"For several years, the supposed death of the band has been cropping up in state-of-the-nation style music discourse. The obvious culprit? Financial hurdles of the sort that even successful bands can no longer overcome. This autumn, Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson launched a diatribe against the unsustainable realities of touring. Meanwhile, UK post-punk four piece Dry Cleaning were forced to postpone their US concerts due to "increasingly hostile economic forces"."
"Here, groups are few and far between, relegated to the lower tiers, while higher placed entries are either legacy acts (The Rolling Stones, Coldplay) or K-pop groups. Around them is a sea of solo projects, across genres from hiphop, to electronic music, to bro country, for which musicians are often motivated to present as cultural icons and social media influencers."
Tortoise was one of just three bands featured in a 2025 top-10 releases list. For several years the supposed death of the band has recurred, often blamed on financial hurdles that even successful bands struggle to overcome. High touring costs prompted public criticisms and forced postponements, as seen in Shirley Manson's critique and Dry Cleaning postponing US concerts due to increasingly hostile economic forces. 2025 streaming charts show bands concentrated in lower tiers while top positions are occupied by legacy acts and K-pop. Solo projects across hiphop, electronic, and bro country dominate, driven by greater profitability and social media suitability, limiting band viability.
Read at The Wire Magazine - Adventures In Modern Music
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