Is anyone else hitting that age where they're just not up on/don't care about music like they used to be?

[GunpointMetal]

I feel like I ask my bandmates "Do you guys even like music?" about twice a month because I'm showing them stuff from ~10 years ago that they're all excited about and I just can't fathom NOT trying to listen to current stuff. I feel like if you're making music and you're not up to date with what is happening in that realm your music will always sound dated. I don't mean that in you should be copying anything just because it's new, but if your influence ended at Ashes of the Wake and your goal is to get people to listen to your music, you're going to find that most people don't care about shit that sounds like 2004.

 

[TedEH]

if you're making music and you're not up to date with what is happening in that realm your music will always sound dated

The counter point is that if you're constantly chasing trends, you might never land your niche or find a regular audience.

We recorded something last year and it was reviewed by a few people. These guys on a podcast type show talked about it for a good while and concluded that it sounded "dated" to them, it was very "2000s metal" to their ears. They didn't mean it in a positive way necessarily, but when the band met back up afterwards, one of the guys who writes the songs basically said "yeah, of course it sounds like 2000s, that's when half this stuff was written. And that's the vibe I like. And it's what I was going for. So yes. It was supposed to sound like the 2000s."

He knows what he likes, and that's what he makes. I'm the same way. I don't make music to win popularity contests, I make music because it expresses what I enjoy within that realm.

 

[GunpointMetal]

The counter point is that if you're constantly chasing trends, you might never land your niche or find a regular audience.

We recorded something last year and it was reviewed by a few people. These guys on a podcast type show talked about it for a good while and concluded that it sounded "dated" to them, it was very "2000s metal" to their ears. They didn't mean it in a positive way necessarily, but when the band met back up afterwards, one of the guys who writes the songs basically said "yeah, of course it sounds like 2000s, that's when half this stuff was written. And that's the vibe I like. And it's what I was going for. So yes. It was supposed to sound like the 2000s."

He knows what he likes, and that's what he makes. I'm the same way. I don't make music to win popularity contests, I make music because it expresses what I enjoy within that realm.

As anyone should, but there are lot of people out there that can’t handle that sounding dated limits your music to an audience that likes that sound. You shouldn’t change how you write to chase a trend, but you should definitely be aware of what kinds of sounds have people’s attention, even if it’s just from a production standpoint.

 

[tedtan]

As anyone should, but there are lot of people out there that can’t handle that sounding dated limits your music to an audience that likes that sound. You shouldn’t change how you write to chase a trend, but you should definitely be aware of what kinds of sounds have people’s attention, even if it’s just from a production standpoint.

True, but sounding like anything limits your music to an audience that likes that sound.

 

[sleewell]

41, still in a band that plays 2-3 shows a month. music is life. if i gave up finding new music and trying to make music i would feel dead inside.

 

[budda]

41, still in a band that plays 2-3 shows a month. music is life. if i gave up finding new music and trying to make music i would feel dead inside.

I think many people do feel dead inside to some extent.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Almost 58, still writing, recording, just no interest in touring anymore. The day gig pays so much better, and I am with my family daily, not sleeping in a cheap motel room with 6 other folks smelling like cigarettes and socks. Writing is my way of journaling and my catharsis on processing life, so it’s just a natural process for me. The pace is such that it’s not a grind, like the old days were, and not a struggle to survive, so the balance is perfect. I can release digitally, use proceeds from that to fund cd printing, and keep writing/record without the added strains normally associated with this trade.

 

[GunpointMetal]

True, but sounding like anything limits your music to an audience that likes that sound.

Of course, but we’re literally having a conversation about how old people don’t go out looking for new things (for the most part) so if you’re even kind of interested at expanding an audience, sounding like stuff that’s target market is now more interested in lawn care and golf club maintenance probably isn’t an advisable move.

 

[tedtan]

Of course, but we’re literally having a conversation about how old people don’t go out looking for new things (for the most part) so if you’re even kind of interested at expanding an audience, sounding like stuff that’s target market is now more interested in lawn care and golf club maintenance probably isn’t an advisable move.

I get what you’re saying, but it brings up a couple of points:

First, unless you’re going after a specific demographic market commercially, is that market the one most interested in a given style of music outside that which they typically listen? If they don’t like the dated sounding music, perhaps another demographic is a better fit.

And second, if we look to older rock acts like The Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd, they’ve done well by targeting their existing fan base rather than pursuing the latest trends. Granted, a new band playing in that general style wouldn’t have the preexisting fan base, but they may be better off targeting the fans of a nostalgia act with a similar style than going after the youth market with the current style/sound.

 

[TedEH]

So here's a philosophical question - is nostalgia "in", or this just the intersection of being old enough to have disposable money and that disposable money influencing the market? As in, maybe nostalgia was always "in", but we just weren't in the groups of people old enough to be meaningfully nostalgic at the time.

 

[Demiurge]

So here's a philosophical question - is nostalgia "in", or this just the intersection of being old enough to have disposable money and that disposable money influencing the market? As in, maybe nostalgia was always "in", but we just weren't in the groups of people old enough to be meaningfully nostalgic at the time.

IMO, nostalgia is always in- it's just that... to put it a way, the new music I listened to as a teenager is now on the "classic rock" radio station playlist.

 

[crimson]

I find old hits to be better. Stuff like Lorna Shore is only good for a couple of plays. Maybe it's the artificial ambience and super overdone production that makes it not a banger. But like you, I'll find new music like Belakor, Lorna Shore, etc and be super stoked that I have new music to listen to, and then find other old bands like Watain and Immortal with better replay value. You also have to remember that a lot of the new stuff is inspired by the old stuff, so if it's not done right, it's better to go to the root.

Take Angelmaker for instance, inspired by JFAC, All Shall Perish, and all those 2000-2010 deathcore bands.

It was a pleasure discovering them and listening to them live, but it doesn't hit the same as

 

[Drew]

42 here and I don't know if I'm "keeping up" but I'm still finding new and new to me music that I really like, I'm still playing music and writing music, and I still listen a ton.

 

[GunpointMetal]

And second, if we look to older rock acts like The Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd, they’ve done well by targeting their existing fan base rather than pursuing the latest trends. Granted, a new band playing in that general style wouldn’t have the preexisting fan base, but they may be better off targeting the fans of a nostalgia act with a similar style than going after the youth market with the current style/sound.

I'm talking about people who aren't already swimming in fans. And looking at the current trends in music, there are going to be fewer and fewer of these "lifetime legacy acts" as time goes on. And personally, I'd prefer it if there were no more Rolling Stones/Aerosmith/Pink Floyd type acts that drag on a career for 50+ years just because it's commercially viable. Like, I hope to Satan that Slipknot hangs it up before any of the members are pushing 60, lol. My points were made towards people are still searching for an audience.

As in, maybe nostalgia was always "in", but we just weren't in the groups of people old enough to be meaningfully nostalgic at the time.

That's pretty much it.

I find old hits to be better. Stuff like Lorna Shore is only good for a couple of plays. Maybe it's the artificial ambience and super overdone production that makes it not a banger. But like you, I'll find new music like Belakor, Lorna Shore, etc and be super stoked that I have new music to listen to, and then find other old bands like Watain and Immortal with better replay value. You also have to remember that a lot of the new stuff is inspired by the old stuff, so if it's not done right, it's better to go to the root.

Take Angelmaker for instance, inspired by JFAC, All Shall Perish, and all those 2000-2010 deathcore bands.

It was a pleasure discovering them and listening to them live, but it doesn't hit the same as

See, but that's all preference and IMO "rosy red glasses" syndrome. I think that Angelmaker song is better than that ASP song in just about every way, but it doesn't come with the history of a band that was there early on. I'm not one who has ever been convinced that doing something first means doing some best, though. All the respect for getting the ball rolling, but one would hope that people inspired by other artists would be seeking to expand on or perfect what inspired them.

 

[KailM]

I’m an old man at 45, but just you try to keep up with me on a bike :

My love for music has not waned one bit. I am pretty set in my ways though — I know what’s out there, and I only do metal. Pretty picky about that too. Lately I’ve been on a funeral doom kick and have been really enjoying a bunch of older stuff.

I still love playing too, but have no time for recording with three little kids and a full time career. That’ll have to wait a few more years. I’ve got time, I think.

 

[InfinityCollision]

I have a hard time saying "I like the old stuff better" for two reasons:

1) If you put a gun to my head and said make a deserted island playlist of 25 albums, probably half the ones I'd pick would come out of the past decade. There's a few that might make the list even from the past two years.
2) A lot of the stuff I listened to in past decades aged like milk to my ears, whether it's their old or new material. There's a handful of bands I got into 15+ years ago that still get regular play, but a lot of it just hasn't held up well as my tastes have continued to evolve and expand. I might go back to some of it when I'm in a particular mood, but not as part of a regular rotation. At least a third of that same deserted island playlist would come from bands I got into within the past 5 years.

I've had periods where I've been less active in seeking out new music, but never really stopped. Sometimes I end up binging a bunch of new (to me) music all at once. This year's been more active, found a lot of great music and got more saved in my backlog to dig through when I'm in the mood.

 

[TedEH]

I have a hard time saying "I like the old stuff better" for two reasons:

Hot take:
I have a hard time with "the old stuff is better" because, IMO, production gets worse the farther back you go, for the most part, and production values matter. Yeah, some older songs just hit different, I get that, but lets face it - old production sucked. Joe-Nobody with a scarlett, headphones, and free plugins who has never mixed anything in his life makes better sounding productions than we did 30+ years ago.

 

[ElysianGuitars]

Opposite for me, I'm finding more and more music in more and more genres that I love.

 

[DECEMBER]

I haven't been aware of new music in several years, besides the new stuff from bands I've been listening to since the 90s. I'm 43 and disabled, so I'm working on original music 8+ hours a day. My natural sleep cycle is ~4am-noon, so I'm in the studio until noise curfew in my apartment, every day, so I don't really have time to listen to any other music. And I intentionally fast from other people's music when I'm in a creative phase, to keep myself free from any external influence.

 

[jaxadam]

I’m an old man at 45, but just you try to keep up with me on a bike :
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My love for music has not waned one bit. I am pretty set in my ways though — I know what’s out there, and I only do metal. Pretty picky about that too. Lately I’ve been on a funeral doom kick and have been really enjoying a bunch of older stuff.

I still love playing too, but have no time for recording with three little kids and a full time career. That’ll have to wait a few more years. I’ve got time, I think.

Shred the gnar!