Music, like many other facets of pop culture, has seen a whirlwind of trends and stylistic changes over the past ten years.

Early in the 2000s, airwaves were dominated by pop-punk bands such as Blink 182 and Sum 41, rap-rock hybrids such as Limb Bizkit and Korn and boy bands and teen popsters such as The Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and Britney Spears.

While many of these trends seemed to disappear just as quickly as they came, elements of each managed to stick and are still apparent in popular music today. If it were not for Britney Spears, there is little doubt that acts such as Lady Gaga and Katy Perry would not nearly be as successful, if at all.

However, one important factor came into play in the past 10 years, something that virtually revolutionized not only pop culture, but society as a whole: The Internet.

“The Internet has played a huge role in the breaking down of genres,” said Jay Wigard, a 25-year old Mount Pleasant resident and musician who performs under the moniker Crash Sunday. “Music is becoming more of a post-modern thing. It’s like a potpourri blend … a little bit of this and a little bit of that.”

This breaking down of genre walls is something that is extremely visible in current pop music. Miley Cyrus’s latest chart-topper, “Party In The U.S.A.,” blends euro-dance synths, a straight-outta-Nashville guitar lick and a huge, hip-hop club-banger beat into something easily digestible and undeniably infectious. This sort of stylistic blending simply would not be possible or marketable 10, or even five, years ago.
The Internet and other technological advancements also have allowed bands to create music easily and distribute it online, without help from labels or public relations companies.

“Bands that have been able to use the Internet in a unique way or in a way that just pushes their message out there have been able to be successful and compete with more well-known artists for artistic credibility,” said Carsonville senior Domenic Fracassa, station manager of Modern Rock 91.5.

The birth of blog culture has been the catalyst for much of the change in the music industry. If a band is fortunate enough to be featured on a handful of popular blogs and online music publications, they can become successful in a matter of months.

“There’s a band from Michigan called Tally Hall who are signed to Atlantic Records and people still don’t know who the heck they are,” said 23-year old Corey Densmore, owner of Diamonds In The Rough Promotions. “But a little band like Neon Indian went from being nobody to selling out huge venues in 6 months. It’s just the power of the Internet now.”

E-mail the author: Ben Weissenborn