Restrictions of Genre

Does Genre mean artists have to look a certain way?

Yes and no. There isn't necessarily a 'have to' about it, however there are many factors that would lean towards that fact that bands need to look a certain way. Firstly there's respectability. This is important as these artists need to keep up their own reputations, however this varies hugely from for example artists like Lady gaga with meat dresses to Adele with non-edible clothing. Secondly artists need to create a recognizable brand that their audiences can look for and to do this they need to be consistent. So they can go from one extreme to another however this does allow for slight changes. A final big factor is the genre conventions. If fans of the music genre you are apart of cannot recognize your band as a part of the genre, then they may not notice you. Therefore it is important to cater to this. Overall artists don't have to look a certain way, but they risk a lot by not following conventions.

Can artists change their image/ genre or do they risk losing their audience?

This completely depends on audience opinions of the new change, which can be found out prior to changes with research, but certainly with any change there is risk. Aesthetic change is almost always faced with scrutiny from fans of the 'old way' the artist looked. Change usually requires time for an audience to get used to it.

Who depends on genres? The audience or the music industry? How does a genre start?

The audience needs genre to know whether they will like a certain artist or not and the music industry needs genre to target these audience members. Genres start with the introduction of a new style of music, and if it is popular enough people may start identifying with it. This leads to a following and then artists who want to target this following.