What Will Happen to Classic Rock Once All the Icons Are Done?

Time is undefeated – it’s a cliche saying, but it’s true.

Though rock has always carried an air of immortality with it, musicians are fragile humans just like the rest of us. At some point, the Rolling Stones will stop touring, Stevie Nicks will retire, the world will no longer have any Beatles left in it. That sobering reality is something artists and fans alike are now forced to face.

Historically speaking, we’ve never seen a generational change quite like the one ahead. Sure, music itself has existed for centuries, but music as a commodity didn’t really appear until after World War II. In 1948 the first 12-inch vinyl LPs were commercially released. The ‘50s saw a boom that is now commonly regarded as the birth of rock n’ roll, but when people talk about classic rock they’re generally referring to a period that began in the ‘60s and ended in the ‘80s.

This three-decade run birthed some of the greatest artists to ever grace a stage, ranging from the Beatles and the Stones, to Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Guns N’ Roses and many more. What happens to their incredible legacies after these icons retire or, sadly, die?

Are Avatars the Future of Concerts?

Famously, Kiss made waves in December 2023 when, following their final traditional concert, the band revealed virtual avatars that will take them into the future. Though details are still under wraps, the plan is to use new technology to create an interactive, virtual concert that pushes the boundaries of reality.

“Everything evolves,” Gene Simmons explained of the project in 2024. “We didn’t always stand up on two legs. A few million years ago, we were on four legs. Everything evolves, and you either evolve or you become obsolete or you die. So technology is here. A.I. is here. Virtual reality is here. Everything is here. And we don’t wanna be yesterday’s news. So even the end of something can be the beginning of something.”

READ MORE: Here’s When the Kiss Avatars Will Debut

Given their history of trailblazing commercialism, it makes sense that Kiss is the band leading the avatar charge. Still, their venture comes with risk. Though the ABBA Voyage, a virtual concert experience which presents the beloved Swedish pop group in their prime, has been a rousing success in London, a 2019 tour featuring a hologram of Ronnie James Dio was met with disappointment by the metal legend’s fans. Generally, the concert-going public seems skeptical of virtual events – at least, thus far.

How Concert Streaming Is Helping Artists Stay Eternal

Kiss isn’t the only classic act to retire from the road in recent years. Elton John, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and Kenny Loggins are among the rockers who’ve stepped away from touring, though most have kept the door slightly ajar for occasional performances. As legendary acts play fewer and fewer shows, fans have turned to streaming concert platforms as an alternative.

Brad Sterling is the founder and CEO of Nugs.net, an industry-leading service for streaming live and archival concert recordings. Their long list of musical partners includes Bruce Springsteen, who has been delivering content via Nugs for close to a decade.

“[Springsteen] came to us at one point and said, ‘We want to put out everything in the archives,’” Sterling recalls during a conversation with UCR. “And really, they wanted to put out everything.”

Listen to an Archival Performance of Bruce Springsteen From 1984

Sterling and his team created a once-a-month plan for the sprawling archives, helping deliver the Boss’ glory days to a new generation of viewers.

“We’re transferring them at the highest quality that technology will allow. And we’re doing speed correction and cleanup of the tape and then mixing those multitracks from as far back as 50 years ago.”

At the same time, Nugs has streamed Springsteen’s current tour, offering a unique balance – one foot firmly in the present, with another connected to the past. The CEO sees a similar dynamic when fans of modern acts – such as psychedelic rockers Goose or Americana singer-songwriter Billy Strings – discover classic artists via his platform.

“There’s a two way discovery of younger fans discovering these classic rock catalogs that are really perennials,” he explains. ”These songs, they’re going to live on well beyond the touring artists. [Bob] Dylan, thankfully, is still touring. But in a couple of years, who knows? Same with the Rolling Stones. We’ve got these 10 or 12 incredible full concert videos of the Stones in ’75. We have the Hyde Park show from ’69. It’s just like these unbelievable performances that a younger kid coming to watch Billy Strings or Goose live could then go and watch the Stones from Hyde Park in ’69. And I’m sure they know who the Rolling Stones are, but maybe they never actually took the time to sit down and watch the concert and discover the catalog.”

‘Selling Out’ Is No Longer a Concern

The evolution of classic rock has turned bands to brands, with many artists capitalizing on their intellectual property. Just about any product you can think of is available as a Beatles collectible. Your local department store likely stocks t-shirts featuring the logos of Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, the Doors and more. “Selling out” is no longer a concern – it’s the norm.

Rock star capitalism extends to artists’ material as well. In recent years, catalog sales have proven to be big business, with Pink Floyd, Springsteen, Dylan and Queen among the acts pulling in nine-figure sums for their work. The tradeoff, of course, is that the purchasing cooperation takes control of the songs, a scenario that would have been shocking in the anti-establishment counterculture days.

READ MORE: 40 Rockers Who’ve Sold Their Publishing Rights

“I’m not in the publishing business; I’m in the song-management business,” Merck Mercuriadis, founder Hipgnosis Songs Fund, one of the most active group’s purchasing catalogs in recent years, explained to Rolling Stone. “There’s a paradigm that I’m a catalyst for changing, paradigms that have existed for decades and people think are OK and normal. … The three big recorded-music companies use their leverage of owning the song companies to ensure those companies don’t advocate for songwriters, and they push the economic improvement we’ve seen with streaming so they, not the artist, get the lion’s share of the money at the songwriter’s expense. If nothing else, we’re a catalyst for changing that.”

While the trend has offered financial security for artists and their heirs, it also means new, younger fans will likely discover classic acts via movies, TV or advertisements. Few could have predicted that commercialism would end up keeping classic rock alive, still there’s one other trend helping acts endure.

Classic Rock Bands Touring Without Original Members

If recent history has proven anything, it’s that a band’s allure far exceeds that of its members. If Queen can rock stadiums without Freddie Mercury and the Grateful Dead can evolve to Dead and Company, there’s no reason fellow iconic acts can’t follow suit. Some notable groups – such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blood, Sweat & Tears – have even continued to enjoy successful touring without any original members. It’s a topic that has divided fans and rockers alike.

“If it’s not Steve Perry, it’s not Journey!” TV host Andy Cohen famously declared on New Year’s Eve 2022, clearly siding with the band’s long-departed singer. “It’s propaganda! Not Journey!”

READ MORE: Bands With No Original Members

Similarly, Lou Gramm has previously criticized his former band, Foreigner. “I don’t understand how they can be touring with no original members and still calling themselves Foreigner and going on for years like that,” the singer remarked in 2023. “I guess it’s not my business, and maybe it is a business decision for them, but it just doesn’t feel right to me.” (It should be noted that Gramm has since joined forces with Foreigner on several occasions.)

Still, Queens of the Stone Age singer Josh Homme offered a different perspective. “Even though Lynyrd Skynyrd are a cover band today, people still want to hear these songs,” the frontman pontificated in 2023. “And what should I have against that?”

So Where Does Classic Rock Go From Here?

While no one can perfectly predict what the future will bring, classic rock fans can take solace in knowing the genre will endure somehow. Whether via avatars, streaming, new lineups or some other avenue, artists and their work will continue reaching new fans long after they’ve stepped offstage for good.

As technology continues evolving, new options will also become available to classic rock fans. During our conversation, Sterling revealed that Nugs is working on an integration that would enable the lights in a viewer’s home to brighten, dim and change based on the concert they were watching – making the at-home experience feel more like the real thing. The CEO also nodded to virtual reality as a growing platform for concerts.

“There’s a lot of buzz around Apple Vision and all that,” Sterling admitted. “Ultimately, I’m sure it will end up in some kind of headset, whether it’s Apple Vision or not. But, something that’s incredibly high resolution, like 16K in the Sphere, that kind of thing. But, on your head or in your room.”