Rock music is a curious animal. On one hand it denotes a genre that was originally rebellious and youth oriented against the conservative movements of the fifties. White youth who admired Black talent and eventually emulated their style of musical expression on stage and recordings.
Eventually the money machine kicked in and the demographic and cultural aspects were blurred, if not at once totally forgotten or neglected. Blacks became less of an influence on the overall performance and creative aspects of the music and affluent white record labels went off on their own tangent signing up whatever acts were capable of drawing in the middle class youths. these acts now were mostly Caucasian teens. With the exception of a few exceptional minority acts like Jimi Hendryx, Santana, and a very few more Rock turned into a white fans Genre.That's why the minority community pretty much abandoned it and moved on to Hip Hop.There's just so many white musical idols that a minority person can stomach
Thats not to say that many of these new acts weren't worthy of recognition. Thats not the point... The point is that there were many other Rockers from various other ethnic backgrounds which were being purposely left out. In the face of that no ones talent really matters then. what do I care if U2 or Metallica sell a million records if there are no representatives in rock from a democratic standpoint of the diverse mix of people who actually appreciate and create Rock music. The mainstream music media (Radio, Print and Venues) all detracted from the value of these performers when they either subconsciously or willingly excluded a segment of them by pure racial lines.I am and will always be a rocker, maybe not as groundbreaking as some major label acts (maybe I am) we'll not know soon enough because of the stereotypes in Rock music labels which only avail contracts to white youths whether they are ready musicians or not. The Punk Rock Movement and the No Wave scene had globs of musicians who didn't know how to play their instruments at the time of their being signed. Yet they somehow got recognition. A good advertisement scheme can sell anything and airtime is the key to all record sales. The Indie music scene tried to break some of these stereotypical practices of the music corporations, but ultimately even that scene was swallowed in a gulp of eliteist music preferences.
So it was back to the status quo of, for every hundred white anglo acts a corporation signed there might be one or two acts from different backgrounds. This dynamic isn't pervasive only in Rock music its prevalent in most media as well. As a rock musician I make an effort to go beyond what the mainstream asks me to listen to or to like... I attend and patronize smaller acts, I don't idolize those who are already Idols they don't need me. I wont go as far as to say that I ignore any of these performers, some I do. Some I go and see and I buy and listen to their music too. But I am not Star struck by any of them they are all just as good as any of the rest to me. I make an effort to be color blind when it comes to what I appreciate and I do appreciate many Caucasian musicians. I only desire that one day Caucasian Rock Fans can learn to appreciate Rockers from other backgrounds in the same way. So that Rock wont be remembered as a bigoted genre only open to those with connections and opportunities that aren't afforded to the rest of us who contributed a lot to it.
Jorge Rivera
Reply
Jorge Rivera / Blog
Rock Philosophy 101
Rock music is a curious animal. On one hand it denotes a genre that was originally rebellious and youth oriented against the conservative movements of the fifties. White youth who admired Black talent and eventually emulated their style of musical expression on stage and recordings. Eventually the money machine kicked in and the demographic and cultural aspects were blurred, if not at once totally forgotten or neglected. Blacks became less of an influence on the overall performance and creative aspects of the music and affluent white record labels went off on their own tangent signing up whatever acts were capable of drawing in the middle class youths. these acts now were mostly Caucasian teens. With the exception of a few exceptional minority acts like Jimi Hendryx, Santana, and a very few more Rock turned into a white fans Genre.That's why the minority community pretty much abandoned it and moved on to Hip Hop.There's just so many white musical idols that a minority person can stomach Thats not to say that many of these new acts weren't worthy of recognition. Thats not the point... The point is that there were many other Rockers from various other ethnic backgrounds which were being purposely left out. In the face of that no ones talent really matters then. what do I care if U2 or Metallica sell a million records if there are no representatives in rock from a democratic standpoint of the diverse mix of people who actually appreciate and create Rock music. The mainstream music media (Radio, Print and Venues) all detracted from the value of these performers when they either subconsciously or willingly excluded a segment of them by pure racial lines.I am and will always be a rocker, maybe not as groundbreaking as some major label acts (maybe I am) we'll not know soon enough because of the stereotypes in Rock music labels which only avail contracts to white youths whether they are ready musicians or not. The Punk Rock Movement and the No Wave scene had globs of musicians who didn't know how to play their instruments at the time of their being signed. Yet they somehow got recognition. A good advertisement scheme can sell anything and airtime is the key to all record sales. The Indie music scene tried to break some of these stereotypical practices of the music corporations, but ultimately even that scene was swallowed in a gulp of eliteist music preferences. So it was back to the status quo of, for every hundred white anglo acts a corporation signed there might be one or two acts from different backgrounds. This dynamic isn't pervasive only in Rock music its prevalent in most media as well. As a rock musician I make an effort to go beyond what the mainstream asks me to listen to or to like... I attend and patronize smaller acts, I don't idolize those who are already Idols they don't need me. I wont go as far as to say that I ignore any of these performers, some I do. Some I go and see and I buy and listen to their music too. But I am not Star struck by any of them they are all just as good as any of the rest to me. I make an effort to be color blind when it comes to what I appreciate and I do appreciate many Caucasian musicians. I only desire that one day Caucasian Rock Fans can learn to appreciate Rockers from other backgrounds in the same way. So that Rock wont be remembered as a bigoted genre only open to those with connections and opportunities that aren't afforded to the rest of us who contributed a lot to it.
Jorge Rivera
Reply