Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
That's kind of the point. There will be no replacement. The era of the big rock star came when recorded music was widely available and youth had the time to listen and money to buy it. The era ended when recorded music became so universally available that its value dropped to near zero.
+1. I am 53 and going to more great shows than ever. There is abundant, great music being made today. You won’t find it where you did in the 70s and 80s, e.g. on your top 40 radio station or best friend’s 8 track and cassettes. You have to go find it on the internet (shout out to streaming 89.3 The Current), which is just the way the digital marketplace functions compared to the former, constricted Top 40 radio market and record store model. The book The Long Tail captured the current model best. Here’s an excerpt from a review of the book:
“The Long Tail, then, seeks to show how consumer behavior changes in a market of infinite choice–a market that is no longer constrained by the difficulties inherent in having supply limited by logistics. The supply now exists for whatever demand we, as picky and increasingly particular consumers, can dream up. We live in a culture that is focused more and more on niches and less and less of hits and bestsellers. We do not necessarily want to write the book that sells best overall, but the book that sells best in the small niche that is most important to us. There is infinite opportunity for any of us to impact a niche.”
https://www.challies.com/book-reviews/book-review-the-long-tail/
The major upside is, as a music fan, you no longer have to tolerate some zombie corporate radio station force feeding you repeated, stupid Rick Springfield songs until they are imprinted on your very DNA. Your best friend might not even know who Rick Springfield is or care what grim casino he’s probably headlining this weekend.