🎧 Downbeat.fm Vol. 7 Track 2

A video clip from an interview with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan made the rounds in late February, in which Corgan stated that rock music didn't die; it was killed. He got a lot of flak for the statement, but I don't think he's wrong. The part about rock music and bands being killed off from the mainstream, that is, not the crazy reasons he stated in the interview.

It happened due to corporate consolidation and the terrible Telecommunications Act of 1996, which became law, allowing companies, namely Clear Channel, to own multiple radio and TV stations in a market.

While writing this article, I tuned in to KLBJ FM (a Sinclair station), Austin's rock radio station. The last ten songs played were:

• Seven Nation Army by White Stripes
• Roxanne by Police
• Hot for Teacher by Van Halen
• American Woman by Guess Who
• Gimme All Your Lovin' by ZZ Top
• Twilight Zone by Golden Earring
• Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac
• Hells Bells by AC/DC
• Even Flow by Pearl Jam
• Tom Sawyer by Rush

The "newest" song in that list is Seven Nation Army, which was released in 2003, 23 years ago. Going back 30 songs, and it's still the only rock song from the 2000s. The next "newest" songs were Come As You Are by Nirvana (1992), Even Flow by Pearl Jam (1992), and Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991) - 34 and 35-year-old songs.

It's not just radio, it's live music, too. The best-selling rock tours of 2025 were:

• Coldplay (1997)
• Imagine Dragons (2008)
• Iron Maiden (1975)
• Linkin Park (1996)
• Eagles (1971)
• Metallica (1981)
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (1972)
• Dead & Company (1965 / 2015)
• Paul McCartney (1960)
• Guns N' Roses (1985)

Outside of Imagine Dragons, the "youngest" bands on this list are Linkin Park and Coldplay, at almost 30 years old. And not to yuck anyone's yum, but Imagine Dragons is not exactly something I'd call "rock". 

The data may be skewed on this list, as most of these are considered "legacy acts," and their ticket prices can be much higher than the already high normal prices.

Looking at all tours, there are no rock bands in the top 10 for 2025.

As antitrust laws were weakened in the mid-90s, conglomerates sprang into action, consolidating everything. There were dozens of record labels in the 60s and 70s, but through mergers and other corporate shenanigans, there are now only 3 major labels today (Universal, Sony, and Warner).

This consolidation and the weakening of anti-trust laws started in the mid-to-late 90s, when rock music was still huge and in the mainstream. As conglomerates like Clear Channel gained more and more power, they could promote what they wanted, and it was easier for them to find and push certain types of music rather than to grow and nurture groups over time. Clear Channel famously has playlists that they modify all the time. Look at the list of songs they "banned" after September 11. 

All that said, rock music isn't dead. Just look at the complete Downbeat.fm playlist (Apple Music / Spotify), there are over 1,600 songs - almost 4 and a half days worth of (mostly) rock music, and 84% of the songs are from 2010 or later.

This may seem like a very boomer post, and maybe it is. But, like I said. Rock isn't dead. You just have to hunt for it more than we used to when I was growing up. Streaming services and algorithms are great for this - maybe one of the few things they are great for.

February's Playlist

This month's playlist features Snooze, The Wonder Bombs, Mannequin Pussy, Cat Power, Dwayne Gretzky, Kid Sistr, and more!

Listen to this month's playlist on

Quick Links and Other Listening

Do you like interesting facts about music? Then, Jeff has you covered with five posts chock-full of very good music facts.