How will an oldies station in 2038 sound like?

[nd2023]

If many oldies stations are playing the late 60s-early 80s, imagine what they'll be playing about 30 years from now. It seems like not many of today's hits fit the "oldies" format as we know it. While the songs will technically be oldies, will the format be named differently? And what about the current oldies from the 50s-70s? Will those be played at all in the future? I will feel old when the songs I liked in high school are played on the oldies station.

 

[Matt]

I think we would be VERY surprised at how many of the songs we call oldies will still be around in 2038. I can remember most of the 60's, at least enough to know that almost no records from the 1920's and 30's were being played on the radio then. There were records pressed in the 20's and 30's, but all of them were on 78 rpm platters and very fragile. Most of radio had moved on to 45's, 33's and carts by then, and none of the record companies were remastering those 78's into more "modern" playback formats.

Today, recordings made 40 or 50 years ago are routinely played on the radio. The difference is that nearly every song of significance in those years has been remastered to CD's and digitized to store in computers. The material is not only accessible to broadcasters, but appreciated by new generations of listeners.

Besides, if we don't tell succeeding generations that those songs are "oldies", why would they care how long ago they were recorded. Good music is good music is good music. As long as the songs are accessible, they will be appreciated by many generations to come.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV

 

[firepoint525]

I think we would be VERY surprised at how many of the songs we call oldies will still be around in 2038. I can remember most of the 60's, at least enough to know that almost no records from the 1920's and 30's were being played on the radio then. There were records pressed in the 20's and 30's, but all of them were on 78 rpm platters and very fragile. Most of radio had moved on to 45's, 33's and carts by then, and none of the record companies were remastering those 78's into more "modern" playback formats.

Kind of a hard analogy to make, due to the fact that during the '20s and '30s, music had to be played live in the studio by a "big band" because recordings weren't licensed to be played on the air yet. Also many radio stations during the '20s and '30s were carrying radio dramas, many of which later translated to television as "soap operas." Radio didn't really even start playing music until they were forced to (by default) in the 1950s. So the first "golden age of radio" (at least as far as music is concerned) was the 1950s.

 

[Joey1986]

I wonder the same thing about an oldies station in the year 2525, if man is still alive.

 

[OldNumber7]

I think we would be VERY surprised at how many of the songs we call oldies will still be around in 2038. I can remember most of the 60's, at least enough to know that almost no records from the 1920's and 30's were being played on the radio then. There were records pressed in the 20's and 30's, but all of them were on 78 rpm platters and very fragile. Most of radio had moved on to 45's, 33's and carts by then, and none of the record companies were remastering those 78's into more "modern" playback formats.

Kind of a hard analogy to make, due to the fact that during the '20s and '30s, music had to be played live in the studio by a "big band" because recordings weren't licensed to be played on the air yet. Also many radio stations during the '20s and '30s were carrying radio dramas, many of which later translated to television as "soap operas." Radio didn't really even start playing music until they were forced to (by default) in the 1950s. So the first "golden age of radio" (at least as far as music is concerned) was the 1950s.

That's not entirely true. The mid-30s saw the rise of "The Make Believe Ballroom" shows on both coasts, in which radio hosts played 78 RPM discs of swing music on the air. That sort of gave birth to the whole idea of being a disc jockey, and it spread to other formats very quickly -- once ASCAP and the industry came to terms on licensing recordings for use on the air (especially at smaller stations that didn't have network affiliations for live dance shows and dramas).

 

[OldNumber7]

I think we would be VERY surprised at how many of the songs we call oldies will still be around in 2038. I can remember most of the 60's, at least enough to know that almost no records from the 1920's and 30's were being played on the radio then. There were records pressed in the 20's and 30's, but all of them were on 78 rpm platters and very fragile. Most of radio had moved on to 45's, 33's and carts by then, and none of the record companies were remastering those 78's into more "modern" playback formats.

Today, recordings made 40 or 50 years ago are routinely played on the radio. The difference is that nearly every song of significance in those years has been remastered to CD's and digitized to store in computers. The material is not only accessible to broadcasters, but appreciated by new generations of listeners.

Besides, if we don't tell succeeding generations that those songs are "oldies", why would they care how long ago they were recorded. Good music is good music is good music. As long as the songs are accessible, they will be appreciated by many generations to come.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV

I think you bring up an interesting point. Some music of the last 50 years has proved to be "timeless" (e.g. Elvis, Beatles) and is getting passed down from the baby boomers to the next generation. But the fragmentation of pop music into niche formats during the past 30 years dramatically reduces the mass appeal potential of newer music. This fragmentation is already evident in the lukewarm reaction given to 80s and 90s formats in recent years. It seems contemporary music is continually becoming more momentary, individual and disposable. If this trend continues, I'm not sure there will be much of a market in the future for stations that play older music. What we can't predict, of course, is whether there will be a revolutionary new sound that will enthrall and unite a generation the way rock did for the boomers. That said, I think a bigger question should be: Will radio stations play music in 2038, or will there even be radio stations as we currently understand them? My teenage daughter almost never listens to radio; most of her musical awareness comes from word of mouth from friends on myspace.

 

[amfmsw]

Think of a salami, pastrami, kraut and limberger chese sandwich on rye with extra mayonaise and tomatoes left on the car dashboard in the summer sun and a bag of 50 clams in the glove box and soiled diapers stuffed under the seat, with the windows rolled up, for 6 days. That's what oldies radio will sound like...just like that will smell.

 

[nd2023]

One reason for the fragmentation of music is new technology. In the 50s-70s, there was only AM, FM wasn't popular, and there were only a few AM stations that played top 40, and they all competed with each other. Those AM stations were heard in a large region at night, and people listened to top 40 radio from cities all over the country. Back then, request lines were flooded because requesting a song on the radio was the only way to hear it on demand if you don't have the record.
Then came FM, and soon there were more stations on the dial. People discovered that FM sounds much better than AM, and so they moved over to the FM stations. FM had different formats and didn't have to appeal to a mass audience.
And then came cable TV, and with that, MTV. MTV redefined top 40 music because it was the only channel for music videos (yes, they actually played music on MTV)
The 80s and 90s had much more music styles, and one style could not appeal to everyone. In the late 90s and 00s, Internet radio and satellite radio boomed, and those provide radio stations of every niche. Then, the iPod was invented, and since music downloading was popular, people made their own playlists only including songs they like, and stopped listening to the radio.
Now, HD radio is trying to double the number of FM stations and revive AM, but it won't succeed because the technology is flawed. When Internet radio comes into most cars, traditional AM/FM radio will lose most of its listeners. Some radio stations will thrive because of their webstream.
In 2038, AM radio will probably be all digital, and most AM/FM radio will play the "oldies" of the 90s, 00s, and early 10s. The people who like the 50s-70s will have Internet stations playing oldies from those decades. The young generation will like some of those hits too (and they'll be legal to download because the copyright would expire). iPods would be able to hold terabytes of music. One thing radio always has an advantage over iPods is that it has personality.
I cringe at the day when the music I liked in high school will be played on the oldies station.

 

[palalwanabe]

Good One!! Mastaclocksetta "In the year 2525" .........a couple of potential cuts are "Martian Hop" and "Flying Saucers Rock N' Roll".....maybe even Buchannon and Goodman's "Flying Saucers Pt 1 and 2".

Since the experts have written off the Boomers(I'm 61.5) even today, by 2018 there may be no 50's and 60's on the air, much less 2038.

 

[FRR]

In 2038 early boomers will be nearing 100 yrs of age. Youngest ones will be 80 or so. For the ones that are still around, they won't be doing radio, but listening to their music library on an ipod the size of a dime.

 

[palalwanabe]

91.5 to be exact. Which will include the following born in 1946:
myself (9/2/46)
Donald Trump -Liza Minnelli - Oliver Stone - Alan Rickman-George Bush -Bill Clinton-Linda Rondstadt
Sly Stone - Dolly Parton-Laura Bush - Susan Sommers -Patti Smith - Diane Keaton -Sally Field - Susan Sarandon
Tommy Lee Jones -Gilda Radner -Jimmy Buffett.

and let's hope that the Rolling Stones Have retired by then.

 

[semoochie]

...probably not Gilda.

 

[firepoint525]

I think we would be VERY surprised at how many of the songs we call oldies will still be around in 2038. I can remember most of the 60's, at least enough to know that almost no records from the 1920's and 30's were being played on the radio then. There were records pressed in the 20's and 30's, but all of them were on 78 rpm platters and very fragile. Most of radio had moved on to 45's, 33's and carts by then, and none of the record companies were remastering those 78's into more "modern" playback formats.

Kind of a hard analogy to make, due to the fact that during the '20s and '30s, music had to be played live in the studio by a "big band" because recordings weren't licensed to be played on the air yet. Also many radio stations during the '20s and '30s were carrying radio dramas, many of which later translated to television as "soap operas." Radio didn't really even start playing music until they were forced to (by default) in the 1950s. So the first "golden age of radio" (at least as far as music is concerned) was the 1950s.

That's not entirely true. The mid-30s saw the rise of "The Make Believe Ballroom" shows on both coasts, in which radio hosts played 78 RPM discs of swing music on the air. That sort of gave birth to the whole idea of being a disc jockey, and it spread to other formats very quickly -- once ASCAP and the industry came to terms on licensing recordings for use on the air (especially at smaller stations that didn't have network affiliations for live dance shows and dramas).

But was the music from the '20s and '30s still being played on the radio in the '60s, to the extent that music from the '60s is being played now? I think not.

 

[radiobop]

Alas...the last terrestrial radio station signed off for the final time as of February 9, 2015, when station WDUM flipped the off switch on its transmitter...the end of an era. Death of the once popular broadcast service which began commercially in the United States in 1920, was attributed to lack of interest by any of the 500 million citizens of the US, particularly those under the age of 80 who, for the most part, don't even know what the formerly government-sanctioned and now obsolete broadcast services AM or FM stood for. Death of the medium is primarily attributed to the ubiquitous iPod, a device conceived by Steve Jobs of former computer manufacturer Apple Computer on which every teenager carried his entire music collection with him. Apple Computer eventually transformed into Jobs Music which by 2012 had acquired the complete catalog of every remaining record label and now is the sole worldwide licensee of all music ever written or produced. Also, the former Clear Channel Communications company is considered by broadcast historians as a secondary contributor to the downfall of radio broadcast services due to the company's disregard for local programming and its extreme cutback in services in the mid 2000s and the fact that the infamous Bush 2 adminstration ignored the public service dictates that had always required broadcasters in previous years to meet minimum service standards.

Today with WiMax5 available everywhere and all media transmitted via wireless Internet2, broadcast transmitters are a relic as their operating costs became prohibitive with electricity at over a $1.00 per kwh years ago. WDUM was one of the few stations to be fully powered by a combination of dedicated solar and wind power generating equipment which are now obsolete as well since the availability of atomic battery packs in 2014.

 

[Don62]

But the fragmentation of pop music into niche formats during the past 30 years dramatically reduces the mass appeal potential of newer music. This fragmentation is already evident in the lukewarm reaction given to 80s and 90s formats in recent years. It seems contemporary music is continually becoming more momentary, individual and disposable. If this trend continues, I'm not sure there will be much of a market in the future for stations that play older music.

I don't think anything from the late 80s onward will be heard regularly on radio, much less in its own format as the 50s, 60s and 70s were.

Look what happened to AOR stations during the mid to late 80s. Given the lack of quality music, most went to "classic rock" or some hybrids of few currents and mostly older tunes.

If the suits running Crap Ch. continue, the ones that view a person behind a microphone as only a drag on their supposed right to make millions, and rely on automation, VTing and syndicated fare, then radio will likely die a lot sooner than some are predicting in this thread.

If radio's bosses can't find a way to serve it's most loyal customers (those "older" demos that apologists here routinely diss), you think they'll be any more adapt at attracting millions of listeners in the future?

You know, like a store that sells products to a wide variety of customers, from the young to the old. The products marketed to the older "demos" aren't dicatated to pay for the rest of the store's profit (like Oldies radio stations are).

I think any other consumer products co. would be crazy to insult its core buyers. It would lose most of its sales. Younger "demos" aren't going to view favorably aging "brands."

I'm sure Mr. Expert, David, will chime in and correct everybody by saying that's the way it's supposed to work.

 

[OldNumber7]

But the fragmentation of pop music into niche formats during the past 30 years dramatically reduces the mass appeal potential of newer music. This fragmentation is already evident in the lukewarm reaction given to 80s and 90s formats in recent years. It seems contemporary music is continually becoming more momentary, individual and disposable. If this trend continues, I'm not sure there will be much of a market in the future for stations that play older music.

I don't think anything from the late 80s onward will be heard regularly on radio, much less in its own format as the 50s, 60s and 70s were.

Look what happened to AOR stations during the mid to late 80s. Given the lack of quality music, most went to "classic rock" or some hybrids of few currents and mostly older tunes.

If the suits running Crap Ch. continue, the ones that view a person behind a microphone as only a drag on their supposed right to make millions, and rely on automation, VTing and syndicated fare, then radio will likely die a lot sooner than some are predicting in this thread.

If radio's bosses can't find a way to serve it's most loyal customers (those "older" demos that apologists here routinely diss), you think they'll be any more adapt at attracting millions of listeners in the future?

You know, like a store that sells products to a wide variety of customers, from the young to the old. The products marketed to the older "demos" aren't dicatated to pay for the rest of the store's profit (like Oldies radio stations are).

I think any other consumer products co. would be crazy to insult its core buyers. It would lose most of its sales. Younger "demos" aren't going to view favorably aging "brands."

I'm sure Mr. Expert, David, will chime in and correct everybody by saying that's the way it's supposed to work.

My view is a bit different. First, let's set aside the discussion of changing musical tastes because that's a different discussion than the future of radio. I believe, for the foreseeable future, there will be a significant share of the population that wants a passive audio entertainment/information experience. They don't want to be bothered with loading iPods or making complex decisions about what to hear or where to get it. But they still want the audio while they are driving or working or doing other things. That means there will still be a place for "broadcasting" (whether that's AM, FM or new wireless technology is immaterial). The problem is that this still sizable share of potential audience has been shrinking and radio owners have had to play defense to keep from losing their slice of the pie. The recent business model was "buy up most of the licenses in the market to keep them out of the hands of competitors, then cut costs at most of them to protect the most valuable." It's a symptom of too many stations chasing too few listeners and ad dollars. Clear Channel and the others aren't the cause of this; they are playing the game by the rules that now exist in the market. If reregulation is the answer (and I'm not sure it is) then the FCC has to thin the herd -- shutting down smaller AM and FM licensees (and permanently closing those frequencies) that crowd the dials and have stalemated their bigger brothers. Those that remain will be in a better cash position to offer more stimulating entertainment and information programming. There's a lot more to this concept than I can type here, but the point is the long tail of radio choices has created a sea of mediocrity.

 

[Don62]

It's a symptom of too many stations chasing too few listeners and ad dollars. Clear Channel and the others aren't the cause of this; they are playing the game by the rules that now exist in the market. If reregulation is the answer (and I'm not sure it is) then the FCC has to thin the herd -- shutting down smaller AM and FM licensees (and permanently closing those frequencies) that crowd the dials and have stalemated their bigger brothers. Those that remain will be in a better cash position to offer more stimulating entertainment and information programming. There's a lot more to this concept than I can type here, but the point is the long tail of radio choices has created a sea of mediocrity.

To benefit just the big boys? They're the ones that have darn nearly ruined radio.

The FCC should immediately reinstate caps on local market ownership, good and important rules that prevent monopolists from dominating certain markets - as CC does in talk in some areas. Strip them to 2 stations per band or something similar.

Just that step alone could help reinvigorate radio, by opening "the public airwaves" to more operators and hence more employment, provided the robber barons don't inflate the stations prices they're ordered to sell. That would then, as is now, keep most competition at bay.

For too long the FCC has been a "captured" agency, one that acts primarily in the interest of the industry it's supposed to regulate.

Regulation isn't a bad word. There's a reason for it. We don't want just one airline or one radio company, no matter what some blind apologists on these boards blather.

 

[classic_rocker]

I will more than likely be dead by then, thank God, and so will radio. But look on the bright side young ones gas will be $20 per gallon and tou can have a summer hose in Iceland.

 

[OldNumber7]

It's a symptom of too many stations chasing too few listeners and ad dollars. Clear Channel and the others aren't the cause of this; they are playing the game by the rules that now exist in the market. If reregulation is the answer (and I'm not sure it is) then the FCC has to thin the herd -- shutting down smaller AM and FM licensees (and permanently closing those frequencies) that crowd the dials and have stalemated their bigger brothers. Those that remain will be in a better cash position to offer more stimulating entertainment and information programming. There's a lot more to this concept than I can type here, but the point is the long tail of radio choices has created a sea of mediocrity.

To benefit just the big boys? They're the ones that have darn nearly ruined radio.

The FCC should immediately reinstate caps on local market ownership, good and important rules that prevent monopolists from dominating certain markets - as CC does in talk in some areas. Strip them to 2 stations per band or something similar.

Just that step alone could help reinvigorate radio, by opening "the public airwaves" to more operators and hence more employment, provided the robber barons don't inflate the stations prices they're ordered to sell. That would then, as is now, keep most competition at bay.

For too long the FCC has been a "captured" agency, one that acts primarily in the interest of the industry it's supposed to regulate.

Regulation isn't a bad word. There's a reason for it. We don't want just one airline or one radio company, no matter what some blind apologists on these boards blather.

I failed to make a key point more clearly: The radio waves are an old school form of bandwidth and won't be competitive when the next generation of wireless Internet radio becomes cheaper (or likely free) and becomes a ubiquitous means of broadcasting to homes, offices and cars. The technology exists now (and will be made easier to use and more reliable soon) it's just a question of getting the masses to use it. Once that happens, licensing the public airwaves will go the way of Howard Johnson's. All I offer above is a short-term, stop-gap until that day comes, (maybe in the next ten years?).

 

[oldies76]

SCARY THOUGHT!!

I guess the "oldies" of 2038..would be "Lose Yourself" by Enimen and all the current "gangsta" rap, songs by Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mya..etc..

If you played the Beatles, Stones, CCR, Stylistics, Bee Gees, Boston, Any Disco, Supremes, Temps, 4 Tops, Contours, Simon & Garfunkel..or even Steffenwolf, Cream & Ben E. King, Michael Jackson.. or any artist from the 50's thru the 80's

People then would say..."what the hell is that" ??

How sad, so sad!!!!!

This would be 100 times worse than "The Day Music Died" in 1972 (Don Mclean's American Pie)

IN 2038...No one would even know what an American Pie is.....except that movie from the late 90's!