Which is the bigger "tune out" factor?

[michael hagerty]

I really should go back and look at those charts to see if any country crossovers found their way on there.

Country crossovers on WLS? Oh, yeah. Let's start with 1976 and go from there:

C.W. McCall: Convoy (5 weeks at #1)
Glen Campbell: Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A)
Glen Campbell: Rhinestone Cowboy
Freddy Fender: Secret Love
Cledus Maggard: The White Knight
Olivia Newton-John: Come On Over (Top 5 country in Billboard)
Jimmy Dean: I.O.U.
Red Sovine: Teddy Bear
Mary Kay Place: Baby Boy


1977:

Tom Jones: Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow
Glen Campbell: Southern Nights (2 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: Lucille
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson: Luckenbach, Texas
Glen Campbell: Sunflower
Ronnie McDowell: The King Is Gone
Crystal Gayle: Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
The Kendalls: Heaven's Just A Sin Away


1978:

Dolly Parton: Here You Come Again
Anne Murray: You Needed Me
Kenny Rogers: The Gambler


1979:

Anne Murray: I Just Fall In Love Again
Anne Murray: Shadows In The Moonlight
Kenny Rogers: You Decorated My Life
Anne Murray: Broken Hearted Me
Crystal Gayle: Half The Way
Kenny Rogers: Coward Of The County


1980:

Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes: Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer
Mac Davis: It's Hard To Be Humble
Kenny Rogers: Love The World Away
Eddie Rabbitt: Drivin' My Life Away
Johnny Lee: Lookin' For Love
Kenny Rogers: Lady
Waylon Jennings: Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard


1981:

Eddie Rabbitt: I Love A Rainy Night
Dolly Parton: 9 to 5 (8 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: I Don't Need You
Juice Newton: Queen Of Hearts
Oak Ridge Boys: Elvira
Eddie Rabbitt: Step By Step
Kenny Rogers: Share Your Love With Me

1982:

Juice Newton: The Sweetest Thing
Oak Ridge Boys: Bobbie Sue
Willie Nelson: You Were Always On My Mind
Juice Newton: Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me
Kenny Rogers: Love Will Turn You Around


So that's 45 of 'em between 1976 and 1982.

 

[michael hagerty]

Getting back to local hits, here's how tricky that can get.

At the end of 1966, Laura Nyro's recording of her song "Wedding Bell Blues" hit #3 on the KHJ (Los Angeles) Boss 30. That's only one notch lower than the Fifth Dimenson's version would do on KHJ nearly three years later. But the Laura Nyro never made it onto Billboard's Hot 100 (its peak was at 103 on the "Bubbling Under" list). Sure, it was a big record...at a time when KHJ was a big deal (tied for #1 with a 9.0...KRLA was tied for 4th with a 7.0 and KFWB was tied for 7th with a 4.0)....but only in L.A.

Set aside for a moment the demographic issues of a song from 1966 and let's just deal with the passage of time and a transient culture (see my post above about how few people currently live in the cities where they grew up).

Is there anything to gain from playing the Laura Nyro?

Keep in mind that fewer than 30% of adults in the West live in the cities where they grew up, and that number is skewed high by the number of 18-29s who haven't moved (yet). So figure that somewhere south of 30% of the people who were natives of Los Angeles in 1966...and are still alive... are still living there.

But remember that KHJ had less than 10% of the audience (maybe 30% of teens) at the time, and that even with 70% of the people who were natives in '66 having left, the L.A. metro has gone from just under 7 million population to just over 16 million.

And while we're at it, a second example:

Brenton Wood's "The Oogum Boogum Song" made it all the way to #1 on the KHJ Boss 30 in 1967. But it barely made the Top 40 nationally, peaking at #39 in Billboard.

Same question. Is there anything to gain from playing it in Los Angeles now?

 

[davideduardo]

But remember that KHJ had less than 10% of the audience (maybe 30% of teens) at the time, and that even with 70% of the people who were natives in '66 having left, the L.A. metro has gone from just under 7 million population to just over 16 million.

The dimensions of the LA market are even greater contrasts if you look at the survey coverage. LA was the third metro nationally, after Chicago. The government defined metro (LA and OC) population was around 6.7 million. Today, the same geographic metro has, adjusted to 2013, 13.1 million persons.

 

[firepoint525]

I really should go back and look at those charts to see if any country crossovers found their way on there.

Country crossovers on WLS? Oh, yeah. Let's start with 1976 and go from there:
C.W. McCall: Convoy (5 weeks at #1)
Glen Campbell: Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A)
Glen Campbell: Rhinestone Cowboy
Freddy Fender: Secret Love
Cledus Maggard: The White Knight
Olivia Newton-John: Come On Over (Top 5 country in Billboard)
Jimmy Dean: I.O.U.
Red Sovine: Teddy Bear
Mary Kay Place: Baby Boy
1977:
Tom Jones: Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow
Glen Campbell: Southern Nights (2 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: Lucille
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson: Luckenbach, Texas
Glen Campbell: Sunflower
Ronnie McDowell: The King Is Gone
Crystal Gayle: Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
The Kendalls: Heaven's Just A Sin Away
1978:
Dolly Parton: Here You Come Again
Anne Murray: You Needed Me
Kenny Rogers: The Gambler
1979:
Anne Murray: I Just Fall In Love Again
Anne Murray: Shadows In The Moonlight
Kenny Rogers: You Decorated My Life
Anne Murray: Broken Hearted Me
Crystal Gayle: Half The Way
Kenny Rogers: Coward Of The County
1980:
Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes: Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer
Mac Davis: It's Hard To Be Humble
Kenny Rogers: Love The World Away
Eddie Rabbitt: Drivin' My Life Away
Johnny Lee: Lookin' For Love
Kenny Rogers: Lady
Waylon Jennings: Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard
1981:
Eddie Rabbitt: I Love A Rainy Night
Dolly Parton: 9 to 5 (8 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: I Don't Need You
Juice Newton: Queen Of Hearts
Oak Ridge Boys: Elvira
Eddie Rabbitt: Step By Step
Kenny Rogers: Share Your Love With Me
1982:
Juice Newton: The Sweetest Thing
Oak Ridge Boys: Bobbie Sue
Willie Nelson: You Were Always On My Mind
Juice Newton: Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me
Kenny Rogers: Love Will Turn You Around
So that's 45 of 'em between 1976 and 1982.

I would strike ONJ from that list, given that she crossed over TO country, not from it. And "Come On Over" is a BeeGees cover.

The Kendalls would definitely be an oddity on pop radio anywhere!

I would consider Glen Campbell a pop singer who gradually went country.

Tom Jones, not really country.

Here is a link to the year-end lists. Fortunately, only the very biggest crossover hits made it.

http://www.wlshistory.com/big89/

 

[michael hagerty]

I really should go back and look at those charts to see if any country crossovers found their way on there.

Country crossovers on WLS? Oh, yeah. Let's start with 1976 and go from there:
C.W. McCall: Convoy (5 weeks at #1)
Glen Campbell: Country Boy (You Got Your Feet In L.A)
Glen Campbell: Rhinestone Cowboy
Freddy Fender: Secret Love
Cledus Maggard: The White Knight
Olivia Newton-John: Come On Over (Top 5 country in Billboard)
Jimmy Dean: I.O.U.
Red Sovine: Teddy Bear
Mary Kay Place: Baby Boy
1977:
Tom Jones: Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow
Glen Campbell: Southern Nights (2 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: Lucille
Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson: Luckenbach, Texas
Glen Campbell: Sunflower
Ronnie McDowell: The King Is Gone
Crystal Gayle: Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue
The Kendalls: Heaven's Just A Sin Away
1978:
Dolly Parton: Here You Come Again
Anne Murray: You Needed Me
Kenny Rogers: The Gambler
1979:
Anne Murray: I Just Fall In Love Again
Anne Murray: Shadows In The Moonlight
Kenny Rogers: You Decorated My Life
Anne Murray: Broken Hearted Me
Crystal Gayle: Half The Way
Kenny Rogers: Coward Of The County
1980:
Kenny Rogers/Kim Carnes: Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer
Mac Davis: It's Hard To Be Humble
Kenny Rogers: Love The World Away
Eddie Rabbitt: Drivin' My Life Away
Johnny Lee: Lookin' For Love
Kenny Rogers: Lady
Waylon Jennings: Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard
1981:
Eddie Rabbitt: I Love A Rainy Night
Dolly Parton: 9 to 5 (8 weeks at #1)
Kenny Rogers: I Don't Need You
Juice Newton: Queen Of Hearts
Oak Ridge Boys: Elvira
Eddie Rabbitt: Step By Step
Kenny Rogers: Share Your Love With Me
1982:
Juice Newton: The Sweetest Thing
Oak Ridge Boys: Bobbie Sue
Willie Nelson: You Were Always On My Mind
Juice Newton: Love's Been A Little Bit Hard On Me
Kenny Rogers: Love Will Turn You Around
So that's 45 of 'em between 1976 and 1982.

I would strike ONJ from that list, given that she crossed over TO country, not from it. And "Come On Over" is a BeeGees cover.

The Kendalls would definitely be an oddity on pop radio anywhere!

I would consider Glen Campbell a pop singer who gradually went country.

Tom Jones, not really country.

Here is a link to the year-end lists. Fortunately, only the very biggest crossover hits made it.

http://www.wlshistory.com/big89/

I went back and forth on ONJ, Tom and Glen. I finally decided that if a record was bigger on the country chart by a large margin over the pop chart, then it was a country crossover.

Olivia's record was #5 Country, #20 pop. The second of five of her singles in a row to chart better Country.

Tom's record was #1 Country, #40 pop (Tom hadn't had a pop hit in six years).

Play them both on YouTube. Those are country records. And programming at the time, I can tell you, that's how they were pitched. By '76, both Tom and Livvy's careers as Top 40 artists were presumed dead. Managers and labels thought the future for them both was Country. They were pitched to Country stations, and promotion to AC and Top 40 only happened after they scored there. They were worked by MCA and Epic as country crossover records.

And you've got Glen's career trajectory backwards. He scored on the Country charts first, then crossed pop. But the first pop single to get close to the country chart number was "Wichita Lineman" (#3 pop, #1 country), and he never had a record do as well Pop as Country until "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1976 ( #1 on both charts). After that, his records went back to being bigger Country than Pop.

 

[firepoint525]

http://www.wlshistory.com/big89/I went back and forth on ONJ, Tom and Glen. I finally decided that if a record was bigger on the country chart by a large margin over the pop chart, then it was a country crossover.
Olivia's record was #5 Country, #20 pop. The second of five of her singles in a row to chart better Country.

The Nashville country music industry is only too happy to export their talent to other formats, but they are absolutely hostile when it comes to importing "outsiders" from other genres. It really upset the apple cart in Nashville when ONJ won the CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year award in 1974. And when John Denver got Entertainer of the Year the following year, Charlie Rich (himself a crossover!) set fire to the envelope!

Tom's record was #1 Country, #40 pop (Tom hadn't had a pop hit in six years).

I had to look that one up because I thought that it was a bigger pop hit than that. I thought that it had gone at least top 10, but it only reached #15. I would think that it was an oddity that it hit #1 country, because it certainly didn't "sound" country to me, but I suppose that the industry here in Nashville was okay with it, as long as they didn't have to hand him any awards, or rub shoulders with him at the awards shows! ;D

And you've got Glen's career trajectory backwards. He scored on the Country charts first, then crossed pop. But the first pop single to get close to the country chart number was "Wichita Lineman" (#3 pop, #1 country), and he never had a record do as well Pop as Country until "Rhinestone Cowboy" in 1976 ( #1 on both charts). After that, his records went back to being bigger Country than Pop.

I'm only really old enough to remember him from the '70s onward. I remember him having a strictly country hit with a song called "I Have You" in the late '80s, but he certainly wouldn't have had anymore pop hits (or maybe even AC hits) after MTV took over in the early '80s.

I didn't see "Elvira" listed on WLS' top 89 of 1981, so I feel vindicated. ;D But for that matter, I didn't see "Boy From New York City" listed, either!

 

[michael hagerty]

Tom's record was #1 Country, #40 pop (Tom hadn't had a pop hit in six years).

I had to look that one up because I thought that it was a bigger pop hit than that. I thought that it had gone at least top 10, but it only reached #15. I would think that it was an oddity that it hit #1 country, because it certainly didn't "sound" country to me...

I looked at the wrong column. You're right. "Say You'll Stay" made #15 in Billboard. #40 was the UK Pop chart. Sorry for the error.

Have you listened to it recently? I did when making the list and thought it was if anything more country than I remembered it.

Finally, the only way to know if the year-end charts are representative is to check them against the weekly chart performance. A station like 'LS would play about 200 new records over the course of a year. That meant half wouldn't make a year-end Top 100 (fewer still for a Big 93 on KHJ, a Big 89 at WLS or a Top 77 on WABC).

Some stations told it like it was, others used the year end chart as an excuse to not play big records that had burned out, that were novelties, that were part of a trend that died out that year, or that didn't reflect the sound they wanted to project going forward. It'd be interesting to see if WLS' weekly and year-end charts are in synch.

 

[firepoint525]

Tom's record was #1 Country, #40 pop (Tom hadn't had a pop hit in six years).

I had to look that one up because I thought that it was a bigger pop hit than that. I thought that it had gone at least top 10, but it only reached #15. I would think that it was an oddity that it hit #1 country, because it certainly didn't "sound" country to me...

I looked at the wrong column. You're right. "Say You'll Stay" made #15 in Billboard. #40 was the UK Pop chart. Sorry for the error.
Have you listened to it recently? I did when making the list and thought it was if anything more country than I remembered it.

Only #40 in the UK? And he is Welsh. I believe I heard it once last year when Casey Kasem played it on one of those "retro" AT40 countdowns. I was about 13 when it was a hit, so I was not aware (at the time) that it was a bit of a "comeback" for him. The AM station in the town where I grew up played it, but they also played his earlier stuff, too. Englebert Humperdinck was also in the midst of a comeback about that time, but again, because of my age at the time, I would only remember "After the Loving."

Finally, the only way to know if the year-end charts are representative is to check them against the weekly chart performance. A station like 'LS would play about 200 new records over the course of a year. That meant half wouldn't make a year-end Top 100 (fewer still for a Big 93 on KHJ, a Big 89 at WLS or a Top 77 on WABC).
Some stations told it like it was, others used the year end chart as an excuse to not play big records that had burned out, that were novelties, that were part of a trend that died out that year, or that didn't reflect the sound they wanted to project going forward. It'd be interesting to see if WLS' weekly and year-end charts are in synch.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the WLS year-end charts were probably voted on by listeners, not necessarily based on weekly chart performances. Even so, "The Curly Shuffle" (a groaner, if there ever was one) showed up in the lower rungs of both their 1983 and 1984 countdowns. It straddled both years, so was probably eligible for either or both years' year-end surveys. It's a double-groaner for me, because it was not only a novelty, it sounded too country (to my ears) to play on pop radio.

Still, gotta hand it to WLS. They put their history, warts and all, out there on their web site for everyone to see. Most other stations, when they change formats, quickly get rid of their "electronic trail," taking down their "old" website and Facebook pages before anyone knows what is going on. :

 

[craigbaker]

You're 55 and you don't think you're high on the advertiser's want list? You gotta' be kidding. My advertisers would love to do business with you. It's not about age, it's about lifestyle. The best kept secret in radio: You don't need a lot of listeners. You need listeners with a lot of money !

 

[michael hagerty]

You're 55 and you don't think you're high on the advertiser's want list? You gotta' be kidding. My advertisers would love to do business with you. It's not about age, it's about lifestyle. The best kept secret in radio: You don't need a lot of listeners. You need listeners with a lot of money !

Okay, tell us more about your station and market.

 

[CTListener]

You're 55 and you don't think you're high on the advertiser's want list? You gotta' be kidding. My advertisers would love to do business with you. It's not about age, it's about lifestyle. The best kept secret in radio: You don't need a lot of listeners. You need listeners with a lot of money !

Okay, tell us more about your station and market.

Sounds like an argument for a business format (a la WBBR, New York -- Bloomberg Radio, which is a cipher in the ratings but what listeners it has are loaded) rather than a music format. How can you target music to a wealthy 55+ audience? Classical is the only possibility I can think of, certainly not oldies.

 

[landtuna]

How can you target music to a wealthy 55+ audience? Classical is the only possibility I can think of, certainly not oldies.

I am in my late 60's, fairly wealthy and my radio preferences are Oldies only ('55 thru early 80's). My private collection consists of much more than Oldies but these are not common on radio stations so I don't even both searching. What is NOT in my private collection is Classical. If I want something to put me to sleep I will switch on some New Age or Soft Rock/Easy Listening.

I don't know of anyone close to my age (or otherwise) whose preference is Classical. There are some Country fans, some CCM and the usual AC varieties but no Classical. There are a ton of Oldies fans though. Go to any classic car show and what do you see and hear - Oldies and cars of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's and hot rods and Modifieds from all years. And what are the ages of the car people? Yup, gray hairs. And the value of their cars? Yup, substantial (in most cases). The only place you might find Classical music is at the Monterey Concours d' Elegance.

 

[PirateJohnny]

...Go to any classic car show and what do you see and hear - Oldies and cars of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's and hot rods and Modifieds from all years. And what are the ages of the car people? Yup, gray hairs. And the value of their cars? Yup, substantial (in most cases). The only place you might find Classical music is at the Monterey Concours d' Elegance.

Funny you should mention car shows. I started building my library 15 years ago for a DJ business aimed at the car show crowd. The wedding DJs they were hiring were awful. Lately the crowds at the shows are getting younger and I have been asked to play 80s and some 90s tunes. I try to stick to what was heard on car radios before the gas crunch in the mid 70s just about put a halt to cruising.

 

[michael hagerty]

...Go to any classic car show and what do you see and hear - Oldies and cars of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's and hot rods and Modifieds from all years. And what are the ages of the car people? Yup, gray hairs. And the value of their cars? Yup, substantial (in most cases). The only place you might find Classical music is at the Monterey Concours d' Elegance.

Funny you should mention car shows. I started building my library 15 years ago for a DJ business aimed at the car show crowd. The wedding DJs they were hiring were awful. Lately the crowds at the shows are getting younger and I have been asked to play 80s and some 90s tunes. I try to stick to what was heard on car radios before the gas crunch in the mid 70s just about put a halt to cruising.

That's late 1973. Your audience is getting 10 and more years ahead of you. What songs are they asking for?

 

[PirateJohnny]

...Go to any classic car show and what do you see and hear - Oldies and cars of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's and hot rods and Modifieds from all years. And what are the ages of the car people? Yup, gray hairs. And the value of their cars? Yup, substantial (in most cases). The only place you might find Classical music is at the Monterey Concours d' Elegance.

Funny you should mention car shows. I started building my library 15 years ago for a DJ business aimed at the car show crowd. The wedding DJs they were hiring were awful. Lately the crowds at the shows are getting younger and I have been asked to play 80s and some 90s tunes. I try to stick to what was heard on car radios before the gas crunch in the mid 70s just about put a halt to cruising.

That's late 1973. Your audience is getting 10 and more years ahead of you. What songs are they asking for?

It's been a few years since I've DJed the car shows but the people who spoke up said they wanted 80s/90s songs - the years they were in high school. Some people at the shows are bringing cars older then they are.

A little detour here:
Many years ago on whatever incarnation 104.5 was at the time, they were putting listeners on the air with requests and asking what they were doing they first time they heard the song they were requesting. I never heard any listener talk about first hearing the song as a current. They were all relating stories about the songs when the songs were already 10-15 years old.

My point here is that not all Classic Hits fans are listening to songs from their high school years. A good friend of mine just posted on facebook about installing a new needle on their turntable so her son (not yet 16) could listen to Who's Next (the album).

I was born in 1957 and Buddy Holly is one of my top 5 favorites.

 

[michael hagerty]

...Go to any classic car show and what do you see and hear - Oldies and cars of the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's and hot rods and Modifieds from all years. And what are the ages of the car people? Yup, gray hairs. And the value of their cars? Yup, substantial (in most cases). The only place you might find Classical music is at the Monterey Concours d' Elegance.

Funny you should mention car shows. I started building my library 15 years ago for a DJ business aimed at the car show crowd. The wedding DJs they were hiring were awful. Lately the crowds at the shows are getting younger and I have been asked to play 80s and some 90s tunes. I try to stick to what was heard on car radios before the gas crunch in the mid 70s just about put a halt to cruising.

That's late 1973. Your audience is getting 10 and more years ahead of you. What songs are they asking for?

It's been a few years since I've DJed the car shows but the people who spoke up said they wanted 80s/90s songs - the years they were in high school. Some people at the shows are bringing cars older then they are.

A little detour here:
Many years ago on whatever incarnation 104.5 was at the time, they were putting listeners on the air with requests and asking what they were doing they first time they heard the song they were requesting. I never heard any listener talk about first hearing the song as a current. They were all relating stories about the songs when the songs were already 10-15 years old.

My point here is that not all Classic Hits fans are listening to songs from their high school years. A good friend of mine just posted on facebook about installing a new needle on their turntable so her son (not yet 16) could listen to Who's Next (the album).

I was born in 1957 and Buddy Holly is one of my top 5 favorites.

I was curious about the specific songs they might have been requesting...to see if there was an identifiable theme or vibe.

Sticking with pre-energy crisis material is going to get you old guys. Anybody with a driver's license then is at least 56 now.

 

[RIN3GUY]

Sticking with pre-energy crisis material is going to get you old guys. Anybody with a driver's license then is at least 56 now.

LOL, tell my kids that. I've filled their MP3 players with 1000 songs from 1955-2005, and they enjoy music from many decades. They have no real sense of the age of the music, nor do they care, and I have them make lists of the songs they like the most. Mostly '70s and '80s come up, but a surprising number of earlier songs. More '50s & '60s than you might imagine. They love songs like "California Sun," "Green Tambourine," "Lightning Strikes," many Beatles & Supremes. They are totally oblivious to decades and just like what they like. One day I'll let them look up their favorites in Whitburn's books & then maybe they'll be surprised.

 

[michael hagerty]

Sticking with pre-energy crisis material is going to get you old guys. Anybody with a driver's license then is at least 56 now.

LOL, tell my kids that. I've filled their MP3 players with 1000 songs from 1955-2005, and they enjoy music from many decades. They have no real sense of the age of the music, nor do they care, and I have them make lists of the songs they like the most. Mostly '70s and '80s come up, but a surprising number of earlier songs. More '50s & '60s than you might imagine. They love songs like "California Sun," "Green Tambourine," "Lightning Strikes," many Beatles & Supremes. They are totally oblivious to decades and just like what they like. One day I'll let them look up their favorites in Whitburn's books & then maybe they'll be surprised.

That's great and you're a fun dad for engaging them that way.

But here's the thing:

You're favoring personal anecdotal evidence over objective fact.

You noticed younger guys showing up at car shows with cars older than themselves (demographic shift).

They started asking for music from their era rather than requesting more pre-energy crisis material (new information regarding listener preference).

There's only going to be more of these guys as time goes on and fewer of the original group due to age, health, fixed income and ultimately death (age-in and age-out).

But you really didn't want to change what you were doing, because on some level, you believe the new audience should love this music...partly because other people you know who are as young as or younger than them enjoy it.

And while 45 year old women seem to like 43-year old records like "Black Magic Woman" when they listen to a Classic Hits station, they're only there for 12 minutes at a shot two or three times a day. They're also getting the music from when they were in high school as gold cuts on an AC or Hot AC, they'll keep current with a few songs from the local CHR, and they may even blend in some Classic Rock or Country. She ends up with a balanced diet.

But if you're making money playing music at an event that lasts several hours, you start to notice a younger crowd (but still adults...30 and 40 somethings...and car owners, not just spectators) and they're not just digging the 40-50 year old records you're playing, but asking you to play stuff from their era...you probably need to listen, ask some more questions, and respond to that changing reality.

 

[oldies76]

Sticking with pre-energy crisis material is going to get you old guys. Anybody with a driver's license then is at least 56 now.

LOL, tell my kids that. I've filled their MP3 players with 1000 songs from 1955-2005, and they enjoy music from many decades. They have no real sense of the age of the music, nor do they care, and I have them make lists of the songs they like the most. Mostly '70s and '80s come up, but a surprising number of earlier songs. More '50s & '60s than you might imagine. They love songs like "California Sun," "Green Tambourine," "Lightning Strikes," many Beatles & Supremes. They are totally oblivious to decades and just like what they like. One day I'll let them look up their favorites in Whitburn's books & then maybe they'll be surprised.

Good for you!! As they say, there's lots of gold to be found, in those earlier tunes!

 

[landtuna]

My point here is that not all Classic Hits fans are listening to songs from their high school years.

I'm one of those. The vast majority of my MP3 music is post-graduation.