“Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk band such as All Time Low are becoming increasingly influential on today’s music scene with each record released”. Discuss the possible impacts of the above statement, both public and personal, with references to examples the charts have bombarded you with.
_____The trend of popular music has generally been horrifically predictable since the birth of the MTV era. In the late 90’s boybands such as Boyzone and Backstreet Boys’ domination began, and although it seemed like it would never end, it has since noticeably declined. In more recent years, there has seldom been prolonged periods where solo female artists haven’t held the Number 1 spot, each and every release from the likes of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and, of course, Lady Gaga now merely inevitabilities rather than hopefuls to reach the top for a week or two. This isn’t to say that none of these ladies’ releases are deserving, although apart from Lady Gaga, they’re usually not.
_____However, following my often unwilling susceptibility to the music charts in recent months, I believe there is sufficient evidence to support the belief that Pop-Punk and Pop-Rock bands will succeed in challenging the potential demolition of the music industry by the likes of such homogenous artists as Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis, and Alexandra Burke.
___Recent charting in the Top 40 of bands such as Metro Station, All Time Low, and Elliot Minor is something of a new sight, which has caught most by surprise. A Top 40 place by Go: Audio’s Made Up Stories came as such a shock to the band itself, that it drove them insane, resulting in the consequent splitting of the band.
_____Today it is becoming less and less unusual to see bands such as these penetrating the previously pure female territory, and without a doubt this is having a notable influence on the youth of today. The blood tie between Hannah Montana and Metro Station provided fans of the latter with a safeguard of sorts against violent attacks from fans of the former, and sure enough, 2008 saw a 45% decrease in clashes between the two groups.
___This freak musical breakthrough opened the door to similar acts, You Me At Six and All Time Low the main beneficiaries, and for the first time in history, it became possible last year to hop between the Wikipedia pages of You Me At Six and Popular Music in less than 16 clicks. Although at the time unimaginable, today it could be argued that the two are closer than ever, Underdog actually showing many of the qualities of a half-decent song.
_____These are all positive effects of the growing popularity of Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk bands, but it must be noted that it hasn’t all been apathetically blue skies since the sabotage of the status quo of the music charts. Firstly there is the opportunity cost of the extremely rare non-female soloist spots in the charts going to these generally atrocious bands, the chance of We Are Scientists or Biffy Clyro getting the opportunity to give the masses a little bit of education further slimming. There is also the very real possibility to be considered, that some of the music coming from these rock poppers is actually worse than that of the pollution they're replacing. Luckily we have not yet had a repeat of the disastrous success of the woeful Seventeen Forever, but as long as Metro Station continue to be permitted to record music, that threat will always remain.
___Although, to be perfectly honest, what effect all of this has on your fourteen year old sister doesn’t really concern me. I’m ultimately a fairly selfish person, so whether or not Lost In Stereo brings together two world cultures is irrelevant in my mind. The fact that we may soon face two types of teenage stereotype as opposed to just the present one matters a miniscule amount to me. What excites me about this recent development in popular music trends is no more than the increased likelihood that I may one day live to see bands such as 30 Seconds To Mars achieve the Top 10 level of recognition they deserve.
_____I see the recent growth in popularity of Pop-Rock and Pop-Punk bands as a wholly positive breath of fresh air, if for nothing else other than how it has threatened to put an end to the female free-for-all at the top of the charts. But by far the biggest impact this pop-music renaissance has had on me is the security it has given me in expressing some of my own musical opinions; one feel’s slightly more at ease in public going from You Me At Six to The Blackout rather than interrupting a horde of Keshians as they discuss their idol’s most recent insightful lyrics.
QED
* Ke$hians, man...
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