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What images come to mind when you picture rock music? Loud drums? Flamboyant frontmen? Or the noise of the chanting crowd, the techies controlling the lights and sound, the roadie switching out guitars, the fangirl wearing every piece of merch she owns?

Music is not only something we consume but something we actively participate in. According to musicologist Christopher Small, most people play a role in music, and he refers to this as musicking.

Musicking is “To music is to take part, in any capacity, in a musical performance, whether by performing, by listening, by rehearsing or practising, by providing material for performance (what is called composing), or by dancing.”
— Christopher Small, Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening (1998)

Rock music is not just a sound, but is an entire living ecosystem intertwined by people, places, and practices.

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A brief overview of how rock music developed, showing us that music is something that connects us far beyond the musician. We form identities, create relationships, share emotions, beliefs, and styles. A community of music lovers is constantly evolving along with the music they listen to, exemplifying Smalls' (1998) ideology that we don't just listen but participate.

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Rock emerged in the 1950s as an escape for teenagers from their parents and their classical music. It was a fusion of rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music. It soon surpassed being just a genre of music and became its own culture and way of living, shaped by its audience (Funk, 2016).

Musicians:

Elvis Presley

Little Richard

Chuck Berry

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The 1960s saw the rise of the peace & love movement, as well as anti-war youths. Hippies were the new followers of rock music and intertwined both music and activism, sharing their values through music (Xu, 2023).

Musicians:

The Beatles

Jimi Hendrix

Janis Joplin

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Yet another cultural revolution in rock emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s with the advent of punk rock. This saw the working-class youths of the time find their niche and character, with eclectic fashion and a 'DIY' ethos (O'Hara, 1999).

Musicians:

The Clash

Ramones

Sex Pistols

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Sub-genres of rock, like hard rock and glam rock, came into popularity in the 1970s. Hard rock was a response to the peace & love movement of the 1960s and instead embraced loudness and aggression. Hard rock had a tight-knit fan base where concerts became one sound and body of music and community (Weinstein, 1991).

Musicians:

Queen

Led Zeppelin

Pink Floyd

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The disaffected youth of the 1990s created grunge and alternative rock, with their need for authenticity and raw emotion. The audience of grunge music very much embraced the 'loser' identity and valued legitimacy over the vanity of other communities; there was a sense of a collective vulnerability that brought people closer together (Strong, 2011).

Musicians:

Nirvana

Pearl Jam

Green Day

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With digital and virtual streaming services beginning to flourish, music has a faster, wider outreach to people. The 2000s indie rock genre saw the hipster style emerge, with skinny jeans and polo shirts being rocked at concerts. There was a pride in discovering artists and being able to boast you had followed them through their career, fans would burn CDs and make blogs about their favourite artists (Bull, 2007).

Musicians:

Arctic Monkeys

Foo Fighters

The White Stripes

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Liverpool fans on the Kop sing ‘She Loves You’ by The Beatles in 1964.

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1950s Rock n Roll Cafe, Music, Coffee, UK, Teenagers

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Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box (Live And Loud, Seattle / 1993)

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Arctic Monkeys live at T in the Park 2007

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As Small (1998) suggests, music is not just something created by the musician but an event that has many interweaving parts and people who contribute to the music and how it is consumed.

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🎵 Music Creation Phase

┌──────────────────────

│         Songwriting & Composition

│  → Artists / Bands

│  → Songwriters

│  → Lyricists

└──────────────────────

↓

┌──────────────────────

│            Recording & Production

│  → Producers

│  → Recording Engineers

│  → Session Musicians

│  → Mixing & Mastering Engineers

└──────────────────────

↓

┌──────────────────────

│           Distribution & Promotion

│  → Record Labels / Indie Labels

│  → Marketing Teams

│  → Social Media Managers

│  → Publicists

│  → Music Video Directors

└──────────────────────

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🎤 Live Performance Phase

↓

┌───────────────────────

│         Tour & Concert Planning

│  → Booking Agents

│  → Tour Managers

│  → Promoters

│  → Venue Coordinators

│  → Tour Accountants

└───────────────────────

↓

┌───────────────────────

│         Venue Preparation & Setup

│  → Stage Designers

│  → Lighting Designers

│  → Audio Engineers

│  → Load-in / Load-out Crew

│  → Roadies / Instrument Techs

│  → Rigging & Safety Crew

└───────────────────────

↓

┌───────────────────────

│            The Live Concert

│  → Performers / Band

│  → Front-of-House Sound Engineers

│  → Monitor Engineers

│  → Lighting Operators

│  → Stagehands

│  → Security Staff

│  → Bar & Concessions Staff

│  → Merchandise Sellers

│  → Crowd / Audience

└───────────────────────

↓

┌───────────────────────

│         Post-Show & Breakdown

│  → Load-out Crew

│  → Equipment Transport Team

│  → Clean-up Crew

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Metallica’s M72 Stage setup and breakdown in 42 Seconds! 💥 #metallica #metontour #m72

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Through the ideology of musicking, Small (1998) suggests that these workers are not just support staff but are helping to co-create the entire musical experience. Someone who helps to control the sound level of a performance is also living out that event and feeling every beat. Crew members spend so much time together that they often create their own Microsystems with a shared work ethic, pride for their work, jargon that they use to talk to one another, and rituals they perform every night (Behr, A., Brennan, M., & Cloonan, M, 2014).

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The rock genre is an excellent example of not just how people listen to music but also embody the style in their attitude, ethics, and fashion sense. Being apart of a rock fandom isn't just about music but represents who you are (Bennett, 2000).

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Rock music has always had a special connection to the youth of its time; it is a pathway for rebellion and an outlet for expression, but more generally, rock music appeals to people with marginalised voices who feel rock music speaks for them. Being in a rock fandom creates a sense of community and belonging to people who feel particularly lost in the crowd, it gives them an identity (Bennett, 2000).

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Every subculture of rock has its own identity

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Every subculture of rock has its own identity

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Punk music; DIY aesthetic and rejection of mainstream norms, anarchism (Hebdige, 1979)

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Grunge music; edgy, comfort-oriented, unpolished look, authenticity

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1960s rock (Hippies); natural fabrics, individuality, vibrancy, heavily accessorised

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Rock 'n' roll; rebellious, leather jackets, blue jeans, gelled hair (male)

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Visual culture refers to how rock music communicates through images, symbols, artwork, fashion, and physical presence. Visuals are an important part of how people consume and participate in musicking, as according to Small (1998), every image, outfit, stage design, and album cover is a gesture in the musical conversation.

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Rock stars often create personas for fans to identify with or even to emulate. Their style and presence become as iconic as their music (Auslander, 2006).

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David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust (Sukita, 1973)

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Freddie Mercury with moustache and his iconic yellow leather jacket (FG/Bauer-Griffin/Getty, 2019).

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The visual storytelling of the music people listen to a participate in, gives an aesthetic and informs identity.

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Cover (Pink Floyd Music Ltd, 1973) for Pink Floyd's progressive rock album 'The Dark Side of the Moon'. This artwork became synonymous with the band and is its unofficial visual trademark (Chiu, 2023).

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The iconic lips logo of The Rolling Stones (Pasche, 1970).

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Music Videos created in-depth and visual aesthetics that people could watch together and better understand the identity of the artist/band, therefore making the audience feel closer to them and better understanding them (Goodwin, 1992).

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Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody (Official Video Remastered)

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There are many things fans can do/make to feel included in the community of their music, like making their own posters or merchandise, and in the digital age people often create edits or fan art of their favourite musicians and share it on social media. These aspects of fan made visuals help to co-create a musicians image.

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The Beatles were a Liverpudlian Rock band and were active between the years of 1960 to 1970. In this short space of a decade The Beatles arguably transformed and pioneered certain aspects of the Rock genre. The band consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitarist), Paul McCartney (bass guitarist), George Harrison (lead guitarist), and Ringo Starr (drummer).

The band took their inspirations from Rock 'n' Roll artists such as Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles, and were also heavily influenced by skiffle and blues music.

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Why Were The Beatles So Important to People and Popular Culture?

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Why Were The Beatles So Important to People and Popular Culture?

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All members of The Beatles were born during World War 2 (born 1940-1943). Life in the 1940's was depressive and bleak for most, with rationing and poor living conditions as bombs were being dropped on homes and family members were sent off to fight and often not returning. Living was difficult and had no space for luxury or entertainment. The 1950's was spent recovering from the mass economical and social consequences of war.

The 1960's brought optimism and a readiness for change. Goods were cheap and wages were high which meant less time working a job or doing chores are more free time for activities and entertainment. There was a demand for movies, fashion, art, sport, and music.

The Beatles in the 1960's represented the change that society had been begging for. Their free spirit and easy going personalities matched with their uplifting music gave the people of the world the opportunity to let their hair down. The break from the post war world and the beginning of a new, fresh era. The children of the Second World War were now young adults and ready to have fun (Hecl, 2006).

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After amassing a decent following and certain level of popularity in the UK, The Beatles were sent to the United States to perform on the popular television show 'The Ed Sullivan Show'. In the US, President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in November of 1963. The entire country was mourning the death of their young, vibrant leader who showed a way for change.

The Beatles would be broadcast to the entire country for the first time just a short few months later in February of 1964. This singular performance would skyrocket them in the USA as national sensations. Their cool, youthful aura and authentic charisma and charm reminded the country of their late president, they appeared to represent that same change.

The people of America took so strongly to The Beatles that the spring and summer of 1964 seemed to be bursting at the seems with this new so called 'Beatlemania'. The Beatle style, unique sounds and overall audacity seemed to speak to the impatient youth that were eager to move forward from post war and Kennedy's assassination (Leonard, 2016).

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Beatlemania had swept across the UK and US and, soon enough, the world. People of all ages, genders, and backgrounds had taken an immense liking to The 4 scruffy boys from Liverpool. But liking The Beatles more so than any other group of people, was the teenage girl.

Teenagers of the 1950's and 60's were much more powerful than generations of youths that came before them; they had optimism, determination, and most importantly more money. This generations teenagers had good paying weekend/part-time jobs which means they had their own power to buy into music, separate from their parents who often favoured classical or jazz music. Teenagers of the 60's were buying transistor radios and hanging out with their friends and investing huge amounts of money into the music they liked to listen to, especially rock.

Rock music was seen to be the teenagers way of rebelling against their parents rules and ways of living and the surge of The Beatles only empowered that further. The connection was felt especially within teenage girls.

The Beatles in the early 60's were known for their sharp suits, mop top hair (that they loved to shake), and their soft boyish looks. These features sent teenage girls into a sexual frenzy. At every concert female Beatle fans can be seen screaming, crying, clawing at their faces in disbelief and overwhelming desire, and are also often seen fainting or taking unwell due to seeing their precious boys in the flesh. Girls united in this love and formed strong fan bases which kept The Beatles skyrocketing in fame (Sweeney, 1993).

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American Girls Screaming for The Beatles

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“You can have all the talent in the world, but if the mic cuts out or the monitors fail, no one hears it.”
— Monique Rodriguez, live sound enginee

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“A front-of-house engineer paints the concert in real time. You don’t see them, but you feel their work in every second.”
— Dave Rat, touring sound engineer for Red Hot Chili Peppers

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