I'd like to add to Herman's comment there's also allmusic.com which gives you the opportunity to listen to parts of songs right there in the privacy of your home before committing to buy.
As far as mandatory retirement goes, in a free market economy one may produce as long as fans buy the product; retirement happens naturally if they don't. Many of the artists I like are so eclectic, most listeners would probably feel these artists should've never been given a tape recorder in the first place. I find it interesting when I have a negative reaction to a piece of music: Sometimes I'll listen to the end, just to analyze what it is that bugs me. As result this has opened my mind and I can enjoy tunes from a spectrum as diverse as Lawrence Welk, Mantovani on one end and the Residents, the Shaggs and Trumans Water on the other. I try not let myself be influenced by anything other than my ears. That said, I'm extremely discriminating when it comes to my favorite music, but I hold no grudge against the chaff. I just ignore it.
As far as mandatory retirement goes, in a free market economy one may produce as long as fans buy the product; retirement happens naturally if they don't. Many of the artists I like are so eclectic, most listeners would probably feel these artists should've never been given a tape recorder in the first place. I find it interesting when I have a negative reaction to a piece of music: Sometimes I'll listen to the end, just to analyze what it is that bugs me. As result this has opened my mind and I can enjoy tunes from a spectrum as diverse as Lawrence Welk, Mantovani on one end and the Residents, the Shaggs and Trumans Water on the other. I try not let myself be influenced by anything other than my ears. That said, I'm extremely discriminating when it comes to my favorite music, but I hold no grudge against the chaff. I just ignore it.