The result of Napster and YouTube is that classic rock as we know it no longer exists. There are still great rock bands, and there are still rock bands that are part of the classic-rock continuum, in that they are influenced by classic-rock bands and they are carrying those traditions forward. However, these post-classic-rock bands—the White Stripes, the Killers, Arcade Fire, the National, and the War on Drugs are notable examples—don’t have the cultural impact of classic-rock bands, and they never will.
