> Major as in there's not a lot of really big acts, ala say Kiss or Van Halen, then sure. Is that so surprising?
This is what I mean, popularity of rock is dead compared to what it is has been. There is no innovation in genre, nothing is captivating. There is no new and modern sound to rock. Those bands did something different. There isn't an audience anymore to support that kind of band and there is nothing worth supporting like that out there.
If your going through bandcamp looking for indie bands that play 40 person bars with an audience of 3k likes on facebook, your not the typical listener. You seem to be either really into the scene or sound. metal fans might think there's new metal bands are good, but most people of have heard metal, the small differences between bands arent enough to captivate a new large audience.
Like for me, I don't want to hear another band that sounds like blink182, or nirvana or pink floyd or disturbed or anything other style I listened to death already. Rock now doesn't provide anything fresh.
> its much easier for smaller acts to find an audience. This leads to more variety,
Idk if you can make that assumption, there might be more punk bands then ever before but if they all sound the same, who cares?
> I think there's a lot of great music
I think your thinking of something different then I am. I'm not saying everyone out there are talentless hacks. Like jazz or like I said in the other post disco, some of it is even enjoyable and might have a gem or two. There are lots of talented musicians, but they're not really evolving the genre.
People will always be making music but that doesnt mean the genre is thriving. Maybe bands needs to go underground for a bit for a new sound to emerge. Or the 4 person band with a guitar and drums is going to go the way of jazz bands and younger generations grow up listening to rap and electronic.