Are bands dead? How solo stars took over the charts

Question

This article claims that "Bands are almost entirely absent from the music charts." (Tapper, 2023). It states evidence that solo artists have gained more popularity in the recent years and will continue to climb the charts due to social media. 

Answer 1

Yes, solo artists have trumped groups in popularity, which is particularly demonstrated by the charts.

Billboard reported on this topic, sharing "And on today’s Hot 100, groups are an endangered species: Since 2018, groups account for less than 8% of all top 10 singles. The last ensemble to summit the chart was Glass Animals with “Heat Waves” in March 2022. No group scored a top 10 hit as a lead artist in the first half of 2024, and there is not a single group anywhere on the latest Hot 100."

https://www.billboard.com/music/features/how-groups-disappeared-from-the-hot-100-1235734245/

Answer 2

Yes, bands do not top charts anymore and haven't in almost a decade. Bands have been taken over by the new wave of solo artists dominating the industry with the ability to easily write their own songs and produce their own music with new technology. The only bands left on the charts these days are barely any new ones with the top charters being older bands that have timeless everyday hits. Another article by the Guardian explains the fall of bands in today's music industry.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/18/why-bands-are-disappearing-young-people-arent-excited-by-them