Why do we stop listening to new music as we get older?

I just can't find much new music that catches my interest.Oh how I wish I could

One of my favorite radio stations is local WTMD - Towson State, MD - college radio.  I grew up in the 1970’s listening to WUSF “The Underground Railroad” outta Tampa, FL, and KFAT 94.5 Gilroy, CA, then others like Bayern 3 München or whatever country uncle sam sent me to for many years. Sure, some of the sounds can be annoying, but I find some things are still satisfying, and with digital services I can buy what I want, mix and match, not have to buy the whole record although I do sometimes.

Local college radio station WTMD is great for sampling. I use ENCORE app a LOT to figure out what’s playing (if I can’t log on for the playlist).

At 66, I’ve collected nearly everything Stephen Wilson and Porcupine tree, God is an Astronaut (my son and I went to one of their shows in DC 3 years ago, SRO and my arthritic knees are still complaining but it was awesome), we saw Forever the Sickest Kids a few years earlier, All Time Low, and I also have Jazz going back to 1920s (oldest LP is from 1949). I probably own 20 King Crimson LP’s, a dozen Todd Rundgren, then most of Flash, Genesis, Humble Pie, dozens of Shelley Manne, Miles Davis and  I rarely miss listening to Hot Jazz Saturday Night on WAMU FM or streaming, too.

My musical tastes are, one might say, a little eclectic.

I think this really depends on the spirit of the person. Some people are like that with books, too. 

I got that way with television though years ago. In the words of my neighbor Herr Hermann Hegele (a one-time medic in WW1) regarding TV “das is Mist” (“mist” being local slang for the liquified human waste sprayed on farms). 

But music, even 18th century performances of old dead white guys, never gets old, only we do.

Most people that I know in my age group do not listen to new music at all.  That is not me.

Streaming has enabled me me discover lots of music that is new to me.  That includes brand new releases, new artists, and older music that I have not listened listened to. 

Discovering new music is far more important to me than the minutia fo tweaking the sound quality of the music systems in my home.  Roon's ability to play or suggest new music to me has enhanced my music enjoyment far more than any gear upgrades that I have made.  To me, it is all about the music..

Modern music is rubbish compared with yore

Some chap analysed it and found it was repetative, more simple and less of everything

Funny..

As raised previously was the question as to what constitutes ‘new music’.  I bet that many of you consider ‘new’ to be the same as the old, but a different version, or unheard artist.  So, new doesn’t really introduce you to a substantially different experience.  There is a reason the music is repetitive.  It’s much easier to sell what has proven to be popular.  Much of the music that I listen to is more entertaining on video.  The outfits,  choreography and dance add so much to the performance.  I put a good bit of money into my home theater, but the experience would be so much better if it were on the same level as my two channel listening room.

My experience is probably similar to many of you.  In my teens with the British Invasion and the Beatles changing the sound of rock and roll, I was entranced.  I became passionate about music.  Most of my friends were the same.  I explored jazz, blues, British blues, progressive rock, bought cut-outs for 99 cents each and 4 for a buck on sale just to hear… NEW.  My reinforcing social/music circle of high-school buddies continued and actually strengthen in college as part time jobs funded our first audiophile equipment where the sound was fantastic.  There was guidance from the ether too.  All through high school and college, local progressive rock disc jockeys reinforced and broadened The Journey.   One DJ in particular would play the Jefferson Airplane, and then the next tune was an obscure cut off a Dave Brubeck album he liked.  New music!   Always discovering, always searching for the next heavenly sound.

When the national media corporations took over in the mid to late 70s, everything was different.  Top 40 was it, Top 40 was all.  DJs no longer could play what they liked, they had to play what corporate marketing research told them to play, and nothing else.  This came at a time when my social circle began to disintegrate and spread out across the country as we all got jobs, families and careers.  We got busy.  Too busy to sit back and just listen except in the car.    But there wasn’t anything to listen to new in the car and our circle was gone.    Plus, some of us got wives who absolutely refused to accept speakers and wires and a bunch of black boxes in the living room. Change.

With all of the changes, my ability to find new music and interesting artists, even with satellite radio in the car, was diminished substantially.  Besides, what could I play it on as my stereo was now limited to a small home office with smaller speakers that I really didn’t like and an amp that sucked.  Music didn’t matter anymore.   it was just something in the background keeping me company.

Then came streaming (for me two years ago) along with YouTube audio reviewers, a new circle element had formed, it was basically one-way, but hey, you can’t have everything.  I learned about this from one of my old high school friends whom I still speak with semi regularly even though we are a thousand miles apart.  He suggested I watch a video from John Darko.  I have always been open to new technology and streaming and servers (I love databases) seemed like something I would like.  Technology brought me back.  The You Tubers have replaced the local DJ and streaming has opened up the world of music like nothing ever has.  I am now listening to genres that I never knew existed a couple years ago, much less hearing them.  And I am back in love with music and the audiophile journey towards the perfect sound.  BTW, I now have two systems, one in my office for experimentation and one in my great room.  Things change.