Looking Back 20 Years Later On The Impact 9/11 Had On The Music Industry

Flickerstick

It’s hard to explain sometimes the way 9/11 impacted the music industry, especially to people who are far too young to remember the old model of the industry. In the early 2000’s record stores were thriving, radio was king, and MTV was the main way to break a band. The days that followed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the world changed for everyone and  a lot of people may not have even realized what the attacks meant for the music industry as well.

One of the initial things to happen were songs being banned from radio that may be viewed as upsetting or insensitive at the time. That wouldn’t be a very big deal had you been a bigger artist with tons of radio hits, but for some newer bands just breaking at radio, that was the beginning of the end of their career. One newer band that comes to mind was the band Drowning Pool, who all summer long had been riding high on the song “Bodies”, and after 9/11 that song was banned from radio and things quickly came to a stall for the band.  Jimmy Eat World had been riding high on a single and album titled “Bleed American”, which quickly was re-released as a self titled record and the song itself vanished from radio. You can see the full list of songs banned from the radio HERE

Bleed American Original Album Cover

 Bleed American New Album Cover

MTV at the time, very similar to radio, decided to pull most of the videos they were playing and decided to air the same 10 or so videos all day every day. One that comes to mind was Elton John’s “I Want Love”, which was a simple video of Robert Downy Jr. walking around lip syncing the song.  Like most TV stations, MTV didn’t know how to handle playing music videos in the weeks following the attacks so they relied on safe established acts like that, and at that time if you were a new band MTV was THE way to break your song. To be honest I do remember thinking it was very strange seeing an Elton John video on MTV every hour, but I truly do still love this song.

There was more than anything, an overall sense of putting music on hold after the attacks. A lot of labels shelved albums, postponed releases, tours were cancelled. The music industry just kinda paused for a few months. One of the more famous stories of a career interrupted by 9/11 would be the band Flickerstick coming off a hit show “Bands On The Run”, and newly signed to Epic Records, their showcase for the heads of the label was to take place at a sold out Irving Plaza the night of 9/11. The show was cancelled that night and by the time the band could perform for the label a lot of the initial momentum had stalled.  The band soldiered on  but following the showcase being cancelled,  and the state of the industry at that time, the band were eventually dropped.  Brandin Lea of Flickerstick called into my show  a few weeks ago and we discussed the days of the band following 9/11.

I do remember a few days after going and seeing Jimmy Eat World play a small club in St.Louis, MO a few days after and it felt good to be doing something normal, but also weird at the same time. Music is supposed to be an escape from the real world but then you felt bad at the same time escaping and enjoying something when so many were suffering. I think for me it gave me a new appreciation for music and as a young rock n roller myself, it was the beginning of a much different world in the music industry and honestly all other industries as well. It feels silly to talk about how the music industry was impacted when so many other people suffered so horribly that day, but if anything, it shows how nothing is untouchable and it can all change in just one single day.

20 years later sending love to all those effected by September 11, 2001.