Are bands dead? How solo stars took over the charts

Pop was once all about four guys and their instruments. Now that gang mentality has been blown away by tech-savvy individuals

When David Crosby helped found the Byrds, the idea of being in a band like the Beatles was intoxicating. The musician, who died last week, and his bandmates were so obsessed with the Beatles that they watched A Hard Day's Night and went straight out to buy the same instruments.

A modern-day Crosby would be well advised not to bother - bands are almost entirely absent from the music charts. Only four new songs by groups made it into the official Top 100 singles of last year, which was dominated by solo acts and a smattering of classics by the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Arctic Monkeys.