A Requiem & Resurrection for Rock Radio & Magazines

Rock n’ roll used to stand for a spirit of rebellion. You could trace the line back to gleefully subversive piano-driven tunes by the likes of Little Richard in the 1950s, progressing to ’70s anthems like The Who’s “My Generation,” on through ’80s punk and metal calls-to-arms, and then into ’90s alternative territory that smelled a lot like teen spirit. Fast-forward to today and, while rock isn’t dead, it’s certainly on life support — at least, as far as mainstream music is concerned.

Although there are a number of rabble-rousers still kicking around the airwaves today, it’s harder to find new music that reflects a degree of angst or a rejection of the status quo. We’re smack dab in an era of rampant unemployment, dim prospects, and tech bros and trying to impose “The Singularity” at an alarming pace. Although it’s said that “art imitates life,” there’s not a whole lot of new music that reflects those frustrations.

Much like Pantone’s uninspiring 2026 Color of the Year, most modern music is the sonic equivalent of Thorazine. And with rock publications and taste-making radio disc jockeys disappearing like saber-tooth tigers during the Ice Age, it’s a tall task to find something soul-stirring instead of a soundtrack to wallow to.

I’m a big proponent of feeling the lowest low of an emotional nadir. When you scrape the bottom, you can only go up. It’s healthy to feel every emotion, even on the days when you feel like a shambling wreck. But there’s precious little new listening fare to help you climb out of that hole — even if it’s purely to survive out of spite.

The Corporate Enshitification of Radio and Music Journalism Intensifies

On August 5th, 2026, news broke that four music journalism outlets — Revolver, Brooklyn Vegan, Goldmine, and Alternative Press — saw their writing ranks gutted by a brutal round of layoffs. Parent company Veeps (owned in-part by Joel and Benji Madden, the siblings responsible for the insipid sounds of Good Charlotte) axed a good chunk of employees.

While these magazines had their fair share of big label advertisement, they were home to individual writers with a mission to share fresh music with the masses. Sure, most mainstream music magazines have to tow a corporate line. There’s often a hesitancy to say, “Hey! That new release from such-and-such band sucks Free Clinic dick, but we can’t print that because their label purchased a full-page ad this month.” Yet, there was still room for stalwart scribes to get bands they loved on the collective pop culture radar. Now, with many of those writers displaced from reputable publications, you can expect even fewer lesser-known bands to get coverage unless they bear the stamp of a near-monopoly’s approval.

It’s cold comfort, but in the spirit of supporting their fellow journalists, Vice recruited some of the writers who were recently axed by the Madden brothers and Veeps to give their fully unshackled reviews of Good Charlotte albums. Fittingly, the article was brimming with brutally honest assessments of the band’s pop-punk pablum.

I have to commend former Revolver writer Mort Cranberry for not reaching for the low-hanging fruit in his Vice review. He could have easily referred to Good Charlotte’s latest album, Motel Du Cap, as Motel Du Crap, but instead showed serious restraint by refraining. Even though it’s not exactly punching down, I know I would have pounced on that without a second thought. As an added bonus, I’d have also thrown in a dig about how I used to change the lyrics to Good Charlotte’s “I Don’t Wanna Be In Love” to “I Don’t Wanna Have a Lisp” every time that damn song turned up on the radio in the mid-aughts. But good for you for taking the high road, Mort Cranberry! You’re far more professional than I, and I hope you land a new gig that you love and pays you your worth!

But, I digress. If you thought good music mags were slim pickings before, it’s a sobering thought that a media monopoly can take out four respected publications and their staff in one, fell swoop. It’s worth noting that Veeps is part of the Live Nation conglomerate, which also includes Ticketmaster — the same bastards you can thank for price gouging on nationwide concert tours. This style of ruthless consolidation is par for the course for Live Nation, a spin-off of Clear Channel. As chronicled in Alec Foege’s 2009 book, Right of the Dial: The Rise of Clear Channel and the Fall of Commercial Radio, the company has a history of absorbing smaller entities and narrowing the scope of what’s available for public consumption. It all started with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which paved a path for radio stations to shift from bastions of local flavor to a soulless corporate pâté,

Speaking of radio, on August 1, 2026, Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation made the decision to remove all human DJs from Los Angeles radio station KCAL. Much like the staff of the Veeps-owned publications, KCAL employees received no formal notice of the station’s move to an all-music, no DJ format.

Just a few weeks earlier, iHeartMedia also took an axe to its on-air personalities nationwide on June 26, 2026 in what was called “the worst layoff round in radio history.” According to Entertainment Now, the outlet reported that longtime radio personalities were jettisoned in favor of new technical capabilities that iHeartMedia had built in recent years, “that will allow the company to cut its on-air workforce in many markets, claiming that the new strategy will ‘deepen our relationships with the listeners and communities.'”

You Can’t Always Trust the Algorithm

So, riddle me this, Batman: When you remove the human heart in favor of corporate-selected playlists and commercial music “journalism,” how is that supposed to “deepen” a relationship with listeners? It might more deeply embed a carefully calibrated corporate agenda to influence taste and pimp out artists approved by out-of-touch, Patagonia vest-wearing execs to the masses. However, dictating a relationship with an audience is far different than deepening that relationship.

Once upon a time, disc jockeys, writers, and editors earned the trust of fans. That trust was rewarded with an introduction to new songs and artists. That trust then became the connective tissue that helped listeners trace the musical roots of a “family tree” and expand their own listening tastes to well-known bands from the past and up-and-coming bands they might not have otherwise heard of. They gave music fans a reason to get excited about artists.

By contrast, today’s DJs are often shackled by the broadcasting companies that govern what songs they can play on air. Sometimes, you can sneak in a surprise, but the days of a radio personality introducing listeners to something new that they’ve fallen in love with and want to share are long gone. Now, in 2026, most people rely on algorithms to direct them to new music that jives with their tastes. But again, the algorithm often confines you to a particular genre, with very little room to break out of that box and take a chance on something new.

I like Spotifty, but its algorithm has gotten lazy. I love hair metal but the “Daylists” the streaming service offers up has neglected some of the other genres I enjoy. Contrary to Spotify’s assumption that I want a steady pulse of Motley Crue and Def Lepard, I’d also like a generous helping of Ghost, Volbeat, Massive Wagons, and many other “newer” hard rock bands in my rotation. Yet, every Daylist was littered with nothing but the ’80s end of the classic rock spectrum, including far too much Iron Maiden for my liking. Look, I like Maiden, but have never listened to them to the degree that would necessitate at least three Iron Maiden songs in a single Daylist.

And while I love Judas Priest, I don’t need “Electric Eye” thrown into every recommended Daylist for weeks on end. It’s not even in my Top 20 Priest songs, ferchrissakes! That said, that same algorithm didn’t make the connection to throw in any other Rob Halford solo material like Fight or Halford. At the bare minimum, I’d expect it to help me connect the dots to find related projects from artists I listen to.

To give credit where it’s due, Spotify does a nice job of creating Daily Mixes that group songs from bands in your favorite genres. I also like their “pre-save” feature that heralds the arrival of a new release with the option to check it out once it lands. However, in most cases, you have to “Follow” an artist on the streamer in order to get that notification.

On the flipside, Spotify sometimes bursts in with a “New For You” notification of an artist I’d never heard of. I’m usually game to try something different, but many of those recommendations weren’t anything to write home about. It felt more like a paid advertisement that was shoehorned in, using me as a guinea pig.

I wondered how many other Spotify listeners were targeted with way-off-base “New For You” recommendations that upped the stream count for a particular artist. Bands don’t make a ton of money off Spotify streams, but each one adds up and it also boosts awareness in lieu of word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s a mystery as to how some of these random bands well outside my listening profile wind up in that “New For You” rotation. It’s not quite Payola, but feels like a close cousin.

So, What Do Ya Do?

Fifteen years ago, I wrote a piece lamenting the demise of rock n’ roll radio. While I still stand by everything I wrote back then, I take back that Metallica’s best days are behind them and that the internet was the key to helping new music reach potential fans. If anything, the internet and AI-powered search has made it harder find something that bucks a trend or veers away from the all-powerful algorithm. Despite what we’re told about these technologies, they offer more of a flat amalgamation instead of authentic personalization.

That said, as much as I enjoy a good bitch fest, I prefer finding a remedy to a problem instead of just complaining about it. So, how can music fans expand their listening horizons beyond what’s served up to them by an algorithm or corporate conglomerate-owned rag?

Support Local Bands — or Your Friends’ Bands

Even the smallest town has people who love to make music. Go check out your friend’s shitty garage band. Over time, you can watch them grow as songwriters — or not! Maybe they’re just having fun banging on their instruments! What does grow, however, is a supportive community. Making music and memories with people in a backyard can be a reprieve from everyday frustrations and a source of inspiration. Local bands often need local artists to create album covers or merch. They also need local writers, ‘zine makers, and independent publicists to help them get the word out. This is how creative people help each other make their dreams a reality. (Go watch The Muppet Movie for a great example of how a bunch of lovable misfits come together to build something awesome and make friends along the way!)

Support Print Music Journalism

When you’re stuck for inspiration, thumb through the pages of a good music magazine while you’re on the crapper. Mainstream rock press is dying a slow death, but there are still several independently-owned mags flying the flag. Decibel (based out of Philly!), New Noise, Razorcake, and Creem (yes, a revival of the ’70s rock magazine that gave us Lester Bangs!) are just a few print publications that cover rock, punk, and metal. Picking up a print issue is a great way to get exposed to different bands. At a more grass roots level, you can also find band- or genre-specific ‘zines at your local bookstore or rummage around on Etsy to find something that someone made by hand.

Ditch the Algorithm

While you can always check out Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and even Instagram or (ugh) TikTok to find new music, there are other free options that offer an escape from the algorithm to hear something new. There are still some terrestrial radio stations with old school disc jockeys that have heart, soul, and an encyclopedic knowledge of music (such as Philly’s own Jacky Bam Bam on WMMR). If you have a local station that gives you what you’re looking for, tune in regularly. If not, dig around online and find a station in another market that plays the type of music you love. One of the nice things about the internet is that you can still listen to a radio station in a town you grew up in, without being in range of the frequency. Look for late night shows or college radio stations that can shake up the format a bit. Or, look to free internet radio “stations” like AKA Radio that have a rotating list of shows DJ’ed by hosts with a specific niche.

Get Music Recommendations From Friends or Record Shops

And finally — as an introvert, I know this one is hard — talk to people. Instead of asking AI or relying on Spotify to recommend something, heading to your local music store can be a great way to find like-minded souls and a new favorite song. If that’s a little too “people-y” for your tastes, Reddit is a surviving stronghold of individual opinion that can point you toward new music or give you a space to connect with fellow fans of a given band or genre. And if you’re still on the hunt, ask a friend what they’re listening to. Granted, you’re not going to love everything your pal or your favorite music store clerk suggests, but it gives you an opportunity to hear something that moves someone you already have something in common with.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

It feels almost intentional that options to discover new music are shrinking. There are fewer trusted voices to advocate for artists. I wouldn’t trust some KPI-obsessed dingus with the emotional intelligence of a cantaloupe and a closet full of quarter-zips to foist their musical tastes on the world when the only album they’d ever owned was a copy of Jock Jams.

If you’ve never sat in your room and cried to a song on repeat or wore down a cassette trying to master a riff on a beat-up guitar, you have no business driving what gets heard and what bands get press. It’s a bleak world when you don’t have something to listen to that complements an emotional wave you’re riding or don’t get the thrill of discovering something new that lands at precisely the right moment to turn things around.

Music is the lone pop culture element that bonds people through a common appreciation of something an artist created and performed themselves. It’s the soundtrack to people’s lives, standing as either as a source of catharsis, creation, or rallying cry. There’s a joy in hearing a song that means something to you, whether that involves stumbling across it yourself or a sibling giving you an album to check out.

Some of the stewards may have lost their platforms, but it’s all the more reason to plant and cultivate the seeds of sound in our own circles and seek out new (or old) ways to tap into something fresh. So, if there’s a song you love, share it with a friend. If you’re not inspired by anything currently out there, hang out at a record store or on Reddit and see what piques your interest. Or, if you can swing it, check out a music magazine in print and read about what might become your next favorite band.

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Photo credits

Header image: Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash