Will young people ever like old music?

[marcapra]

I guess "old music" now could be considered the music of the Beatles! Did any of you see this clip from the after Grammy show party, where Paul McCartney was turned away from a young rap star's party! Paul handled the rejection very well I thought, with humor. I don't really know why he would want to attend a 26 year old's party anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKKgryvmDMw

[Wolfe]

I was young once. I am 60 now. I liked old music and records when I was in elementary school.
Some of my peers thought it was stupid and geeky, other thought the music was pretty cool.
I seem to remember at the time there was a sort of revival of 1920s music.

60 is generally considered still young these days. It's not your grandpa's 60.

I was the same. Started buying 78's in late grade school with what little pocket money I had. You cold pick records up for 10 cents or 25 cents. Played them on my little suitcase portable - things like the Victor Light Opera Co. - which didn't go down very well with anyone I knew. No one my age thought it was cool. Mainly just saw it as weird.

[benjaminh]

In all seriousness, I have NEVER purposefully listened to music(?) written after 1960, with most music I listen to being prior to 1930...
I love the music of 1850-1935 and can never get enough of it, and I am 16...

[Cody K]

...Paul McCartney was turned away from a young rap star's party! Paul handled the rejection very well I thought, with humor. I don't really know why he would want to attend a 26 year old's party anyway.

...Which brings us full circle, to an even more ancient question: Will old people ever like young music?

Pretty sure the answer to both questions is, some will, most won't. Old folks (like me!) have been exposed to many kinds of music over many years, and pretty well know what we like by now -- though keeping at least a cursory willingness to listen to and evaluate what's new is probably a good policy. Because of their immersion in new technologies, most young folks these days are bombarded with brand new sounds day in and day out, and the dominant culture doesn't give them many opportunities to look back at old sounds. That's where people like us, who really like old music, come in -- we can give younger people the benefit of long experience by sharing the old stuff with them when we can. Few will be exposed to it otherwise. Some will like it, most won't -- just like people in our own age groups. It's a niche market at best.

In the couple of years I've been around here, several teenaged members have joined the forum, and they add a lot to it. So there are clearly some young people who like old music, and as they get older they'll be the ones who keep the old music and machines alive. What we can do is -- everything we can to encourage them, and others like them.

[Phonoboy]

...Paul McCartney was turned away from a young rap star's party! Paul handled the rejection very well I thought, with humor. I don't really know why he would want to attend a 26 year old's party anyway.

...Which brings us full circle, to an even more ancient question: Will old people ever like young music?

Pretty sure the answer to both questions is, some will, most won't. Old folks (like me!) have been exposed to many kinds of music over many years, and pretty well know what we like by now -- though keeping at least a cursory willingness to listen to and evaluate what's new is probably a good policy. Because of their immersion in new technologies, most young folks these days are bombarded with brand new sounds day in and day out, and the dominant culture doesn't give them many opportunities to look back at old sounds. That's where people like us, who really like old music, come in -- we can give younger people the benefit of long experience by sharing the old stuff with them when we can. Few will be exposed to it otherwise. Some will like it, most won't -- just like people in our own age groups. It's a niche market at best.

In the couple of years I've been around here, several teenaged members have joined the forum, and they add a lot to it. So there are clearly some young people who like old music, and as they get older they'll be the ones who keep the old music and machines alive. What we can do is -- everything we can to encourage them, and others like them.

Well put.

[FloridaClay]

And you might as well also ask "Will old people ever like old music?" The answer is the same as it is for younger people. Some will and some won't. I am now, as they say, in those "golden years" and most of my contemporaries think my love of old phonographs and old records is nuts and get that long-suffering look in their eyes when I set about demonstrating them.

The answer is to keep demonstrating our stuff, as some of you do on scales large and small. Some people of all ages will roll their eyes, but now and then you will see eyes light up and someone will get it. That makes all the difference.

A recent time that happened for me was with an older repairman and his young apprentice who came here to repair an appliance. The older man could care less. The younger one wanted to know what my old phonographs were and got a broad smile on his face when I demonstrated one and began to ask questions until his boss shut him up.

And may I gently add one more note. We have some fine young people who are beginning to get excited about the hobby and come here to learn. And then they see some post denigrating young people and their tastes--not this post I hasten to add, but something that happens far too often. Then they naturally feel insulted and they go away. Could we please, please, please NOT do that!

Clay

[VintageTechnologies]

There will always be a few people of the intellect and natural curiosity to explore not only the present world, but also what came before it. I don't collect for nostalgia, because most of that stuff came and went well before my time.

It has been my longstanding opinion that maybe 5% of music from any era is really good and stands the test of time, while the remainder is cheap imitations or dreck.

[billybob62]

It is my humble opinion that most of today's "music" is written to be filler/muzak kind of crap written to saturate the crummy tv shows and movies and to make the development of musical taste a total disaster. It kinda goes with going around all day with a big gulp in hand.
The other part of todays music is the people they get to sing such old tunes as the SS Banner and/or Amazing Grace. Most of them have no comprehension of what the songs are about.
This may offend some but in today's world IMHO Silence is Golden.
Bah Humbug.

[Cassiebug23]

I'm 27 and I love it, although 27 isn't *young* per se, I suppose. I'm a huge fan of Billy Murray and think he's absolutely hilarious.

[Lucius1958]

Well, if young people didn't sometimes like old music, would we ever have had the Early Music revival?

Besides, folks have been lamenting the downfall of music for a long time:

What is the cau∫e, my Dear-Renowned Lute
That art of late ∫o Silent and ∫o Mute?

The World is grown ∫o Slight, full of New Fangles,
And takes their chief Delight in Jingle-Jangles.

-Thomas Mace, Musick's Monument (1676)

Bill