Joel Quartuccio of Being as an Ocean once said, "I learned that hardcore music is not for happy kids with perfect lives ". He was absolutely right. But what effect can the punk/hardcore music scene have on these young teenagers who listen to this music? I lost my grandfather in 2009 and that was a big part of why I started listening to harder music than before. It was a difficult loss for me and as a result I have been living with depression for a little over six years now. I would say that now, more than any other time in my life, hardcore music has helped me deal with my symptoms through therapy. When I look back on my adolescence, I realize that the music I listened to was perhaps the reason why I had so much difficulty understanding what I was experiencing; sitting in an empty room, crying so hard your body shakes with sobs and all you feel is this dark energy surrounding you. The sun has hidden behind the moon and even though the moon shines so brightly on the sky, it still seems dull to you. The worst part is that you don't even know why you're sad, you just are and you can't stop. I relied solely on the words of my favorite artists to heal me. Today's teenagers look up to musicians as if they were gods. Whether it's the artists or the record labels, someone understands this idolization and uses it as a way to make money off of these heartbroken and misunderstood teenagers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mental illness is surrounded by a lot of stigma. In the world of hardcore music, this practice is widely accepted and supported. At hardcore festivals, companies like To Write Love On Her Arms set up tents to raise awareness about mental illness and suicide in the community. I appreciate the advocacy work of companies like this to raise awareness and normalize mental illness. However, I think the bands involved in this music scene sometimes almost condone the idea that there are alternative, unhealthy ways to deal with mental illness. I walk around summer festivals seeing children dressed in long black pants and multiple colorful bracelets clutching their arms to hide their cuts and scars. They are embarrassed for others to see what they have done and yet they continue to do it because this industry has taught them to get the attention of groups by handing them razor blades and saying "You got me." saved his life.” Sometimes they just don't know how else to manage their symptoms and problems. Bands and, more importantly, record labels, have given these kids the idea that it's okay to do these things to yourself because it's all about image. I know quite a few songs on this theme of self-harm, but one in particular is called “Say Anything” by Mariana's Trench. When I first heard this song, I didn't realize how serious the message behind it was. I just thought he was singing about that feeling deep in your chest that aches as the weight on your shoulders gets heavier and heavier as you feel sad each day. Before you knew it, it was day 436 that you couldn't feel truly happy. In the song he says "I cut myself so I could feel something that I know isn't a lie." Teenagers who listen to this start tothinking that if he does it, then it must be good for them too. They are generally rebellious and full of anxiety. As a teenager, words like these didn't help me improve; but even worse. Since the beginnings of American Bandstand and the purification of rock and roll music, record labels have had a say in what is released to the public and how it is presented. During the “teen idols” phase of rock n roll, record companies presented this “sanitized version of rock n roll designed to sell records” (Delmont). We even see a change in Aretha Franklin's sound in relation to the soul music genre when she moved from recording with John Hammond to Jerry Wexler and Atlantic Records. In the hardcore music scene, record companies no longer necessarily seek to purify rock n roll. They are very aware of the situation that the majority of these teenagers find themselves in and have even collaborated with retail companies to bring about this style specific to the hardcore/punk scene. A band I've recently grown out of is called Black Veil Brides. I loved their music so much that I was convinced it saved my life. After taking a step back and looking at their history with two different record labels, I understand why they might have changed record labels. Their debut studio album We Stitch These Wounds was released on StandBy Records and is probably their best album, in my opinion. Their second, third and most recent albums Set the World On Fire, Wretched and Divine and Black Veil Brides IV were released on a completely different label called Lava Records, which is owned by Universal Republic Records. Set The World On Fire has a very different sound, feel and theme than its predecessor. Their third album, which was a concept record, has a very similar sound to the second album. The influence of record labels on the sound of artists' work is evident through this group and the records they have released through different labels. StandBy Records was an independent label while Lava is owned by Universal Republic. The album they released on StandBy has a completely different and unique sound from the other three albums they released. They claim that their most recent album is the heaviest and most metallic they have released, but to me it sounds like a lighter version and similar to the first album they released with StandBy. Motionless in White is a band that has been with their label Fearless Records for over six years. For their upcoming new album, they refuse to release it via Fearless. The band has made generally diverse albums through Fearless. One writer, Taylor Markarian, made a good point in her very brief article when she commented on "how this decision will influence the sound of the band's upcoming recordings." As previously mentioned, the Black Veil Brides have released albums that all sound the same. the same, musically and lyrically. The rise of their success is based solely on their appearance or consistent lyrical content. In every album they have released, there is at least one song with the message that you are not alone in what you are going through. There is a group of people who are like you and who understand you. I believe a lot of this message doesn't come from the band, but rather from the record labels. With the rise of hip hop and pop music, rock and roll was pushed aside to develop on its own. Most teenagers feel misunderstood by their parents in general, but it's the kids who listen to hardcore and punk who feel even more abandoned. After listening to a few Black Veil Brides albums again, I discovered two songs from two different albums made by the same label which.