Five Bands That Prove Rock Is Not Dead [VIDEO]

Gene Simmons, ever the headline seeker, recently came out and said "rock is dead". I think his point was that downloading is killing the record industry so they don't put money into developing acts, so less bands have a shot at making it.  Well, a lot of that is true, but what Simmons is missing is that the business model has changed.

Bands now make their money off touring and merch.  It used to be a triple dip with recordings being the third part of the equation.  Simmons, who's has a logo containing dollar signs, probably doesn't recognize this.  True, it's more a survival of the fittest type situation now, but there is still room for a lot of great new bands to break out.

We certainly don't see as many radio singles come across our desk as we used to, but I think there is still some quality out there. Here's five bands you probably didn't hear about until this year.

Nothing More

Royal Blood

Pretty Reckless

You Me At Six

Starset

Now my list contains only what we call in the business "baby bands", which would be bands that just "broke through on the radio". Let's add to that bands who have poked their heads up in the last couple of years like Volbeat and Sixx A.M. Then you can sprinkle in people who are in the middle years of their careers like Seether, Godsmack, Korn and Linkin Park. Then there's the alternative stuff, both old and new from bands like Kongos and Weezer. Put it all together and I think you have a pretty robust music scene.

Some may even say that the bands I mentioned aren't that great, but that's what every generation says about the next generations music, so we can take that argument away immediately.

So Mr. Simmons, I realize you're now 65 years old and may not have the hearing you once did, but rock is alive and well (and we play it every day on FMX!)