morphed into Alternative in the 90's is all I can say. After that, it died as is normal and natural.

What is official/definitive about categories someone named like "Rock" or "Classic Rock" let alone "Pop/Rock"? Alternative is another vague one. Its alive as long as someone still listens in any case....not just what you care about.