Cultural impact of Coldplay

[1] After signing a record contract with Parlophone in 1999 and releasing their debut album in the subsequent year, the group steadily amassed fame, success and public interest throughout their career, becoming cultural icons and one of the most influential artists of the 21st century.

Thanks to more hits like "Yellow" and a rigorous touring schedule, Coldplay became as big in the US as they were in the UK, not only helping to reestablish common artistic ground between the two countries but bringing the sound of mainstream rock towards something more gentle and melodic than distorted and aggressive.

[9] Afisha's Sergey Stepanov defended that they inherited the ability to make alternative rock mainstream from U2 and labeled them as "the Beatles of the 21st century" based on hit-making talent and potential heft.

[11] While discussing key events in the genre's history for The Guardian, Kitty Empire stated that British music "struggled to define itself" with the end of britpop until Coldplay ushered in a "fresh timbre of songwriting" which had "yearning melancholy, buoyed by a sense of uplift".

[13] Jon O'Brien from the Recording Academy claimed in his 20th anniversary review of Parachutes (2000) that the album "ushered in a new wave of mild-mannered guitar bands" and helped "to open the floodgates for those who didn't subscribe to the Rock N' Roll Star way of thinking", impacting the works of acts like the Fray and OneRepublic.

[21] Christina Lee from BuzzFeed News noticed Martin's duets with Kanye West and Jay-Z are one of the main explanations for the sentiment, although Swizz Beatz had previously sampled the band.

[25] American acts within the genre who excerpted them encompass Black Cobain, B.o.B, Joe Budden, Chance the Rapper,[b] eMC, Pac Div, Rockie Fresh, Shawty Lo and Trae.

[42] Coldplay members have been acknowledged individually as well: The Independent and Evening Standard dubbed Martin one of the most influential figures in the United Kingdom,[43] while Champion was lauded with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Southampton.

[58] American singer Halsey commented the band are among the artists who inspired her to develop a universe for each album: "Study the cover of any of their [records] and you can see a bunch of images, a colour, a font – something entirely representative of that era.

[146] Consequence's Geoff Nelson theorised that the band have the "unique position of being loved and hated with passion" because listening to them have "always been a look in the mirror, hearing a familiar sound or seeing an aesthetic retreaded for mass consumption – producing, alternatively, allure and disgust".

[147] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Pareles called them "the most insufferable band of the decade" and affirmed X&Y (2005) is "faultless to a fault, with instrumental tracks purged of any glimmer of human frailty".

[148] Similarly, The Independent's Andy Gill stated Coldplay "have conquered the charts with the sonic equivalent of wilted spinach" and "poisoned an entire generation of British rock music" as a result.

[151] In 2016, Ryan Bassil criticised Martin for his performance on stage in an editorial for Vice, saying he "is a man who seemingly cannot transition between one place and another without skipping" and "his unbridled positivity is everything British people find difficult to stomach".

[153] According to The Ringer's Michael Baumann, Coldplay were "earnest, nonthreatening and profoundly accessible" at "the worst time of the past 40 years" to have such characteristics, given how they rose to fame in a decade marked by hipsterism, rockism and the peak of pop punk.

[158] Ben Beaumont-Thomas from The Guardian believed that "from genre-spanning albums to collaborating with Brian Eno and Beyoncé, the band are far more radical than people give them credit for", and he concluded that, in their own way, they challenged norms imposed on musical groups.

[3] Discussing opinions about Martin as a celebrity for El País, Lanre Bakare said that he is a new type of pop star who connects on an emotional level, which benefited Lewis Capaldi, Ed Sheeran and other musicians of similar profile.

[162] David Pfeifer from Süddeutsche Zeitung likewise stated that Coldplay have "inscribed themselves in the canon of pop music" with their performances and demonstrated proficiency in such craft by ensuring it remained exciting.

[163] Following the reveal of their fifth headline set at Glastonbury, Beaumont wrote in The Independent that Coldplay's work had not changed, "it just became acceptable to admit it was brilliant all along", leading him to view the band as impervious cultural figures.

[168] Felipe Branco Cruz from Veja commented that while groups like Pink Floyd and Queen have pioneered stadium performances and U2 offered spectacles which "transcended music", Coldplay reinvented the concept of arena rock by making fans an integral part of the show instead of mere spectators, being among the few contemporary bands to carry on such a legacy.

[176] Additionally, the group received praise for their efforts in accessibility, working with KultureCity to provide sign language interpreters, SubPac vests, sensory refuge stations and touch tours to deaf, hard-of-hearing or visually impaired fans.

[179] Months later, The West Australian's Emma Garlett lauded them for having merchandise with Aboriginal designs and inviting Richard Walley to perform the same ritual during the Optus Stadium dates in Perth.

[192] Conversely, Malika Kapur from CNN International reported that postponing the release of X&Y (2005) caused a 13% fall in the company's annual income, leading to profit warnings and a significant drop in their share prices.

[194] Coldplay have fostered debates around the viability of music streaming services as well,[195] delaying the launch of Mylo Xyloto (2011),[196] Ghost Stories (2014),[197] and A Head Full of Dreams (2015) in free platforms like Spotify to question how artists would be compensated for their work.

[212] Moreover, they were particularly praised for "cracking" the American music industry,[213] given the United States was "a notoriously difficult place for young British rock bands to make any commercial noise" at the time.

[215] In June 2008, "Viva la Vida" became the first song by a British artist to rule the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 rankings simultaneously since "Maggie May" (1971) by Rod Stewart.

[217] Other milestones include being the first act to sell a million digital albums stateside,[207] the first group from the United Kingdom to debut atop the Hot 100,[218] and the British musicians with the most Billboard 200 leaders in the 21st century.

[221] Similarly, the group were described as pioneers of social media management, since they were the first musicians to employ the scheduling function offered by Facebook and shared their routines during world tours on Snapchat, thus capitalising on the application's early success.

[224] When Chris Martin sings, in the open air, taking as much rain as the public, wind in the face, and scratches choruses in Portuguese, or the language of the country being toured, he immediately establishes an unparalleled syntony.

[227] In 2014, they held a global scavenger hunt for handwritten lyrics from Ghost Stories, which were hidden in libraries and gave the fans a chance to attend their Royal Albert Hall performances.

[232] Promotion for Moon Music (2024) included immersive listening events in places like San Juan's Valle de la Luna,[233] along with partnerships on TikTok,[234] Roblox,[235] and FC Barcelona.