This is admittedly one of my most controversial takes. Hear me out.
Bob Dylan is often hailed as a prophet, a poet, and the voice of the people. But what if I told you that Dylan was the Reagan of music — a turning point where folk authenticity was swallowed whole by fame, myth-making, and the rise of the solo “genius” over the collective spirit of community-driven music?
Let’s talk about how the commodification of Dylan's persona paved the way for everything we hate about the modern music industry.
1. From Protest Singer to Pop Culture Product
Dylan’s early years were full of protest, heart, and street-level spirit. But as he grew into his fame, he rejected the very folk communities that raised him — turning from protest to poetry, from collaboration to isolation. He went electric not just musically, but ideologically.
2. The Birth of the Celebrity Songwriter
Before Dylan, folk music was about people — collectives, traditions, families, communities. Dylan made the songwriter a celebrity, creating a culture where personality outshined purpose. Suddenly, being a genius was more important than being in solidarity.
3. The Hijacking of Folk’s Ethics
Izzy Young, one of the great patrons of the folk revival, believed in supporting folk music as a community movement. Dylan played at Izzy’s store in New York and Stockholm, but never brought that spirit back to the masses once he was famous. Folk music became a performance instead of a conversation.
4. Dylan and the Death of Collective Credit
The idea that one man could encapsulate a movement is a corporate dream. No more messy collectives, no more fair pay splits — just one face, one story, one brand. This is the foundation of the modern music industry. And Dylan laid the first bricks.
5. Fame as the End Goal
Dylan once said he didn’t want to be the voice of a generation — and maybe he didn’t. But the industry certainly sold him as such, and he didn’t exactly fight it. This marks the beginning of the “careerist” artist, where personal brand became the product, not the music itself.
6. What We Lost
In the wake of Dylan, we lost something precious — the sense that music belongs to everyone. The coffeehouse became a concert hall. The jam circle became a Spotify playlist. And folk songs became lyrics printed on T-shirts instead of sung around campfires.
7. The Capitalist Pipeline
Bob Dylan → Bruce Springsteen → U2 → Coldplay → TikTok pop stars. A line of artists increasingly distanced from community roots, increasingly entangled in spectacle and branding. It’s not Dylan’s fault alone, but he’s a critical turning point — dare I say the Reagan of songwriting— where it all went wrong.
8. Redemption Is in the Revival
The good news? We can revive what was lost. Folk is coming back — in basements, backyards, forest festivals, and songwriting circles. Music is finding its way back to the people. Dylan taught us that one person can shape a generation — now let’s reshape ours differently.
Conclusion:
Bob Dylan was not the villain — he was the canary in the coal mine. The warning. The inflection point. If we want a future where music is not dictated by markets but by meaning, we need to reclaim folk from fame. We need to go backward — into basements, into small stages, towards each other.
Because real music doesn’t come from record labels — it comes from people like us.
