enframed wrote:Also, the article above alludes (at least) to Taylor Swift being a solo act. She isn't. She has a band, pretty sure she always has. There's a HUGE difference between an MC/producer (Drake) and Taylor Swift. They don't seem to differentiate in the above article.
Finally, there's no shortage of bands playing live shows, in LA anyway.
NYC is full of bands, too.
What Carducci and Schwartz fixated on is that there are pretty much no
high-charting bands anymore compared to in the past. They actually spat out some numbers from the Hot 100, comparing decades against one another, and the decline in groups and duos was pretty drastic.
By their logic, even a quartet of dopes w/a management team and a Desmond Child writing their crappy hit still has to make compromises on tour or in the practice room. It's rarely just one ego and it's more of a team. You've still got multiple players creating a sort of friction, even if there's an obvious leader.
And according to those guys (can't back this up), one face, dramatically and steadily addressing a camera, will usually get more traction via TikTok and other algorithms. (Unless it's a group doing something very antic in near-unison, a la a K-pop dance routine.)
As for Swift, I sort of doubt she's maintained anything like a consistent backing band thruout her career, who contribute meaningfully to her records and performances from an aesthetic standpoint. I suppose I could be wrong, given that I know so little about her. Has she had a stalwart bassist or a few long-time drummers or something since her country days? I dunno. But I'd bet against it.