IMO, today is the best era to be an artist. Think of all the music that nobody ever heard because it didn't fit into the category a record company wanted. Think of all the great music that never got recorded simply because you couldn't afford studio time. Now, all you need is a $200 laptop and an internet connection and everyone can hear you.
It is a great time to express yourself for sure. Artists who never would have gained an audience can now use the internet to their advantage and get themselves out there.
The negative side of this? We have an abundance of really bad music because there are no more filters and people with limited and in some cases zero talent could just put out anything they want. Also, the more music these types of people put out the more it saturates social media and the internet in general making it harder to notice the ones who are actually talented.
I disagree with Zakk Wylde, GNR and Nirvana would not have the same impact if they came out today. Neither would The Beatles or The Rolling Stones for that matter. Yes he is correct, they are undeniably good, but the chances of them being noticed for more than 2 seconds today are slim. There is so much sensory overload with social media, people move very quickly from one thing to the next. The shelf life for really creative art today is very short, people are always on to the next thing. This is true across all entertainment mediums. GNR would definitely have success, but biggest band in the world success? I doubt it. It has nothing to do with their ability, but the average fans attention spans.
Do you know why The Beatles and Stones made such an impact? It is because options were very limited and they were the ones who were forced on the general public. They are both great of course, but they never would have become iconic household names in the year 2016.
There will never be another biggest rock n roll band in the world, because the current system makes it impossible for there to be one band that mass amounts of people are focused on. Every so often you'll get an Adele, but that is because her audience skews older and they still happen to buy music.
Guns N Roses and Metallica are my two favorite bands. How did I get discover them? MTV told me that I liked Guns N Roses and Metallica in the Summer of 1992 when they put them on TV every second of the day. The reason I am still a fan is because they are undeniably good.
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