SirRoxalot said:
Let's face it, in Buffalo you could pick almost anything pre-1964 and put it on this list.
I think that applies to many markets and although it is sad...for many of us posting, it's an era we can remember...isn't it just the natural progression of things?
Over time, as people age and music moves on, the music we grew up with transitions into the background and eventually off the stage of pop culture. Al Ham gave new life to pre-rock pop and post-rock MOR with his "Music Of Your Life" format, but that was largely a product of the 80's and to a lesser extent, the 90's. The first MOYL stations went on some 30 years ago. Do the math. Much of Al Ham's original target has aged out and died off.
In the 80's, oldies stations became stuck in the 60's...certainly nothing newer than 1972. I see this as due to three factors: 1) the quality of the music itself, 2) the baby boomers who identified with that music, 3) the research. And many reacted to fill the growing void between past and present with Classic Rock, Classic Hits and their variations. It helped us deny the inevitable march of time.
Only over the past decade has the oldies format gone back to being a reflection of the hits of a couple generations ago...i.e. the 70's and 80's now...I'd argue the new MOYL is "True Oldies", which will be the repository for pre-64 and 60's music until we too become too few to support it. However, one major difference I see moving forward...is because many teens today enjoy certain pockets of the harder 60's music (Doors/Zeppelin/Hendrix/Beatles et.al.) as surely as they have their current favorites...I don't see post-'64 music going completely away for quite some time.
Elvis would be 75 now...Chuck Berry 78. Springsteen turns 61 in September. Doo-wop is now on PBS specials...Spencer Davis was background music for TV spots with Dennis Hopper hawking investing for your retirement with Ameriprise. Time marches on and I for one am thankful to have arrived on this earth when I did.
Final thought (sorry to have gotten so ponderous): I heard the new Eminem/Rihanna duet yesterday. If Mr. Mathers is going to ever cross over to Hot AC, this will be the song to do it. Another boundary crossed. Another generation of songs rendered uncool for their current formats, and moving onto older formats. And another generation of hits not being played on radio anymore.