Average Cabbage

This.

TockTockTock

I think a certain movement lives on a bit after it "dies." By that, I mean that it lives on in either its influence on music or the still-active musicians affiliated with that particular movement.

But I do agree that the trend theory that has been previously stated is plausible and makes sense.

Urban Hat€monger ?

That's not quite what I meant but never mind.

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TheCunningStunt

When band's material start to deteriorate and their songwriting isn't as good as it once was and people lose interest could be one reason, or the style of music changes and it isn't the same sound as the music they were making at the start of the movement.

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Last FM

Screen13

I usually give things in The US Four Years, or sometimes about Three if Pop Based. It's a bad attempt at an outline of a trend, or movement, but here it is...

This is mainly what I would call my High School Theory-or, is more "Alternative," Community College.

Year One - The rush of excitement that surrounds something that the Hip portion of the media catches and starts to Hot Trend it. This is usually the year that's called when things were for real during the movement's most popular time later on.

Year Two - The difficult Second Year, where all the major outlets get to find out just how this new trend works and see who is with the business. Many of the defining "First Hits" or at least best known songs are found here. The public takes notice.

Year Three - Here is where all of the major hits start to add up more and more. The public that usually waits for things to be big or when established stars pick up on some of the characteristics to look cool and not as out of date as their music still suggests. Either that or when bands who form the "acceptable" wave (In Punk's Case, Power Pop, the early form of New Wave in The States) start to get more notice. This is usually when all of the Avrils start to get their time in the spotlight.

Year Four - The feeling that a New Thing is now a part of history. About half of the older fans no longer look for new bands, unless they look for more Underground or more Serious scenes (This usually happens at College-Level, usually forming part of my Community College "Alternative Music Scene" theory), thinking their music has sold out and is now a part of the soundtrack of their lives...and this is where the search for a new thing (Usually a variation of what happened through the last four years in a new coat) happens. Many sad or interesting albums (or at least singles) by the once-new happen around this time.

Anyone surviving is either very lucky, has met up with the right Producers and Image-Makers..or have seriously considered music to be their calling and continue to gain respect with real music fans who just dig the sounds for what they are.

Time for revisionism of usually sneered at happenings...about 8 years to a decade, The "Oh yeah, I actually like that, I'll admit it" Time Smooths Most Things Theory.

bogey_j

very good post

Raust

Stereotypical movements such as heavy metal, punk and grunge those movements died when it started to parody themselves. I remember vaguely while growing up that Barbra Walters was doing an interview in Seattle in the mid to early 90's and was decked out in flannel. That was the nail in the coffin for that decade. Metal was perfectly stereotyped in Spinal Tap and brought to a darker light in The Decline of Western Civilization of what was going on at the time. The word movement to is pretty vague. If you're talking about '67 as flower power/psychedelia or '77 the era of punk '85 heavy metal '91 grunge ect. Those "movements" never really died people have taken a great many influences from them to this day and incorporated it in there music. And there's also plenty of revival groups around that do bring back that sound. Granted they're not as popular as they are today.

Public Enemy

I don't think trends ever really die especially if the fans keep it alive.

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Screen13

Especially through the last decade, I can see that more and more. Even though trends still come and go, in a way thanks to better exposure of music, "Movements" have not been as trendy with the exception of those based in Mainstream Pop, and then best of each (No matter if you like the music or not) usually sticks around.

mr dave

movements don't die. they just lose topical relevance and speed to the youth of the day before being re-appropriated about 10-20 years later as a 'post-' version of its previous self.

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