A look at how classic rock, alternative and adult alternative are surging.
Welcome to the Billboard Chart Beat Podcast, where co-hosts Gary Trust and Trevor Anderson, from the Billboard charts department, discuss why what's on the charts … is on the charts, while also looking at current chart action in a historical context for even greater insights.
This week, Gary, Trevor and Billboard's rock, social and streaming chart manager Kevin Rutherford welcome return guests Haley Jones, director of radio, Nielsen Music, and Jon Miller, vp of audience insights, Nielsen Audio, to discuss the current state of rock. Despite a lack of guitar-based rock crossing over to pop, multiple metrics suggest that rock is thriving, even as hip-hop dominates streaming.
Among topics discussed: how classic rock, from The Beatles to Queen to more recent acts, is one of the most viable radio formats; how alternative's latest morph to a more pop direction has benefited the format; and how, despite being perhaps under the radar, adult alternative has long launched a host of mainstream superstars.