Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones… These iconic names have been all around us for decades, and even more so when our parents were teenagers. Classic rock is a timeless genre that will never disappear from pop culture, even with music taking a dramatic turn as the times change.

According to recent research done by analysts at Forbes magazine, rock is no longer considered the most popular genre of music. Hip-hop and rap is the most consumed genre for the first time in U.S history, surpassing it. Not only is rock no longer considered the most popular, but our favorite classic rock icons are aging and/or passing away. Just this month, we lost legend Tom Petty, for example. In our lifetime, we can definitely expect more heartbreak just like the unexpected passing of Petty.

Even though the popularity of rock seems to be declining, it has a timeless quality that today’s music on the radio does not. Have you noticed that lots of today’s hits are popular for a few months, overplayed, but then forgotten about? You still hear classic rock in public events, commercials, films, video games, and more. Unlike lots of more recent, popular artists, classic rock artists have their own radio stations, documentaries, television programs, etc. and they will always be there.

To make my point, even though popular music rapidly changes each year along with iconic artists, you can count on future generations jamming to classic rock in their cars or blaring it through their earbuds for years to come. It has a certain, special quality other genres can never quite achieve.