Does the World need Rock Stars? →[More:] The more I read the linked thread the less I think musicians are the "rock stars" anymore.
Someone on Metafilter or Metachat or elsewhere on the internet pointed out that writers used to be the big "celebrities" speaking to the human condition and earning the attention and adoration. Then it was the artist (or maybe the artist came first?). Then the musician.
In this long tail age, I think the age of the musician as rock star is mostly over. There will be a handful of big celebrities in every field, music included, but maybe we've moved beyond traditional stardom.
To tie in/steal another thought... In the future everyone will be a rockstar to 15 people.