In a new conversation with The Standard, Pete Townshend shared what he got right about rock music’s future.
“I feel completely comfortable with everything that’s happening in the music industry now, even when it’s unjust… because I predicted it,” the guitarist said while discussing streaming’s impact on the industry.
Townshend had previously predicted an early version of the internet. In a 1985 lecture, he said music would no longer be on records or CDs but would be sent through phone lines.
Last year, Pete told Broken Record Podcast’s Justin Richmond that he is optimistic about AI in the music industry and he doesn’t completely dismiss it. He said, “Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think it will help in all kinds of ways that will surprise us when they happen, just like the Internet has. And of course, the internet has a very, very dark side.”
The rocker thinks streaming services are dominated by a few artists rather than being a fair place for all musicians. “What’s actually been happening is that very, very few artists are starting to monopolize the majority of streaming, to the extent where the long tail, which was predicted when the internet started… [has] become so clogged up,” he explained.
Townshend added, “You go onto Spotify — Apple [Music] is the same — you go into an area, which nobody else is listening to. And you hear the most extraordinary stuff. You hear it on SoundCloud, Bandcamp you make discoveries, and you think, ‘Who the f*ck is this? They’re brilliant!’ They’re a genius, but they’ve got 12 followers.”
“It’s sort of tragic, what’s actually happened, because not that all of those people could ever have [have] been famous. We’re used to the star system being a place… where a ‘black swan’, that’s somebody that’s just extremely lucky to be in the right place at the right time [finds success],” Pete also shared.
There are different opinions on this issue from the music world. Earlier this year, Metallica’s manager Peter Mensch said he was worried about the future of rock music. He questioned if rock bands can still be important with streaming and playlists. He noted that few guitar-based bands reach big places like the O2.