Dear Music Industry,

First and foremost, thank you for helping create some of the best pieces of art through music. Thank you for artists like Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, N.W.A., George Strait, Tupac, Jimi Hendrix and the list keeps going on and on. Corey Taylor, lead singer for the bands Slipknot and Stone Sour once said, "I'd be a wreck without music." It is the unfortunate truth for some people. Music is something that can always connect people whether it be a concert, someone's band t-shirt or you overhear someone talking about the most recent albums dropping. People bond over music and relationships can blossom from there. There's always certain genres that people do and don't like, but I'm grateful that those others genres exist because it gives others peace and happiness the way hard rock and metal gives me.

Music helps make the world go around. However, I do have my gripes. First, why do we normalize the idea of "Sex, drugs, and rock n roll?" Why is it always on the news when someone goes into rehab versus finding out someone is on drugs or has an addiction. Billy Idol was an addict long before he was famous. Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers started smoking marijuana when he was young. Why? Because they wanted to be rock stars and saw that it was the norm. We need to change the mindset of "Sex, drugs & rock n roll" so we don't need to keep losing people. How many artists and celebrities do we have to lose before we stand up and say enough is enough!

I love music just as much as the next person. My parents raised me with music like Pink Floyd, Green Day, Joan Jett and Van Halen. However, I do feel as though the rock and metal portion is not represented fairly. The nominations for the 2017 Grammy Awards have come out recently and the nominees for Album of the Year include Adele, Justin Bieber, Drake, Beyonce and Sturgill Simpson. Three pop stars, a rapper and a country star. No rock, alternative, metal, hip-hop or even electronic. Nominated for Best Rock Performance: "Joe (Live From Austin City Limits)" by Alabama Shakes, "Don't Hurt Yourself" by Beyoncé Featuring Jack White, "Blackstar" by David Bowie (Who is dead by the way), "The Sound Of Silence" by Disturbed (Which is a cover and not their normal metal sound) and "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots (Who is an alternative band.) Beyonce is a pop star and now she's in the rock category? Sorry, not happening.

People say, "Rock is dead" and that hip-hop, R&B, and other genres aren't what they used to be. Pop and country have taken over the mainstream radios and tv shows. The music industry is not putting the focus on rock, metal, hip-hop and other genres like it could be. There is also a lack of authenticity of what each genre should actually sound like and who belongs there. I believe mainstream media outlets do not represent all genres fairly and this must change. Why is it that it is primarily pop and hip-hop artists performing on late night shows unless the artist of another genre is very well established (like U2 or Red Hot Chili Peppers)? Disturbed was on Conan but only to perform a cover of a very slow song that is not their typical style. We need to move into the new idea that we don't need rock stars having sex with anything that moves, drinking everything in sight, smoking anything and that every genre needs attention, not just pop music.

Sincerely,

Music Enthusiast Justin Michel