Why Shred Music Has Less Value: Music vs Market Impact

A lot of musicians get emotional when they hear this:

Shred music has less value.

They immediately hear an insult.

But this is not about whether shred is “real music.”
It is.
This is about something else:

market value

That distinction matters, because most musicians keep confusing artistic legitimacy with real-world value.

And those are not the same thing.

The live page already makes that distinction very clearly: shred is music, but music itself is not automatically the value. The value is what the product creates in the real world.

Music is the product. Value is the outcome.

This is the first thing people need to understand.

Music is the product.

Value is what that product creates outside itself.

That value shows up in things like:

audience size
ticket sales
streams
demand
cultural impact
leverage

Those exact criteria are already on the live page, and they should stay because they define the article’s real angle.

If two types of music generate different levels of demand, connection, and market pull, then they do not carry the same market value.

That is not hate.
That is just economics.

Shred is usually niche

This is where many guitarists resist reality.

Shred music is often made by musicians, for musicians.

That gives it a more limited audience.

Again: that does not make it fake.
It does not make it bad.
It does not make it worthless.

It makes it niche.

The live page already states this directly and correctly: niche is not bad, niche is math. A niche product can be excellent and still earn less because fewer people buy it.

That is the whole point.

Niche is not a moral failure

A lot of players still react as if “niche” means “inferior.”

It does not.

Niche simply means:

fewer buyers
fewer listeners
fewer fans
lower mass demand
less mainstream pull

A niche can still be a smart business.
A niche can still be artistically rich.
A niche can still support a career.

But if the audience is smaller, then the ceiling is usually smaller too.

That is not personal. That is structure.

The Frusciante example explains the whole issue

The live page uses John Frusciante as the contrast, and that example works because it cuts straight to the difference between player-value and listener-value.

Frusciante creates things that reach beyond the instrument:

mass connection
catalog value
cultural relevance
long-term demand
leverage beyond the guitar world

That is why the value is higher.

Not because he is “more musical” in some moral sense.
Not because technique is irrelevant.
But because what he creates reaches more people, lasts longer culturally, and produces broader demand.

That is market value.

Skill impresses musicians. Music moves people.

This line from the current page should stay, because it says in one sentence what many guitarists still fail to understand.

A lot of advanced players spend years optimizing for musician approval.

Faster.
Cleaner.
More notes.
Harder phrases.
More difficult arrangements.

But difficulty is not the same thing as reach.

And admiration from other guitarists is not the same thing as broad demand.

That is where many players lose the plot.

The real question is not “Is it music?”

That is the wrong question.

Of course it is music.

The real question is:

What value does it create?

That is also the core question already present on the live page, and it is the right one.

If you want more value, you need more than technical intensity.

You need:

bigger demand
stronger emotional connection
clearer identity
better positioning
repeatable outcomes

That is how value grows.

Why guitarists hate this conversation

Because it attacks a comfortable illusion.

Many guitarists still want to believe:

harder music deserves more respect
more difficult music should automatically have more value
more practice should guarantee more market reward

But markets do not work like that.

The market does not pay for your private suffering.
It does not pay for hours.
It does not pay for difficulty by itself.

It pays for what creates perceived value in the real world.

That is exactly why this topic belongs inside Music & Mindset. It is not just a music-style issue. It is a reality issue.

Can shred still win?

Yes.

But usually not by staying “pure shred” in a vacuum.

The current FAQ on the live page already says shred can become more mainstream when technique serves songs, hooks, and identity. That is a strong point and worth preserving.

That means shred grows in value when it connects to things people can actually latch onto:

hooks
songs
character
identity
storytelling
recognisable positioning

The moment the style starts serving a bigger experience, the market can respond more strongly.

How to increase value without abandoning your style

This is where the page should become more useful.

You do not necessarily need to stop playing shred.

But if you want more value, you do need to build more around it.

That means:

1. Build a clearer identity

Do not just be “another good guitarist.”

2. Build a stronger audience

Niche music still needs people who care.

3. Package the experience

Lessons, products, live clinics, merch, memberships, signature angle.

4. Create stronger emotional access

Not just notes. Something people can feel, remember, and connect to.

5. Stay consistent

Markets reward repeated proof, not random bursts.

This also connects naturally to your broader site structure:
High Performance Guitar Coaching, Roadmap To Guitar Mastery, Music & Mindset Mastery, the broader Guitar Blog, and FAQ – Ask The Guitar Expert. Those pages are all linked from the live page environment already.

Conclusion

All shred is music.

But not all music creates the same value.

That is the uncomfortable truth.

If a style reaches fewer people, creates less demand, and has less cultural pull, then its market value is lower.

That does not make it fake.
It makes it niche.

So stop asking only:

“Is it music?”

Start asking:

“What value does it create?”

That is the question that actually matters.

FAQ

So shred music is worthless?

No. It is niche. Niche can still be artistically strong and commercially viable if the offers match the audience.

Can shred music be mainstream?

Rarely, but yes. It becomes more mainstream when technique supports songs, hooks, identity, and broader emotional connection.

How do I increase value without changing style?

Build audience, clarify identity, package the experience, and create demand through consistency.

Why does shred music usually have less market value?

Because it often attracts a smaller audience and creates less broad demand than styles with stronger mass emotional connection.

Is technical difficulty the same as value?

No. Technical difficulty can impress musicians, but value depends on demand, connection, recognition, and real-world impact.

Does niche automatically mean bad business?

No. Niche can work very well if you build the right products, audience, positioning, and long-term offers around it.

Transcript

“This comment asks: why should shred music be less valuable? Isn’t it also music?”

Great question. Let’s clear this up.

Yes—shred is music.
But music itself isn’t the value.

Music is the product.
Value is what that product creates in the real world.

And value is measurable:
audience size, ticket sales, streams, demand, and cultural impact.

Shred music usually has a smaller audience.
That doesn’t make it fake.
It makes it niche.

John Frusciante creates mass connection, long-term catalog value, cultural relevance—leverage beyond the instrument.

That’s why the value is higher. Literally.

All shred is music.
Not all music creates the same value.

Calling everything “just music” avoids the real question:
Not “is it music?”
But “What value does it create?”

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