There are no bands in the mainstream, because the current acts are not unique enough or interesting so that the public can relate to; or to build up a bigger fanbase.
Nowadays, to be successful you have to really care about the work that you put out, and be relate-able on social media, by being interesting, mainly.

It's the same as its always being, except to get noticed and building up the fanbase, is harder then ever before. But it can certainly be done.

So that's being unique, relatable; and the patience to build up a following, the secret for future acts!

I agree it also has too do with how media expect you now.And the media talent don't mix but too them it more the drama and things like that as who is having sex with who and crap and all about what's in fashion and what's not.And most bands that come in the mainstream now are carp and look for style over substance and meaning.And what about the lyrics they should be important most of them don't play their own tune or write their own lyrics.Too be frank maybe some people won't agree with me but the last rock revelation was in the 90's your Grunge and Brit Pop and Alternative.

The best thing to do is listen to BBC 6 music or rock radio.

And what is a 'fair crack of the whip' for a genre that is quite extreme to anyone outside of its relatively small fan base? Metal has accounted for just 6-7% of album sales for as far back as anyone can remember (certainly the last decade). And when you include singles and compilation sales (no metal sales there) to get an even wider sample of music fans, it drops still further. Not only is it not liked by the vast majority it is actively disliked by many. Put a metal act on at the start of an episode of Jools Holland and I dare say a big chunk of the audience would turn off. Metal fans want it both ways; for their genre to be 'rebel' music, aggressive and antagonistic to accepted musical norms (melody, etc), while getting indignant that it's excluded from the mainstream. Is the average 18 year old 'head banger' really bothered that their favourite band isn't on a late night muso BBC 2 TV programme? I doubt it. In fact I'd hope they wouldn't even care if they really were being true to metal's 'bad boy' image.

The generic term Heavy Metal covers a vast array of musical styles, there are at least 10 recognised sub-genres alone, I have always found those to claim to "actively hate" Metal usually do so based on a preconceived idea of what "Metal" actually is, without actually bothering to hear any or find out for themselves. A lot of Metal is far from extreme, bands like Black Stone Cherry, Alter Bridge, and Halestorm, for example, have a very commercial edge to their sound and there are many others.

In regards album sales, if we accept Metal sales are in the region of 7-8% then Metal is on a par with Hip Hop and R&B combined and with Dance music and yet the BBC and ...Later find plenty of room for those artists.

Genre breakdown of music album unit sales in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2014

As for Metal's "small" fanbase, well Download still attracts @ 90,000 every year and, as I've already said most gigs I got to are usually at least 80% full and an increasing number of Metal bands are now doing Arena tours.

You talk about Metal being "aggressive and antagonistic", something that can equally apply to many genres of Urban music, probably more so. The "Gangsta" culture and labeling women as ""whores" that pervades much of those genres being examples.

Your perception that Metal is the domain of the "18 year old 'head banger'" is also an incorrect stereotype, although much of your post is based on what you seem to believe the stereotypical metal fan is. Metal appeals to a wide audience, from teenagers to people in their 70s, both male and female. However to answer your question: Yes, the Is the average 18 year old 'head banger' would be bothered a band they like is appearing on ...Later but they don't bother watching because they know it won't happen.

Off to see the Eagles Of Death Metal tonight.........pretty sure they've been on ...Later!!

Did anyone see Justin Bieber with Metallica shirt on.

So why has most mainstream music in the last 5 years been unimaginative, unoriginal, bland and forgettable then?

I think you will find most non-commercial acts care very passionately about their music, often to the detriment to mainstream commercial success. But for those bands social media has been a real benefit because it is now much easier to build their fan-base. For example if I come across a new band I can tell 200 friends at the click of a mouse.


Something we can agree on!

The problem with the music industry today is that it is no longer run by musicians or people from within the music industry, it is run by accountants.

Accountants are, by nature, very safe and risk averse and are only interested in acts that pretty much guarantee a return on their investment and the acts that will provide that return are the unimaginative, the unoriginal, the bland and the forgettable.

I know I can come across as sounding like a stuck record but Hard Rock/Heavy Metal is what I know, I've been listening to it for 40 years.

Hard Rock & Heavy Metal has undergone a real renaissance over the last 5 - 10 years, the fact the likes of Lamb Of God, Five Finger Death Punch, and Avenged Sevenfold can have Top 10 albums is proof of that, I just think it is about time the BBC and ...Later reflected that.

Plus it's all about who makes the playlist and it full of crap.

Well yes we do agree on something. I am not sure I agree about Hard Rock and Heavy Metal but each to their own. The thing is it wasn't really covered that much on OGWT either but then again now we are in 2015 maybe it is about time that there was more live music on television. To just have Later as the only regular live music show is pretty pathetic.

If what really matters is the charts, you have to have at least one star in the band who can compete with the pop stars for wattage and is willing to play the media game, *and* you have to have a songwriter that can compete with professional teams that have been doing it for 20 years. That's a rare and difficult combination.

I think it's because pop music has become so degraded by single-name artists (some of whom probably don't even exist outside the recording studio), that most bands who can actually play their instruments and write their own music don't want to be played alongside them. There's no longer a singles chart that means anything outside the background music played in Asda, sothere's no incentive for them to even try.

It's all about money sadly. There is more of a hold on the music industry with certain labels who have the funds than ever before. I mean who is going to remember Justin Bieber 10 years from now?

thats what they said about him 7 years ago and hes still here sadly.

thank God that was posted on the 11th and not 13th.... their Paris gig was the one attacked last night with 80 killed.

I had a really amazing time on Wednesday night, the EODM are such a fun entertaining band, it hit home pretty hard knowing those people were having just as much fun when those evil scumbags turned it into a nightmare.
Hoping the band can get over such a traumatic experience as they are such a brilliant live act but it would be entirely understandable if they can't as they have a real 'connection' with their fans.

alot of people are talking about this band called Wolf Alice but I have never heard any of the music.And when I did it was nothing new or original it was a very dull version of,what bands in Boston like Throwing Muses and Belly and Letter to cleo was doing but not as good or clever..If anything it was just like water down version of what they did back in the 90's when no one cared about them sadly.If there was a real last rock revelation it was in the late 80,s early and mide 90's the whole alternative scene.But most people say there was The White Stripes but I think that when rock stopped being cool.

I just like to say my thought and sympathy goes out too the people who attended the show in Paris.

The most famous band on the planet this week. Hope they are back performing soon.

Little mix?