Do. you mainly listen to the music of your youth?

[unicorn]

We're halfway through a 2-week cruise, on a voyage where most of the guests are in their 70s and 80s (neither of us is). The evening entertainment consists mainly of shows containing music of the 70s and 80s, when most of the guests would have been in their youths. There doesn't seem to be any music from the last 30 years. Well, I'm in my early 60s, yet I usually listen to more contemporary music. Yes, sometimes I listen to music from my youth, but less often. I don't necessarily listen to every latest song, but I prefer listening to more current singers. Obviously, the cruise line tries to cater to its target passenger, but is it really the case that older people aren't interested in what's currently playing? Am I unusual in having interests in recent hits, in addition to older music?

I have an old (well, very old) friend who was born in 1919 (as of last December, at least, she was still alive). She lives on the opposite coast, and when we got together we would enjoy going to jazz clubs together. It wasn't until my husband and I met her that we mused "Well, I guess that's the music which was popular in her youth!". Do you older men mostly enjoy the music from when you were young, or do you more often listen to the latest hits?

[floridarob]

I listen to whatever, except for Rap..... I almost always hang around people a lot younger than me. 

[Keithambrose]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

I listen to whatever, except for Rap..... I almost always hang around people a lot younger than me. 

I would like to listen to the music of my youth, but as I like Bach, Beethoven,  etc, it's difficult......

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, floridarob said:

I listen to whatever, except for Rap..... 

replace Rap with Jazz in sentence above and you have me also I still maintain that best music is silence as it's kind of quiet

If I'm in need to good music I just sing, no need to technology

7 hours ago, Keithambrose said:

I would like to listen to the music of my youth, but as I like Bach,

it must be his older brother as I went to school with Bach but as you know I'm an inch younger than you

[fedssocr]

I think most people have their musical tastes set in their teens and early 20s.

I like a variety of things and really enjoy live music. I think my taste is a particular kind of guitar sound that was popular in my university days and still lives on today. So I listen to current artists as well as things from the 80s and even 70s. I do enjoy discovering new artists. YouTube Music has some good tools for recommending things based on what you like.

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, fedssocr said:

I think most people have their musical tastes set in their teens and early 20s.

I suspect this is true. For my own part my popular favourites have almost always been from those years and I have snapped up CD compilations whenever I come across them (I guess most people do still know what a CD is LOL). Occasionally I like more modern artists - Freddie Mercury and Queen, the Pet Shop Boys, The Village People and others at the start of the disco craze like Donna Summer. The one contemporary artiste I enoy and really admire is Taylor Swift. 

But with time on my hands, I'm with @Keithambrose. I'll also listen to Bach, Schumann, Wagner and a host of other classical composers as well as pianists and other top instrumentalists.

[BjornAgain]

5 hours ago, fedssocr said:

I think most people have their musical tastes set in their teens and early 20s...

I would strongly support this concept, I worked in the UK and Australian music industries in the early to mid 80's, and artists and bands from that era are still top of my playlist.

As those artists have matured I've followed their careers, most have 'retired early', but a few are still producing great music into their 70's or older. I would argue Peter Gabriel's I/O album of last year was his best ever, admittedly 12 years in the making, but still pushing boundaries, unlike the Strolling Gnomes who continue to flog a dead horse.

The other thing with the 70's and 80's artists and bands is their musicianship when playing live, a revenue that's maintained many a lifestyle. Having worked the pubs in the early 80's there was choice galore for live music, today, hardly ever.

Music shows still dominate TV, however in the UK now there's only one show giving artists a break, namely 'Later...', the Simon Cowell shows are heavily produced, so that whatever talent, emotion, songwriting and performance conform to their format rather than the direction the debuting artist wishes to promote.

Having said that, I try and keep my ear to the ground, but not much grabs my intention. 

[unicorn]

Interesting. I guess I'm the exception rather than the rule in that my favorite artists these days are Sabrina Carpenter, Lizzo, Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, and the like. And I suppose that explains why these cruises never have any music from the 21st Century...

[fedssocr]

15 hours ago, BjornAgain said:

I would strongly support this concept, I worked in the UK and Australian music industries in the early to mid 80's, and artists and bands from that era are still top of my playlist.

As those artists have matured I've followed their careers, most have 'retired early', but a few are still producing great music into their 70's or older. I would argue Peter Gabriel's I/O album of last year was his best ever, admittedly 12 years in the making, but still pushing boundaries, unlike the Strolling Gnomes who continue to flog a dead horse.

The other thing with the 70's and 80's artists and bands is their musicianship when playing live, a revenue that's maintained many a lifestyle. Having worked the pubs in the early 80's there was choice galore for live music, today, hardly ever.

Music shows still dominate TV, however in the UK now there's only one show giving artists a break, namely 'Later...', the Simon Cowell shows are heavily produced, so that whatever talent, emotion, songwriting and performance conform to their format rather than the direction the debuting artist wishes to promote.

Having said that, I try and keep my ear to the ground, but not much grabs my intention. 

I'm a big fan of those artists as well. Hoodoo Gurus still going strong...or going strong again. They still put on a hell of a show