The rock stars of yester-year are fading away.

And there's nobody to replace them.

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My perspective on the aging rock stars of decades passed, and how several generations of aging musicians are disappearing, fading away into the distant memories of our youth.

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I'm turning 60 years old this May. That means that I have been witness to some of the greatest music ever created in my lifetime. So much of the music I grew up with and the musicians who cataloged and recorded many generations of unforgettable music, are dying or have died at what seems to be, an alarming rate.

Who could possibly replace Neil Peart in Rush? I'm sure there are hundreds of drummers out there who can play just as good as Peart, and perhaps help continue the legacy of Rush. Unfortunately, that would be sacrilegious to all Rush fans. Nobody should ever replace Peart, under any circumstance. Why is that? For the same reasons, Van Halen is not Van Halen without Eddie. Yes, there are millions of would-be Eddie guitarists out there, who can play exactly like Eddie. But, it isn't about that. It is about the legend.

I grew up listening to the Eagles. They were instrumental in my growth as an acoustic guitarist. I was lucky enough to see them perform in concert in 1994, during the "Hell freezes over" tour. Since then, I have purchased a couple of their DVD concerts and the last remaining albums I needed to complete my collection. Then, Glenn Frey died. As far as I was concerned, the Eagles, as I knew them, were done. It didn't matter that Glenn's son stepped in and tried to replace his father. It didn't matter that they even brought in Vince Gill to help cover the vocals. Glenn died and so did the band, the Eagles.

Rush, Van Halen and the Eagles music hasn't died. In fact, that music will live on for many, many more decades to come, long after all of the members of those legendary bands are gone.

I would really have to sit here and think about how many famous musicians have died in the past few decades. Then, I think about how much of their music went to the grave with each of them. Dan Fogelberg was one of my heroes. He died way before he was supposed to. I can only imagine the music he took with him. What if Glenn Frey was still alive? Would the Eagles still sound like the Eagles? Maybe.

It's so strange to think about all of those famous musicians from the 1960's, 70's, 80's, and how they are all now in their late 60's into their 70's now. They are well aware of their own mortality. I guess they are also well aware of the legacies they will be leaving behind. The unfortunate reality is that the millions of fans of these musician heroes are ageing too. I'm one of them. How many more aging rock stars will pass this year? 

The thing is...there doesn't seem to be any "real" replacements for these aging rock legends. Who are the new Eddie Van Halen's out there? Where are they? Why aren't they plastered all over the radio like Eddie used to be? Where are the bands that play music like Rush or the Eagles? Where are the rock bands?

Where are the new Joni Mitchell's and the new Carly Simon's and the new Carole King's and the new Rickie Lee Jones's? Where are the Peter Frampton's? Where are the Rock guitar gawds? Where are the rock drummers?

You know what? They do exist. They are out there. The music is still out there. That part hasn't really changed all that much. Good music lasts and bad music fades away.

Every decade had its music. The 1960's were defined by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Mama's and the Papa's, The Beach Boys and many more. The 1970's was arguably the best overall decade in all of music. Legendary rock guitar gawds became the norm. The "singer/songwriter" era defined the 1970's soft rock-pop music. Then disco came along and changed the way people danced. The 1980's ushered in the punk, new wave era with washing keyboards and electronic drums. The 1980's also saw the rise of the glam-rock star and ultra fast guitarists. Heavy metal and hard rock painted the radio airwaves. The 1990's were immediately defined by a new form of rock called "grunge", by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. 

Then the 2000's came and everything stopped. Why?

Okay so this is where I think the turning point of all music took place. In my opinion, there were two distinct reasons why the music industry came to a grinding halt.

The first reason was the day that changed the world. I remember thinking after the events of September 11, 2001, that maybe, just maybe, the musicians of the world would come together and create monumental new music to redefine the soundtrack for the next generation. I guess that having heard most of the music that had been created in the 1960's from catalysts like the Vietnam war, race riots, political unrest, etc...gave me the idealistic conclusion that maybe such a cataclysmic event like 9/11 would surely spark the creation of a new generation of memorable music.

I was way wrong. Nothing happened.

There were no songs about war. There were no songs about the overreaching government or the insanity of politicians and arbitrary new laws to abolish our freedoms and liberties in the name of the illusions of security. There were no songs written about protest or civil rights. What should have been an obvious reason to write and record decade-defining music based on the lies and atrocities of 9/11, simply never happened.

The second reason was the earlier advent of the home computer and eventual file-sharing software programs; and the inevitable invention of the smart phone and online streaming.

In the middle 1990's, everyone was getting home computers and getting online. Then newer computers were being made that replaced the 3½ floppy disc with the CD-ROM drive. This CD drive was also redesigned to allow anyone to "rip" their CD collection onto their home computer, via Windows XP Media Player. I was one of those people. I dumped my entire CD collection onto my computer and backed up each of those CD's to a new format called the "mp3".

Napster had come along and allowed all the millions of other people who had done the same exact thing with their collections, to also share their collections online completely for free. This began the elimination of large percentage royalties for artists or record labels, as music was being stolen and shared without any means of purchase.

This was the pivotal change for music. Prior to the internet, consumers purchased music at stores. They purchased the music they liked because of what they had heard on the radio, saw on TV or at a concert. This purchase was a means for consumer voting for good music. Every dollar spent was a vote towards the success of an artist. If the music was unappealing, the artist wouldn't get the votes of success from the consumer. This was how the system in the music industry had worked for decades.

File-sharing online eliminated this dynamic, which led to music declining in quality and in value to the consumer. The means to vote for good music had been eliminated. Napster eventually lost their battle in court and had to dismantle their software program. Unfortunately, it was far too late and the damage had already been done.

Even though "iTunes" had already been available before 9/11, it didn't really take off until a few years later. "iTunes" ultimately, all but completely failed against rising competition like Spotify and other online streaming music services. The advent of the digital age had taken over the music industry.

There simply was no way to go back to the way things used to be. With the demise of the music industry, record labels, music stores and the rise of online services like Amazon, the old ways of purchasing and listening to music had been redefined with online access.

In the past twenty-plus years, computers and cell phones have advanced and progressed in technology at a blistering pace. The aging rock star has tried to keep up with this pace, only to be left with only two alternatives to make money: Concerts and merchandising. When was the last time you could afford to go to a concert and not end up paying a few hundred dollars for a ticket and a t-shirt? The prices for concerts have since skyrocketed.

The artist wants to get paid the same kind of money he/she made thirty years ago. Unfortunately, the only thing the artist can provide for a show is the marketing hype and songs being dropped down to lower keys.

The Eagles did this, which was very disappointing to hear. I don't want to hear "Hotel California" in a key a step and half down from the original. I get that Don Henley can no longer sing those high notes, but why sacrifice the integrity of a classic rock song, just to make some more money?

What choice did these aging rock stars have? Any lasting big residual checks from record sales, disappeared twenty years ago. Why put in the effort to create new songs if someone else is going to steal them anyway?

I really have no desire whatsoever to see dinosaur rock stars in their mid 70's, struggling to put a show that reflects very little of the value from from a show decades ago. The only people paying hundreds of dollars to go to these shows are the tone-deaf, wealthy posers who are merely attending for bragging rights. To me, it's nothing more than a sellout.

As far as new bands and artists, they are out there. There are some amazing musicians to be heard. Unfortunately, there's no way for the masses to hear them unless it's through social media or streaming services. The music industry was changed forever, because so many of the parts of that machine broke and never got fixed. They were too late to the proverbial game. They saw the future of technology coming a mile away, but did little to adapt to it. The little that was done to try to salvage a profit, was simply not enough to catch up.

As a result, a new generation of musicians, no longer have A&R (artists and repertoire) people or deep-pocket marketing to manage and hone the skills needed for the band or artist to have a successful and meaningful career in the music industry. It seems that the artist has long since been replaced by the producer. A performer need only look good. Never mind the musical skills or talent. "We can fix it in the mix." You can thank "Auto-tune" for that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about digital recording and the amazing software that has been developing for the past few decades. Auto-tune is a great recording tool. Unfortunately, it has long since become the crutch used for today's cookie-cutter garbage music.

I think that many of the reasons I have covered, are part of why music in the past twenty years has lost its momentum and value. There are no lasting bands or artists. They're nothing more than blips on the radar. Here today, gone tomorrow. New music today simply does not define the times or have much “test of time” value. The aging rock stars knew how to create songs that would last for decades. That is why the younger generations are much more interested in music that was recorded decades before they were born.

When all of the rock stars are gone, who will replace them? Will anyone even care?