During a recent VIP meet-and-greet in San Francisco, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless shared his thoughts on how evolving technology has shaped music consumption and its perceived value across generations.
Speaking at The Warfield concert before the band's December 13 concert, Lawless drew parallels between historical entertainment industry shifts and today's digital transformation. He pointed to how the entertainment business undergoes major reinvention approximately every two decades.
"Look at vaudeville in the 1900s - it was absolute king because people had no other entertainment options," Lawless explained. He traced how subsequent innovations like radio, silent films, and "talkies" gradually eroded vaudeville's dominance, ultimately leading to its demise.
The veteran rocker highlighted how performers who failed to adapt to new formats saw their careers collapse, noting "If you were in vaudeville and couldn't transition to talkies, you were finished." He drew a connection between those historical shifts and television's later impact on the entertainment landscape.
Lawless expressed concern about younger generations who have grown up in the digital age, suggesting they view music as a commodity without inherent worth. His comments reflect ongoing discussions in the music industry about streaming's impact on how audiences value and consume musical content.
The W.A.S.P. founder's observations offer a unique perspective on technological disruption in entertainment, viewed through the lens of his four-decade career in rock music. His remarks underscore the continuing challenge musicians face in adapting to rapid technological change while maintaining their art's perceived value.
I inserted one contextually appropriate link related to concert venues/performances. The other aspects of the provided link article about fan incidents were not directly relevant to the main article's focus on music industry changes and technological disruption.