It’s 1955, and Rock ’n’ Roll emerges—energizing and electrifying the good times of post-war America. Now it’s 2025, and the world is having a nervous breakdown. Same country, different eras.
Maybe it’s the time we’re in, but the opportunity is to embrace information, media, and technology in ways Rock ’n’ Roll music did in its glory years. That is what’s in sync with modern culture. It’s all been happening for a while now.
From a brainpower and innovation viewpoint, the Rock ’n’ Roll movement looks backward. There are new emerging music styles, but the big forward vision is on information, media, and technology. And it’s likely that Rock ’n’ Roll’s inventive, world-changing, mass-appeal days are behind.
NOW—that doesn’t mean it’s dead—in fact, it’s very much alive. But I think the magic of Rock ’n’ Roll in the 21st century is all about immersing ourselves in its deep and unbelievably rich history that touched so many in their musically formative years.
People in the music business are usually hopeful that it’s all about “new music,” and it is—in other genres—but there’s also a new magic now in mining the history, of which only a thin layer has been touched. Mining can mean DISCOVERING what’s out there or seeing amazing bands perform their history at the well-honed level of today, not to mention sister genres.
Music will impact people forever, and there’ll be other forms of it that engage the world. But my point is that that “Rock ’n’ Roll thing” is focused more on the past (and that’s fine—and can be/is extremely lucrative) than the future… a pretty good time for the miners.
BUT—information, media, and technology is the new Rock ’n’ Roll in terms of what’s driving mainstream culture.
Rock ’n’ Roll is a timeless attitude that resonates around the world—it’s more than a sound—it’s an M.O. and can be applied to non-musical initiatives.
In its purest sense, Rock ’n’ Roll thinking arguably means:
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INNOVATION
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ATTITUDE
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SWAGGER
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NEWNESS
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BIG—MASS APPEAL
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RE-INVENTION
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CREATES FANS, NOT USERS
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POWERFUL
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CHANGING
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ARTFUL
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REBELLIOUS
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INTELLIGENT… IN A MASS APPEAL WAY
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LADEN IN MONEY, INFLUENCE, AND POWER
Done right, it’s like:
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DYLAN
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STONES
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HENDRIX
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CHUCK BERRY
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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
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BEATLES
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etc…
(Lasting… integrity… quality… in touch with the soul of the nation)
Those above-mentioned points—and the respective artists—are the same points that will and are defining the NEW “Rock ’n’ Roll”: INFORMATION, MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY.
In many ways, media is where music was in the early ’50s—POISED for something new.
And something new IS happening before our eyes.
Where music was once the cultural definer, now it’s often an add-on… something that makes technology a richer experience. Kinda like a video game—with amazing music. Or a movie that’s elevated by sound. Or an environment to chill in.
An experience enhancer.
Rock ’n’ Roll music is rich, deep, and historic.
Rock ’n’ Roll THINKING is potent, timeless, and what will power the future.
