As much as critics would like to say ‘the golden age’ of music was when artists sold their records purely on talent, this has never been so. Fashion has always played a prominant role in the industry and is one of the reasons why so many bands and artists are as popular as they are. Bands like The Rolling Stones and artists like David Bowie based their acts on having an individuality that made people take notice of not only their songs but also their clothes and style. They realised that to start a musical revolution, you had to do more than just write iconic songs. The artist himself had to also become the icon.
Since the birth of MTV, music videos have been an important asset to an artist. As well as getting their music heard, TV was a way of getting their image known to the masses, with unbelievable results. Being able to play and write songs has always been considered ‘cool’ and so therefore anything else would also have this same type of value. All over the world fashions designers would take inspiration from the likes of Madonna and Blondie and from this started numerous fashion trends that were easily accessible to everyone whether it be the punk rock trend, red shoes or futuristic. This in turn helped with the sales of records and the artist was on the way to superstardom.
Fashion and music have continued to be blurred together up until the present day with the likes of Lady Gaga unashamedly pushing boundaries with dresses made of meat. It has become so much so that if you have not got something completely different to offer than you dissapear into the void of one hit wonders. But whether it is a good or bad thing that the industry relies so heavily on the fashion statements it produces is left to the public. And so far this has proved popular with trends quickly moving into the high street. Fans can therefore finally get a at least a fashion taste of their favorite rockstar and in turn the artists legacy lives on.
Post submitted by Emily Patterson
