It's the perception. It might not be "rock" star anymore, but genericised "music superstar", yes.
Like many other things involved in this decision, it's the perception that matters, not facts.
Like many other things involved in this decision, it's the perception that matters, not facts.
That's the point, the "rock" stars aren't making any money in the industry like other pop acts anymore - they're mostly doing their own thing on Patreon and streaming on Twitch.
It's about whether the end result is that the brand gets associated with the idea of "cool creative".
It's a common theme in many areas of Apple after Jobs return, including the whole Apple Store design.