Unlike cover bands who are primarily populist entertainers playing cover versions of popular hit songs to satisfy audience enjoyment of familiar music, revivalist artists usually see themselves as performers with a musical mission to revive a cherished genre.
Sometimes the mission includes drawing the audience's attention to forgotten or overlooked songs from the genre as well as the better-known hits.
Most revivalist artists focus on performing material only from the original era that they are reviving.
They replenish their repertoire by digging deeper in the catalogue of music from their chosen genre.
Some artists eventually aspire to write new material in a similar style and become known for their own compositions.