Why Do We Think There Are Rules In Rock & Roll?

So last night I was reading an article by a moderately successful rock star from the 80s/90s and he was spouting off about how the music industry has changed and the rules don't apply any more. Um what rules? It's fucking ROCK & ROLL!!!

Rules. Yes, somewhere through the course of it all, rock & roll has lost it's rebellious, fuck the establishment, mentality and set up it's own set of rules and guidelines. There's a certain way to approach labels, there's a certain way to book tours, there's a certain way to make videos, there's a certain way to inject the heroin just right to...............oh, too far? Yeah. What's with cookie cutter rock stars? I mean, Disney owns rock & roll now, for god's sake.

Let's face the fact that Rock $ Roll is a big money proposition for the labels and they will, just like they have for years now, chase the trends rather than cultivate the talent. It used to be that the A & R rep would court the talented and cultivate new and exciting things to give their label a leg up over the competition. Anymore, they're just scouting for the next so and so. No money goes into taking chances anymore. That's the downfall of labels being run by corporations. Risks need to be minimized and profits capitalized. Rules come into effect when money becomes the sole objective.

The unfortunate thing is that the Indie music world mimics that mentality, just on a smaller scale. They may be a little more willing to take the chances but they still try to set up those stupid rules. They still try to tell people how it's done. Dammit, it's ROCK & ROLL, there is no way it's done. Real, long term, breakthrough rock stars don't exist anymore, because no one takes chances anymore. New paths are struck by the bold and the rebellious, not the trend chasers.