Bands/Artists Who Got Better, But Their Popularity Waned?
 

I'm guessing this could be non-musical, maybe the press getting sick of an artist or group for taking themselves too seriously, or engaging in non-musical activities they don't like. Maybe the music doesn't even change genre-wise (which has been a reason for a loss of popularity). But, I'm not talking about a group who just does the same thing over and over, which can cause the critics/public to get tired of it.

It would be like if Pink Floyd started to lose popularity at "Meddle", and then each subsequent album losing more fans and losing the critics. It seems to me when a magazine like Rolling Stone call Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin a fad and will be "done" within a year, they're already absorbing them just in case they're incorrect, and have a new writer write something positive after they sell a ton of albums.

If you can only think of directors, list away.

Well, there have been hundreds of bands who have folded from not being able to follow up on a hit. There were dozens alone in the '50s-- mostly doo-wop.

One of the major descents I recall in the '60s was Big Brother and the Holding Company. They got real big soon after Janis Joplin joined them. But when she left for a solo career, the band fizzled. There were several line-ups after that, but they could never regain popularity.

Recently I watched a video about England's The Rods (nee Eddie and the Hot Rods). By the late '70s they'd become a major act with the hit "Do Anything You Wanna Do". But they couldn't catch fire with anything on subsequent albums, and by 1981 had disbanded.

But were those new songs/albums better than the previous stuff, either with Big Brother or others?

In most cases, no. But in some cases, yes. Oftentimes when a song hits, it's unique or innovative. Imitation followups don't garner the same interest. An exception might be the Rolling Stones...:D

Re: Bands/Artists Who Got Better, But Their Popularity Waned?
 

Lil Wayne. In the past several years, his flows have gotten faster, more unique, and his rhyme schemes are more complex.

But now, he's better at his craft, yet his videos only get like 1-10 million views whereas they used to get 100+ million views a few decades ago.

Re: Bands/Artists Who Got Better, But Their Popularity Waned?
 

A friend and next door neighbors son made the new guitarist in the Star F Hipsters band.

Re: Bands/Artists Who Got Better, But Their Popularity Waned?
 

CARLY RAE JEPSEN. Hard rock fan with a taste for classical and jazz says CARLY RAE JEPSEN.

Re: Bands/Artists Who Got Better, But Their Popularity Waned?
 

Talk Talk shifted away from being a fairly standard New Wave band with hit singles like "Talk Talk" and "It's My Life", then from The Colour of Spring onwards there was a shift in a more artistically experimental direction to the point where their last two albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, effectively became the progenitors for the post-rock genre (which, needless to say, was not as popular as their more radio-friendly hits).