Is Rock & Metal a Healthy Genre?

Taken f

rom the June ‘15 interview of Korea Guitar with Alex Campbell

Q. There have been a lot of comments recently about the state of RnR. Is it still a healthy genre?

1. I think rock is as healthy as it has ever been. I think the main cause for such speculation comes from the state of album sales. Music isn’t being distributed in the same fashion as before, when it was more of the genre’s “heyday”. With the age of digital distribution, piracy is easy. Besides that fact, various economic complications for the average concert goer impedes the growth of artists. I don’t think that affects the genre, but more of the individual artist. There will always be a fan base for the genre.

Q. Is it possible to earn a living the way that the industry is going?

1. I absolutely believe it is possible to earn a living. It may not be as simple as before, but it is certainly possible. I find a lot of people crying foul because their music is not bringing in millions when it just simply isn’t possible anymore. Instead, they should be focusing on other avenues for financial stability within the industry, such as teaching, licensing, scoring, producing, session work, etc. Limiting yourself to just your band isn’t realistic. One must open themselves up to a broader revenue stream than solely laying hope on the label.