Today I was listening to a guitar themed podcast and I heard something that quite irritated me. A listener left a message saying that people like the host of the podcast and some other players with YouTube and Instagram channels are his role models and the rockstars of today like the musicians and artists on stage were the rockstars for previous generations. My first thought was…
Wow! The world is really changing, isn’t it? Well, maybe. Maybe not. First of all, I think that these two kinds of rockstars are very different animals. For better comparison let’s say that both of them are playing guitars and sing…

Things in common

What do both of them have in common? Maybe more than you think! Well, as we know, they both play guitar and sing. Being a guitar player myself, my guess would be that they started playing for the same (or at least similar) reasons. I’m pretty sure that they both love playing music, singing, whether it’s alone at home or with other fellow musicians, live on stage. Both, you say? Yes, both! I’m convinced that the ultimate goal of every musician is to perform his art in front of an audience. Live audience, if possible. An artist wants to present himself, show what he/she does, share his/her art and get some feedback.

The “before” rockstar

We’re talking about the time with no internet, no YouTube, no tutorial DVDs and videos. Music was constantly changing, growing, expanding. It was all live, “What You Hear Is What You Get” was the name of the game. We were learning directly from records or were taught by family members, friends and neighbours. It was harder to learn than today but the sense of achievement was way bigger.
You heard something on the radio and started asking around if somebody knew the song, who the artist was. You couldn’t go online and google it. Then you went to the store and bought the record if it was available, got home, played it on your record player and tried to figure out what they’re playing. Hours and hours of moving the needle back and wearing the record down until the mission was finally accomplished. Not simple but great times!

Then you maybe started a band, started practicing, started paying your dues, playing for free, playing clubs, birthdays, weddings – everything to earn a couple of bucks to keep you and your art above the water. And after all that hard work, thousands of invested hours, maybe you had that additional bit of luck and become one of the “chosen ones”, the (rock)star! It was something special, of course for the artist himself and also for all of us inspiring musicians, because we knew, what it takes to get that far…

The “today” rockstar

First of all, if you don’t count all the “classic” (not to say old) bands and artists, there are not near as many rockstars out there anymore, so I’m not surprised that young musicians go elsewhere to search for their heroes. And more often than not they find them online on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, to name a few. It’s not surprising ’cause a working musician of today is forced to do quite some additional stuff to be able to survive. Most of them have YouTube channels, membership sites, teach or have some other sources of income. Many of them gave up live performing (not only because of these crazy COVID times) ’cause the venues are less and less and not paying that much anymore, a lot of classic instruments like guitars or even drums and bass are often not present on stage. Bringing the laptop is much cheaper than feeding 3 additional musicians… Sad, but true!

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not totally against the idea to see the “online” musicians as your role models, your heroes, your rockstars. I just think that both sides are missing something very important: the live contact! To be at a live concert, standing in the crowd, facing the stage and enjoying your favourite music is something special. You can’t compare the (hopefully good) live sound with your home sound setup – it’s something completely different!
On the other side, the artist: you just can’t reproduce the feeling of playing to a great live crowd! No way! There’s nothing better in the whole world! Period. And I’m sure that the end goal of every – even the online – musician/artist is to be able to earn his living by making his music and performing it live for his audience.

The conclusion

I’m not trying to say what’s better and what’s worse. It’s just different! It’s actually pretty simple. Whether a musician or just a fan: just do everything it takes to keep your fire burning. Use what you have to your disposal.

Musician: always try to have multiple sources of income so you can keep doing your art – it’s hard but still better than working 9 to 5. YouTube channel, FB, Insta, teaching, advertising, whatever! Just try to stay true to yourself and you’ll be ok. And then when you have a chance to play live – don’t think twice, go for it!

Aspiring musician / fan: if there are no “live” role models, rockstars or heroes out there that suit your taste, go and find them online! Why not? If they speak to your heart, help you in anyway on your musical path, embrace it! But don’t miss any opportunities to go out and listen to live musicians/artists even if their music isn’t exactly your cup of tea. You can still hear some cool live sounds and/or parts, maybe learn something new, meet new people, maybe meet the artist and even get a gig. All at one place! Who knows?! Trust me, it’s much more exciting than the web… 😜😎🤘