The first wave of rock music met its demise due to the combination of two factors. First of all, at the end of the 1950s, rock and roll lost several important figures. In particular, Little Richard quit music and became a minister, Elvis Presley was drafted into the army, and Chuck Berry was convicted of a prison sentence (Covach and Flory 105). The fate was especially cruel to Buddy Holly, who was killed in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valence and the Big Bopper on February 3, 1959. The loss of so many popular artists significantly weakened the early rock and roll scene.
In addition, the growing popularity of rock and roll threatened the business interests of the major record companies and labels. At the beginning of the 50s, major labels recorded and released the most hit pop records (Covach and Flory 106). The early rock and roll stars reversed this trend by recording their songs on small independent labels and paying the DJs to play them on the radio. Payola, or practice of paying a DJ to play the records, was common in the music business. However, major labels and pop-song composers could not tolerate rock and roll, a genre disrespected by many in the music industry, encroaching on their market share and popularity. The following payola scandal resulted in the removal of rock and roll from radio station broadcasts. Alan Freed, a DJ who played a big role in the rise of rock and roll, lost his job for taking payola gifts.
As a result, rock music changed drastically by the beginning of the 1960s. Music business professionals who effectively ended the first wave of rock and roll saw the commercial potential of youth culture and rock. The industry sanitized the product by promoting clean-cut, nonthreatening, much less independent artists (Kot). Major labels focused on producing teen idols, and no big names emerged in the 60s rock until the Beatles and the British Invasion.
Works Cited
Covach, John, and Andrew Flory. What’s That Sound?: An Introduction to Rock and Its History. 5th ed. W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.
Kot, Greg. “Rock and Roll.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Web.