Ex-Beatle George Harrison (L), who died on Thursday, belonged to the rock veterans who still struggled to get to the charts and had to compete with young idols. He lost his battle against cancer. PHOTO - REUTERS
LOS ANGELES – Rock ‘n‘ roll will never die. Unless it is being made by classic rockers like Rolling Stone frontman Mick Jagger and former Beatle Paul McCartney, whose new albums are barely registering a pulse at cash registers in the United States.
The very youth culture that propelled these music legends to stardom back in the 1960s is now discarding them in favor of a new generation of fresh-faced youngsters, such as perky teen queen Britney Spears and spiritual rockers Creed.
According to sales data issued last Wednesday, Jagger‘s new album „Goddess in the Doorway“ debuted at No. 39 on the U.S. pop charts with sales of nearly 68,000 units in the week ended Nov. 25. The week before, McCartney‘s „Driving Rain“ opened at No. 26 with 66,000 copies sold. It has since tumbled to No. 65 on the charts. By contrast, Florida-based trio Creed moved more than 887,000 copies of their new album „Weathered“ to open at No. 1 this week.
Jagger and McCartney are learning the hard way that they cannot coast on their reputations as composers of some of the most important rock songs ever.
Two veteran acts are holding up relatively well: Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd, though they are in no danger of upsetting Britney & Co. The two-disc set „Echoes — The Best of Pink Floyd“ has sold more than 460,000 copies after three weeks; Dylan‘s acclaimed „Love and Theft“ has almost reached that level after 11 weeks in release, pretty good by his terms.
The kids who bought records 20 or 30 years ago now get a headache when they listen to cutting-edge rock from the likes of Limp Bizkit and System of a Down. The market these days is driven by pre-teens who load up on pop fluff, or by teenagers who focus on alternative rock, industry executives say. It‘s also easier to reach youngsters — via MTV and youth-oriented publications — than to reach adults.
The key is spreading the word. Since radio is often averse to playing new songs by heritage acts, they must instead rely on magazine articles, television appearances and other event-oriented promotions.
McCartney‘s new Sept. 11-linked charity single „Freedom“ is receiving good support from radio.
Jagger played at the MyVH1 Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, and is tentatively set to perform on TV‘s „Saturday Night Live“ on Dec. 8.
Reuters
