Why is popular music much more important to younger people compared to older people?

SlickSnake

Diamond Member
May 29, 2007
5,235
2
0
It seems to me that the older you get, the less relevant "popular music" becomes. Even the music awards and musical talent shows favor younger performers almost exclusively, while shows like American Idol even actively discriminate against performers over the age of 40 from even participating.

Yet in spite of this, older people are more inclined to buy CDs or music videos on DVD or Blu-ray and spend their cash on music than younger people are who would prefer to steal the music off the internet rather than pay for it or search for a band or concert on YouTube and watch it for free. Older people are also more inclined to pay for digital radio services like Sirius and XM than younger people are, too.

So why is there this huge musical marketing disconnect from younger to older people with regards to how "popular music" is marketed? It's no wonder the music industry sees declining sales on a yearly basis in the USA and even world wide now. They are obviously marketing music to the wrong demographic entirely when an aging 1960's band like the Rolling Stones consistently makes more money on concerts and music sales than most teenager popular music bands make even when combined together.

Justin, Selena and Miley, you one hit wonder has beens are you listening? You are completely irrelevant musically as a young performer after about 2-3 years when you reach your peak in sales, when all the attention deficit teenagers who worship you because you're cute (not because you sing well) move on to more relevant and talented older bands.

And the teenagers so heavily marketed to by the music industry who are losing money also change their favorite bands on a whim just because all their friends like something else now, so there is no band loyalty there at all once they outgrow boy bands or teenaged angst bands and finally move on to more enlightened musical endeavors.
 
Last edited:

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
17,501
12
0
Make no mistake, even with downloading the industry is still making a metric shitload of money off teenagers. Look at that little twerp Justin Beiber. It's all about selling a brand, not music. As you get older, that brand loses a lot of its meaning. Of course then there's Elvis fans.
 

mammador

Platinum Member
Dec 9, 2010
2,120
1
76
Hmmm... for the same reason Kellogg's Frosties is marketed to children?
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
38,198
18,669
146
These things become trivial as you get older. Life takes over..you know...you get one.
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
15
81
I think it works like this: As we get older we experience a far more broad range of music than younger people, and "what's new and popular" gets replaced with "what's good".

Pre-teens and teenagers tend to feel that music older than they are is not good.
 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
14
81
It's really quite simple. Most people continue to listen to what was popular during their formative teens and twenties, throughout their lives. Music appreciation and introduction to new material stagnates. Doesn't matter that something new is popular, most older people just feel that what was popular during their teens and twenties is always better than what is out today.

Adults in the 40's were nostalgic for the flapper days
Adults in the 50's were nostalgic for war time music
Adults in the 60's were nostalgic for Chuck Berry and the Big Bopper
Adults in the 70's were nostalgic for Jefferson Airplane and the Dead
Adults in the 80's were nostalgic for Cheap Trick and Allman Brothers
Adults in the 90's were nostalgic for Cindy Lauper and Depeche Mode
Adults in the 2000's are nostalgic for Pearl Jam and Soundgarden

There's no money to be made selling "popular" music to people over 40 because almost by default, it will never appeal to them.
 
Last edited:

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,981
8,219
126
It's really quite simple. Most people continue to listen to what was popular during their formative teens and twenties, throughout their lives. Music appreciation and introduction to new material stagnates. Doesn't matter that something new is popular, most older people just feel that what was popular during their teens and twenties is always better than what is out today.

Adults in the 40's were nostalgic for the flapper days
Adults in the 50's were nostalgic for war time music
Adults in the 60's were nostalgic for Chuck Berry and the Big Bopper
Adults in the 70's were nostalgic for Jefferson Airplane and the Dead
Adults in the 80's were nostalgic for Cheap Trick and Allman Brothers
Adults in the 90's were nostalgic for Cindy Lauper and Depeche Mode
Adults in the 2000's are nostalgic for Pearl Jam and Soundgarden

There's no money to be made selling "popular" music to people over 40 because almost by default, it will never appeal to them.
I don't think that applies to people who are into music, but maybe to people who just want to hear some kind of noise going in the background of their lives.

Popular music just sucks anymore. It's too one dimensional. If you listened to top40 in the 80s, you were bound to hear something you liked. The styles ranged from pop to metal, with everything in between. Now, if you don't like the style du jour, you're sol. That's just about all there is. There's little musicianship anymore in popular music. It's crafted to boost an image, and to sound like the last thing that made companies money. There's exceptions, but they seem rare from what I hear around.

tl;dr
Adults don't want to hear bullshit, and music today doesn't lead to long term appreciation of music. It's disposable crap for a disposable society.
 

Veliko

Diamond Member
Feb 16, 2011
3,597
127
106
I don't think that applies to people who are into music, but maybe to people who just want to hear some kind of noise going in the background of their lives.

Popular music just sucks anymore. It's too one dimensional. If you listened to top40 in the 80s, you were bound to hear something you liked. The styles ranged from pop to metal, with everything in between. Now, if you don't like the style du jour, you're sol. That's just about all there is. There's little musicianship anymore in popular music. It's crafted to boost an image, and to sound like the last thing that made companies money. There's exceptions, but they seem rare from what I hear around.

tl;dr
Adults don't want to hear bullshit, and music today doesn't lead to long term appreciation of music. It's disposable crap for a disposable society.

The top 40 has always been full of rubbish.

The only thing that's changed is your age.
 

JimmiG

Platinum Member
Feb 24, 2005
2,024
112
106
It's all about our animal origins and instincts. Music was originally a call made by animals who want to get laid. Younger people tend to want to get laid more desperately than older people, hence younger people listen to/play more music.
 

Broheim

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2011
4,587
2
81
It's really quite simple. Most people continue to listen to what was popular during their formative teens and twenties, throughout their lives. Music appreciation and introduction to new material stagnates. Doesn't matter that something new is popular, most older people just feel that what was popular during their teens and twenties is always better than what is out today.

Adults in the 40's were nostalgic for the flapper days
Adults in the 50's were nostalgic for war time music
Adults in the 60's were nostalgic for Chuck Berry and the Big Bopper
Adults in the 70's were nostalgic for Jefferson Airplane and the Dead
Adults in the 80's were nostalgic for Cheap Trick and Allman Brothers
Adults in the 90's were nostalgic for Cindy Lauper and Depeche Mode
Adults in the 2000's are nostalgic for Pearl Jam and Soundgarden

There's no money to be made selling "popular" music to people over 40 because almost by default, it will never appeal to them.


this, old farts gonna fart old D:

when my generation gets old we'll still be listening to Calvin Harris etc. and thinking music really went down the drain with our kids' generation.
 

Thebobo

Lifer
Jun 19, 2006
18,574
7,671
136
It's really quite simple. Most people continue to listen to what was popular during their formative teens and twenties, throughout their lives.

Adults in the 70's were nostalgic for Jefferson Airplane and the Dead

There's no money to be made selling "popular" music to people over 40 because almost by default, it will never appeal to them.

I'm still nostalgic for the Jefferson Airplane and the Dead ;)
Need to move the Allman Brothers back to the 70s.
 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
14
81
I don't think that applies to people who are into music, but maybe to people who just want to hear some kind of noise going in the background of their lives.

aka people who are attracted to pop music, which is most people.

Popular music just sucks anymore. It's too one dimensional. If you listened to top40 in the 80s, you were bound to hear something you liked. The styles ranged from pop to metal, with everything in between. Now, if you don't like the style du jour, you're sol. That's just about all there is. There's little musicianship anymore in popular music. It's crafted to boost an image, and to sound like the last thing that made companies money. There's exceptions, but they seem rare from what I hear around.

Your parents said the same thing about you, and their parents, and their parents, and their parents....

But you won't find me defending today's music. I think it's shit. :)
 

Broheim

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2011
4,587
2
81
Grandpa Simpson sums it up nicely

1316544658838763.png
 

Skyclad1uhm1

Lifer
Aug 10, 2001
11,383
87
91
For kids, and especially for teens, image tends to be important. So they listen to what 'their kind' listens to, they wear what they 'should wear', and they often act and talk that way too.

Almost no one wants to be an outcast at school. The ones that choose to be an outcast usually chose to belong to a subculture instead. There's a rare few that simply do not care, but of those some still try to belong to a group out of fear of being bullied otherwise.

As adult music and clothes (if it's not too different from the norm) tends to be not that important anymore. But instead income level, type of work, mode of transportation and sports become more what the groups form around. And of course religion, although that's forced onto the kids too.
 

Eureka

Diamond Member
Sep 6, 2005
3,822
1
81
I don't think that applies to people who are into music, but maybe to people who just want to hear some kind of noise going in the background of their lives.

Popular music just sucks anymore. It's too one dimensional. If you listened to top40 in the 80s, you were bound to hear something you liked. The styles ranged from pop to metal, with everything in between. Now, if you don't like the style du jour, you're sol. That's just about all there is. There's little musicianship anymore in popular music. It's crafted to boost an image, and to sound like the last thing that made companies money. There's exceptions, but they seem rare from what I hear around.

tl;dr
Adults don't want to hear bullshit, and music today doesn't lead to long term appreciation of music. It's disposable crap for a disposable society.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2341373
I didn't like the 80s when I was there, and they haven't improved with age.


I think you just don't like pop culture in general.


Personally I find a lot of good "mainstream" music on, you just have to avoid the billboard channels and go to some of the off stations. Muse comes to mind, for sure.
 

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,480
3,601
126
I don't think that applies to people who are into music, but maybe to people who just want to hear some kind of noise going in the background of their lives.

While I have but a tiny fraction of your incredible age and oldness I agree. I'm still finding and exploring new types of music and I think the internet has been a great boon for music making it much easier to sift through the BS to find good artists and not what Clearchannel forces down your throat.

The only thing I wish for regarding the 'olden days' is that I had had something like youtube or soundcloud growing up

Ok - so I agree with you. Please....just put down the gun. I'll back away, slowly off your lawn if you just put down the gun
 

LTC8K6

Lifer
Mar 10, 2004
28,520
1,575
126
They are tired of hearing all the remakes of songs and styles from 20-30 years ago?

Movie plots too...
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
64,206
12,522
136
It's all just noise...some is more tolerable than the rest...but in the end...it's all just noise.

My wife and I were talking about this the other day. We RARELY have "the radio" on in our vehicles any more. (no, we don't own any type of MP3 players except our crappy phones...and we've never loaded a single song into either of them)
About the only music I ever listen to is classical. I prefer the soft melodies to the harsh, jangling, screaming noise that seems to pass for music nowadays. I've gotten to the point where I don't want to hear anyone "singing" in a song. Just shut your fucking pie hole and let the instruments tell the story.