Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives

Message board

* FAQ    * Register   * Login 



Reply to topic
Author Message Previous topic | Next topic
Required Fields
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2013 10:32 pm
Posts: 1248
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:01 am 
 

I was reading an online study today, and it says the average person stops looking for new music at around the age of 32-35. I am 32, and turn 33 in two weeks.

I was discussing something similar with someone I know not long ago. He is in his 50s, and Avenged Sevenfold (yes, I know, most people here hate them with a passion) is one of his favorite bands. They didn't release their debut until the early 2000s, and he was beyond that age range at the time. He has come across people who only listen to what they grew up with in other genres, such as country; they'll listen to old school country, but won't touch more recent country with a ten foot pole. I am sure you'll meet people whose preferences lean towards jazz or rap who fall into this category, too.

I doubt it's a genre specific thing, but I was talking to some other metalheads on another board I used to post at years ago, and he had recently been talking to metalheads he knew from high school and college. Most, if not all, people he knew who were into metal when they were growing up still listen to at least some metal, but only the stuff they grew up with. None of them knew anything about what was going on with the world of metal at that time, and even the bands they grew up worshipping, they haven't heard their newer albums, and have no desire to do so. I have no idea if these people listen to newer music in other genres (he didn't say), but in metal, they'll listen only to what they grew up with. (In the cases of some bands, they're better off not knowing what happened, but many of them who are still putting out albums have released some great new music in recent years.)

I wonder if this is why at the local shows by bands that aren't bands who've been around forever, I almost never see people over their 30s? For example, there is a guy who I have seen at stores who I have never introduced myself to, but he is about 60 and I have seen him wearing shirts of Arch Enemy, Megadeth, and Pantera. He would probably have been in his late 30s/early 40s when Arch Enemy released their debut. Yet I've never seen him at the local shows. I have heard people say that they get uncomfortable being around certain crowds, yet the vast majority of metal shows not involving bigger names (Iron Maiden, Metallica, etc.) are 18+/19+/21+, or whatever the drinking age in the area is. But when I have seen more famous bands who've been around for longer, such as Slayer, Judas Priest, etc., I've seen tons of people in their 40s and 50s at their shows.

I can't see myself, when I'm 60 (if I live to be that old, LOL), not wanting to discover new metal bands. Or discover some bands from the past (and/or what is now present) that I may have missed. I listen to largely 80s thrash and 90s death metal, but there's a lot of new stuff I love now. I plan on attending shows (if they come here) by metal bands, whether they be newer bands or older bands when I'm a senior citizen.

Of course, a lot of people when they're 32-35 are parents, and raising children takes away from their time to check out newer bands, or even new releases by bands they regularly listen to. Of course, I'm single, and not a parent, so I do have the time to look more into new bands. Then again, I know people who were parents in their early 20s who still looked into checking out new music. They would be about my age currently, so I have no idea if they'll stop or if they'll continue.

For those of you here, do any of the metalheads you grew up with listen to newer bands, or even the newer albums by the old guard, or do they just stick with what metal albums they grew up with?
_________________
Required Fields on YouTube


Last edited by Required Fields on Wed May 16, 2018 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Top
 Profile  
Anthony Pwl
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2017 10:12 am
Posts: 197
Location: Normandy, rebuilt.
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:15 am 
 

Required Fields wrote:
I was reading an online study today, and it says the average person stops looking for new music at around the age of 32-35.


I think a part of the answer lies in your first sentence and how the study is summed up : "the average person".
From my experience, the "average person" is not passionate about music. So the study may be verifiable with them.
True music lovers will continue to be curious and interested about new bands / new music styles etc. I think that is my case and this applies to the majority of my circle. There may be a couple exceptions though, some guys who are stuck to the same bands and albums.
_________________
My whole Taken By Force album cover for my 40th birthday Check it out!
My whole Tales From The Thousand Lakes album cover for no specific reason Check it out!
My whole Spheres album cover because someone had to do it, right? Check it out!

Top
 Profile  
schizoid
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 8:35 am
Posts: 1602
Location: New Zealand
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:17 am 
 

I do tend to look to the bands of old for new albums, if I'm honest. It's really I think just a case of getting lazy and less enthusiastic as you get older to seek out new music, so rely on the tried and true. Dumb, I know.


Just skeptical of these new 20 something bands. Get off my lawn.
_________________
add me on Untappd! https://untappd.com/user/ChairmanDrew

Top
 Profile  
tahu157
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 10:22 pm
Posts: 1008
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:30 am 
 

I just turned 21 yesterday but I hope that in another 20 years I haven't distilled my listening down to just the black album or whatever today's equivalent of the black album is.

Top
 Profile  
DoomMetalAlchemist
Veteran

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 10:52 am 
 

I think OP hit on part of it being people becoming parents and therefore not having the time to research new music, and I think an extension of this is that in the 30s is probably when most people get a "career" going as opposed to, I don't know, working a part time retail or restaurant job or something, like so many younger adults. This would also take much time away form discovering new music.

Another aspect is that for people in my generation, millennials, deep researching on the net for new music is second nature. I'm sure this is true of generation z as well. Other than maybe generation x, older generations never discovered new music in their youths by the Internet, so they probably don't think to use the Internet to discover new music as they age either. So maybe as millennials, and eventually generation z age, you'll see the age range of when people stop looking for new music begin to rise, as people who looked to the Internet for their music fix in their youth increase, pushing out those who had to rely on radio and MTV in their youth.

Top
 Profile  
Twilightkid
Metal newbie

Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:41 pm
Posts: 123
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 11:03 am 
 

I'm 45 and a life long music fan.
I'm also a father of two, work a full time job, and have a side business.

I admit that ability to seek out new bands and music has waned over the years. Not due to desire, but more so just due to life itself. More responsibility; my focus needed on different aspects of my life. I do what I can, when i can, to check out new bands if i read something that piques my interest, or crosses my line of sight depending on where my life is at that moment...

but i don't really actively seek out new music/bands as if it is a neccessity. It's hard to find time to enjoy what I do like and want to hear on a day to day basis.....

We'll never hear it all.. We'll never hear every band or song or album that is released....My focus is to enjoy more of what i have control over coming into my life, then continually seeking out the next 'thing'....

#2cents.
_________________
http://www.geminicrow.com || My Hot Sauce Company
http://www.playtheassassin.com || My label (defunct but still selling back-stock)

Top
 Profile  
televiper11
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:10 pm
Posts: 507
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 11:45 am 
 

About to turn 40 and still constantly seeking new bands. It all depends on your mindset and what you look for in music. I am a knowledge seeker so when I hear a band I like, I want to hear everything they've done (good or bad) and I want to seek out their influences and/or who they influenced so I can hear the bigger picture.

I also like a variety of different music so that helps fuel the fire. If I get burned out on metal for awhile, I'll listen to jazz and then come back to metal re-energized.

Top
 Profile  
conquer__all
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Dec 10, 2011 5:49 pm
Posts: 503
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 11:46 am 
 

I’m 43 and I still seek out new and old bands that I might have missed or use to like back in the day. Most people I know my age or older are stuck in the 70s or 80s, whatever, I only listen to metal and there is so much metal out there, plus new stuff and older metal bands still putting out great new music and still touring.
_________________
CHAOS REIGNS!!!

Top
 Profile  
fourrobert13
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:31 pm
Posts: 866
Location: Old School
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 11:52 am 
 

I'm almost 42 and still look for new stuff, but I'm finding the newer bands don't have the staying power of the older acts. What I mean by that is that they release one or two albums and then they quit, break up, or whatever. I'm also finding a lot of the new stuff wears their influences on their sleeves and it makes me want to listen to the influence instead of the new band. Because of these reasons, I've gotten really picky about new stuff. There is some new stuff out there that's really good, but at the end of the day I get more excited about a new release from an old band than a new band.
_________________
Click the link to discover new things.

Top
 Profile  
NARAKU666
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:43 pm
Posts: 1097
Location: Mexico
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 12:32 pm 
 

I'm turning 33 next June and i'm still curious to find new stuff to listen whether it's metal or not. The hard part is to find something to cling onto, sure i'm a bit biased when it comes to chaotic/dissonant death or black metal or OSDM, but to me is getting harder and harder and harder to stick to a new band and follow it and when i find it that band turns out to be one of those ephemeral projects that stay unactive for several months or years (apart for some digital single or local gig in their area).

I will always be interested in listening new music without any generational prejudice (heck, i been in a several months binge of future funk/Japanese disco/vaporwave), but i'm aware that i won't be as informed about new music and their current scenes as much as the younger audience.
_________________
LOLORDx wrote:
i love lady gaga. who cares if she has a penis, i want to fuck her brains out ALL NIGHT LONG


https://www.facebook.com/KothRising


Last edited by NARAKU666 on Wed May 16, 2018 12:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Top
 Profile  
LordStenhammar
Veteran

Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:46 am
Posts: 3062
Location: Not in Sweden
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 12:33 pm 
 

34 here. I'm buying records all the time, but mainly filling the discographies of old bands. Stuff like Manowar, Bathory, IM, JP, Sabbath and Purple is what I listen most of the time. So I'm more excited about new albums by my old favorites, than the debut album of some unknown black metal band. A lot of good metal probably goes under my radar. I was more interested in the underground when I was younger, but that's how it goes. I'm just an easy rider nowadays. Or maybe a pussy.

Top
 Profile  
Chaosmonger
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:59 pm
Posts: 1451
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 4:48 pm 
 

36 and there's only a few active metal bands I follow and it really takes a lot of goodwill from online/real life friends for me to give new stuff a chance because so much of it doesn't draw me in or seem interesting to me. But I still seek out new-to-me stuff and have classics in other genres I still need to listen to, not to mention some of the 80s/90s metal stuff I may have missed.

Top
 Profile  
hmi
Metal newbie

Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:24 am
Posts: 365
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 2:25 am 
 

I'm in my late 20s. My appetite for seeking out music is much milder than it used to be and my appetite for finding new metal, which remains by far my favorite style of music, is practically nonexistent. I grew tired of looking for new metal a few years ago. Most of it was disappointing, both new and old bands alike. I became fine with sticking to what I know and not looking for new stuff anymore. I don't even bother looking for bands that sound like the bands I already like. And I don't even keep up with most of the bands I like who are still around.

I ended up combing through my music collection several times over the last few years and getting rid of the majority of it. I even got rid of the albums that I thought were OK but not great because I realized keeping something I could barely remember and only bother to play once a year was pointless. I'd rather listen to the same few albums I love than spend time collecting and exploring. Most of my favorite albums are still the same ones that were my favorite when I was a teenager. Go figure.

That said, I love metal and music as much as ever. Searching for new stuff just isn't a big part of my love of music anymore. Oh well.

Top
 Profile  
joppek
Veteran

Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2011 7:36 am
Posts: 2547
Location: Suomi Finland Perkele
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 4:11 am 
 

i'm turning 32 in august, and i still look for new music regularly, including old, but new to me, as well as brand new stuff from brand new bands
of course as active members of this forum, we're not a representative sample of people, but biased in the enthused about music direction

i've noticed, however, that it's getting harder and harder for a new album to stick with me
i may recognise that an album is right up my alley, and hence keep listening to it 15 times in a few days, but it just never grabs me like i want, and expect it to

i'm not sure if i should chalk that all up to getting old, or if it's mostly because i haven't lived alone for a few years now (no kids tho'), and hence have much less time to listen to stuff while relaxing (most of my listening is while at work)
_________________
All the best bands are affiliated with Satan. -Bart Simpson

Top
 Profile  
hakarl
Metel fraek

Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:41 pm
Posts: 8816
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 4:25 am 
 

I'm 27, and for the last 2 or 3 years, I've been increasingly eager to discover more music, old and new, in an progressively wide range of styles and genres. I've come to understand that genres are a poor gauge of the quality of music, and there are excellent artists and musicians in almost every style. Likewise, I've never disagreed more with the sentiment that "even shitty metal is good".
_________________
"A glimpse of light is all that it takes to illuminate the darkness."

Top
 Profile  
~Guest 354281
Metal newbie

Joined: Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:01 pm
Posts: 287
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 6:04 am 
 

I did have a period were i lost some interest in new music but it was arround the 25-30 y.o. mark. After that i became increasingly looking for more stuff to the point were it was after turning 35 that i became more active than i ever was in search of new music

But maybe the "busy life" factor played a big role there. Now that my kids are older, job and personal life are also more stable i do find myself with more time available to look for new music.

Top
 Profile  
ironmaidens_666
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2014 8:37 am
Posts: 347
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 8:12 am 
 

The main reason I would imagine for people stop looking for new music at 32-35 is because they are time poor. People have to work and also have families to raise and at the end of the day, there's not much time left for listening to music and discovering new bands.

Obviously, It's a sacrifice you've gotta make, not being able to spend as much time listening to music and discovering new bands.as you did in your younger years but one you just have to make.

I still love checking out new bands just as I did back in my teen years when I first got into metal. Which was many years ago and hope I have many more years to come.

Top
 Profile  
Pitiless Wanderer
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:34 pm
Posts: 1710
Location: Ankara
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 8:14 am 
 

Quote:

I think a part of the answer lies in your first sentence and how the study is summed up : "the average person".
From my experience, the "average person" is not passionate about music.



Yeah, exactly. I'm 36 and I spend time literally every single day discovering new bands. I'm sure most of us on here do the same or at least take a large portion of our free time to check out new music on the regular. This is not the behavior of an "average person." If you're passionate about music, then you'll seek it out.

Top
 Profile  
Sweetie
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:19 am
Posts: 1091
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:35 am 
 

I'm only 22, so I guess I can't speak much in terms of reaching that age, but I've been passionate about music / metal since I first heard "Destroyer" by KISS when I was 13. Almost a decade later I've never not wanted to find new bands, and I hope to continue this. I actually already work in my "career", but this actually works as an advantage, because where I am, I work on engineering drawings at a desk and can browse for music and listen to new bands as I please. In fact, I'm doing that as I type this. I'd like to think ten years from now I'll be the same way.
_________________
"It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase" - Deep Purple

Top
 Profile  
acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 10:32 am 
 

I'm a little over a week shy of 32 (as of this post) and I've been going through spurts of discovery and contentment for the last 8 years or so. I'll go months ignoring random bands' output and recommendations by friends, just sitting in my comfort zone and digesting what I have on my plate. Then I switch it up and delve into deep cuts, giving bands a second chance, trying new acts I've never heard of, etc. Then the cycle starts up once more and I need time to digest all the new meat.

A large part of it, for me anyway, is sensory overload. I still remember having to cut out order sheets from magazines and scouring the shelves for CDs that looked interesting, so being able to grab a band's entire discography with one click whets my appetite something fierce. Add in that there's always going to be more material than one could possibly consume and it seems daunting.

As for why live audiences for smaller gigs skew toward younger crowds? There's the "having children" aspect, true, but there's also biology going on. You can party harder at 21 than you can at 31, barring substance abuse issues, and I've also been noticing most local gigs that sound appealing are on a Thursday with a start time of 9pm, which means it's over around 1am.

That sounds awesome when you're a 20-something night owl, less so when you're a 30/40/50-something parent with a mortgage and a job that starts at 7am.
_________________
Dembo wrote:
It just dawned on me that if there was a Christian equivalent of Cannibal Corpse, they could have the song title I Cum Forgiveness.

darkeningday wrote:
I haven't saw any of the Seen movies.

Top
 Profile  
rexxz
Where's your band?

Joined: Sun Apr 18, 2004 8:45 pm
Posts: 9094
Location: United States of America
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 11:56 am 
 

Required Fields wrote:
For those of you here, do any of the metalheads you grew up with listen to newer bands, or even the newer albums by the old guard, or do they just stick with what metal albums they grew up with?



I personally listen to new and old bands all the time, same with my closest friends/brothers. The kind of thing your post is talking about is something I only ever read or hear about, but in person I have never met a single individual under 40 who just stops listening to new music. Most of the people like that are my parents' age.
_________________
Hexenkraft - diabolical cyberpunk darksynth
Cosmic Atrophy - extradimensional death metal

Top
 Profile  
Lagartija
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 10:27 am
Posts: 2042
Location: Catalunya
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 1:48 pm 
 

That's bollocks. I'm coming up to 36 and can't get enough new music.
Satan bless Black Metal Promotion on Youtube and damn you Discogs, you're starving my children (if I had any, of course)!

Top
 Profile  
Draehl
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:13 pm
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2018 2:31 pm 
 

I'm 33 and while I'm pretty set in my ways on what I don't like I'm still very open to genre's I've never experienced or newer bands experimenting within genres I enjoy. Just in the past couple years I've gotten into Neofolk, Dark Ambient, chillout Electronic/Vaporwave, and Space Rock. I've still got my core of Atmoblack/Melodic Black/Stoner/Sludge, but am expanding out of metal faster than I ever have.

Top
 Profile  
Chaosmonger
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:59 pm
Posts: 1451
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 1:40 am 
 

Draehl wrote:
I've still got my core of Atmoblack/Melodic Black/Stoner/Sludge, but am expanding out of metal faster than I ever have.


no wonder

Top
 Profile  
Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:15 am 
 

^ lol

I've found that I'm still open to new music but I'm MUCH more suspicious of the sources. Essentially I only want to hear from people I trust, who know my tastes. Its not like 8 years ago when I would just frantically comb the internet's corners for new acts.

These days the new stuff that's worth my time tends to find ME, if you know what I mean. Stuff like Legionnaire and Borrowed Time.
_________________
I'm livin' for givin' the Devil his due...

Top
 Profile  
mjollnir
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:14 pm
Posts: 2056
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:23 am 
 

52 years old and spend a lot of spare time looking for new metal to listen to. I'm a bit closed minded in that it must be metal but I don't listen to only the classics.
_________________
Diamhea wrote:
TrooperEd wrote:
Edit: fuck it this whole thing is bait anyway.


Like your reviews?

Top
 Profile  
Draehl
Metal newbie

Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:13 pm
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 11:48 am 
 

Chaosmonger wrote:
Draehl wrote:
I've still got my core of Atmoblack/Melodic Black/Stoner/Sludge, but am expanding out of metal faster than I ever have.


no wonder


Well played, sir. But seriously, it's nice expanding out to styles that influence the types of metal you like.

Top
 Profile  
Itheus
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:48 pm
Posts: 204
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 2:46 pm 
 

I love seeing there are a lot of metalheads my age or older on this board. I'm 38 and kind of assumed I was reaching senior citizen status on this site, but perhaps that isn't the case!

I think I might be discovering more new music than when I was in my teens and early 20's, but I think a lot of it is what acid_bukkake said. I remember having to go the "big city" 20 miles away and going to an actual CD shop. Unless I wanted popular underground acts of Morbid Angel, Deicide, Death etc, I would have to order it from their warehouse. It was a cumbersome process but man I remember the butterflies in my stomach when I got the phone call indicating my CD was finally in stock! Hell I "discovered" Type O Negative from a Beavis and Butthead episode because the 20 second snippet looked cool - that's how hard up I was for exposure. I remember Metal Blade had an 800# that you could call and listen to samples of the bands on their label. I spent hours on the phone doing that, even with the horrible speaker that the phone provided. But enough nostalgia, my point is that if I had this sort of access to music back in my younger years, I probably would be slowing down a bit.

I've always felt that discovering new bands and going to live shows keeps me youthful, so I definitely set out to do so. I just can't keep up with people who have "TOP 50" lists at the end of the year. I mean it took me a month to fully absorb The Ruins of Beverast's latest, so I can't fathom listening to that much music...even with a career that enables me to listen to music while I work. But maybe that's my sign of getting old. :???:

Top
 Profile  
Chaosmonger
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 5:59 pm
Posts: 1451
PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2018 3:52 pm 
 

Draehl wrote:
Well played, sir. But seriously, it's nice expanding out to styles that influence the types of metal you like.


Oh yeah, I've been going through a lot of hip hop classics (and newer artists), I don't really need a ton of new metal to be honest. I've got 400+ metal albums (got my whole collection up here if ya wanna peek), that oughta hold this little S.O.B. for the near future.

Top
 Profile  
Cat III
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:44 am
Posts: 382
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 12:42 am 
 

Anthony Pwl wrote:
Required Fields wrote:
I was reading an online study today, and it says the average person stops looking for new music at around the age of 32-35.


I think a part of the answer lies in your first sentence and how the study is summed up : "the average person".
From my experience, the "average person" is not passionate about music. So the study may be verifiable with them.
True music lovers will continue to be curious and interested about new bands / new music styles etc. I think that is my case and this applies to the majority of my circle. There may be a couple exceptions though, some guys who are stuck to the same bands and albums.

Hit the nail on the head. The people posting that they've continued to look for new music past age 32 in no way refute the study's finding (unless the study said no one looks for new music after that age which I doubt it does). Not having access to the study, I can't say if there are other issues with its methodology, but the conclusion sounds basically right.
_________________
1st wave is best wave.
-
Latest Review: Matianak - Compilación de Insaniam

Top
 Profile  
traxan
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:52 pm
Posts: 1434
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 2:47 am 
 

Required Fields wrote:
I was reading an online study today, and it says the average person stops looking for new music at around the age of 32-35. I am 32, and turn 33 in two weeks.


Would you mind providing a link?

I definitely notice this pattern. There is a board called Metal Sludge that leans toward 80s LA hair metal fans but has something of a mix. Being kids of the 80s, many of the posters are in their 40s and 50s, and fucking hell if they don't resist new music mightily. Just the sheer hatred for Greta Van Fleet alone is ridiculous. Ok, so they are derivative of Zeppelin. They are also a bunch of kids under 21. They will find their own voice in time. But damn if the Sludge board doesn't hate those kids worse than the rap the music industry is shoving down the public's throat. And that's just once example. I've criticized them many times for having little to no frame of musical reference past 1992, when hair metal deservedly died.

Another poster hit it on the head. People get busy with life and don't have the time to sit on youTube checking out new bands, looking at the recommendations, reading metal blogs, etc.

It also doesn't help that there is a flood of bands from all over the world and it's literally impossible to keep up. All too often here I see some nobody band I never heard of treated like they are Megadeth. I never make a "who?" post because it's obnoxious when people do it but I sure stare at my screen and wonder it. A lot.

Not that I am nostalgic for the good old days when Hit Parader and Metal Edge were the arbiters of taste. Hell to the no on that.

Top
 Profile  
HamburgerBoy
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 6:40 am
Posts: 1710
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 10:20 am 
 

Music is also a social thing for the average person, meaning if you value your social position within your given generation, the relationship music has between you and your peers, etc, I think you're more likely to stick with a particular style of music. For an obsessive that loves music primarily for its own value to you personally, it's easier to separate the music value of music and the social value of music. I believe studies show that individual preferences in most things tend to stop changing in a person's relative youth; political preferences would be one major example.

Top
 Profile  
BabySchraiberJesus
Metal newbie

Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 5:29 am
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 10:26 am 
 

I'm going on 31, and I find that I go through phases where I discover new stuff or just sit comfortably with my old stuff. I think I have overall become a bit less active about discovering new stuff. Instead of primarily seeking out recommendations and digging through new releases, I end up checking out bands that are on shows I'm going to, or at fests, and using that as a way to guide me. I could imagine that if I go to shows less frequently, my ability to discover new music would diminish quite a bit :-/

Top
 Profile  
Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35177
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 10:55 am 
 

I'm 27 and my appetite for other styles and genres only increases with time.

It's probably pretty easy to fall into a routine once you have kids or a family or something. But I don't think it's any kind of hard rule that you quit being into new shit after a certain age.

As for the whole idea of normal people not seeking out music like metalheads on here, well, sure - a lot of us are real nerds about music and spend time combing for super underground stuff. I wouldn't say 'normal' people don't care at all about music. It's just that people on sites like this are super nerds about it and that's cool for them.
_________________
Cinema Freaks latest reviews: Black Roses
Fictional Works - if you hated my reviews over the years then pay me back by reviewing my own stuff
Official Website

Top
 Profile  
Turner
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 2:04 am
Posts: 2247
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 7:47 pm 
 

I haven't really bothered with new bands since I was 25 or so (34 now). There are the occasional new discoveries I love - Power Trip comes to mind - but for the most part it's just about listening to stuff I've loved for years. I'm cool with it, too. I don't feel like a philistine because I don't actively look for new music, and it doesn't strike me as particularly closed-minded either. The amount of varied music I know of and enjoy is still WILDLY more extensive than that of most people anyway.

Top
 Profile  
g_k
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 1:35 pm
Posts: 944
Location: Washington
PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2018 8:59 pm 
 

i'll be 34 this year and constantly am listening to new bands to me.
_________________
My Last.FM recommend me nearly anything!

Top
 Profile  
Festivus
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2014 4:26 pm
Posts: 1433
Location: Portugal
PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 5:29 pm 
 

I'm only 27, so this thread doesn't apply me to me yet, but I guess what they say about people stopping looking for new music when they get older is kind of true. A year or two ago I had a similar conversation with a guy who was about 40 or so and he told me basically this: "Once you reach a certain age you realise that the stuff you have(music in this case) is good enough to keep you entertained for the rest of your life.

Also, keep in mind that easily finding music is a rather recent thing. People who are 35 and above nowadays grew in an era where MTV and other similar channels still were actual music channels where people would tune in on in order to listen to the newest hits. And when ti came to more obscure bands, they'd have to go to concerts or have a friend who owned cassettes or CDs in order to be exposed to their work.

People who are now teenagers and young adults and have grown up with the internet and don't know what life was like before wikipedia, spotify, last.fm, itunes, bandcamp, youtube, etc. will probably still be using those websites and services, or similar ones that might come up meanwhile, 20 years from now.

Then again, I'm "only" 27 still, so who knows. Maybe I'll lose interest in finding new music some years from now as well? People change as do their interests and priorities. Plus, the older we get the less we relate to newer generations and feel more disconnected to what the youth likes.
_________________
Last.FM | Myanimelist | Letterboxd

Top
 Profile  
ThanatosUK
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:07 am
Posts: 228
PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 5:52 pm 
 

I just turned 30 a couple of days ago and I've been listening to more new (to me) music than ever. I don't see why anyone would ever want to stop expanding their music knowledge, even if you don't like some of the newer stuff coming out there is plenty of old shit to dig into.

Top
 Profile  
Oxenkiller
Veteran

Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:42 am
Posts: 3613
Location: United States
PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 8:02 pm 
 

I'm old enough to remember when Metallica (of all bands) were the absolute cutting edge of heaviness and speed in metal. And while I still love re-discovering the music and bands of that long-bygone era, I am always open to looking for new and interesting bands- and that's part of the reason I use this site so much. True, a large percentage of the newer stuff I hear, well, lets just say it does nothing for me. But ever now and again, I'll discover a new band- whose members might not have even born yet when Metallica and Slayer were at their peak all those years ago- and I'll be blown away by how good they are.

Top
 Profile  
shwartzheim
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 5:49 am
Posts: 471
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 10:36 pm 
 

Chaosmonger wrote:
36 and there's only a few active metal bands I follow and it really takes a lot of goodwill from online/real life friends for me to give new stuff a chance because so much of it doesn't draw me in or seem interesting to me. But I still seek out new-to-me stuff and have classics in other genres I still need to listen to, not to mention some of the 80s/90s metal stuff I may have missed.


Same as me. Add to that, working a lot to support a family and I just don't have the time or money to devote to checking out new music. Wished I did.
I'm actually thankful that most of my favourite metal bands have either spilt or take quite awhile between albums. Mush easier on the wallet haha.
I'm still trying to find the time (and again......money) to record an album that I've written and demo'd for the last two years.

I'm 41 by the way.
_________________
Discogs
https://www.discogs.com/seller/nickjohnstark/profile

rexxz wrote:
it refers to a guitar tuning where you take the E standard scale and "drop" you low E string to a D, enabling you to play power chords with a single finger. It is for noobs and children.

Top
 Profile  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic Go to page 1, 2  Next


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Dungeon_Vic, therealvivs and 58 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

  Print view
Jump to:  

Back to the Encyclopaedia Metallum


Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group