Do you listen to, seek out new music? (Especially for those over 40)

[nmoira]

I'm 46, and I essentially stopped buying and even listening to much new music somewhere between 25 and 30. Sure, a bit slipped through,¹ but for the most part I've stuck with tried and true artists or genres. This summer we subscribed to one of those listen-to-anything-you-want-anytime-you-want services, and I've been strictly enforcing a 25% rule: No less than one quarter of the music I listen to must have been released in the last five years and be by an artist with whom I was not more than passingly familiar before the institution of the rule. This was initially harder than anticipated, but not because there's a dearth of great stuff out there. Rather because it's (in a small way) putting myself outside my comfort zone. I didn't realize how big a part music played in that sense of complacency.²

 

Do you seek out new music? Where? Go to shows? Are we all condemned to do little more than relive our musical youth when we hit 40?

 

 

 

 

-----

¹ Somewhat OT, but could someone please explain to me how I know the lyrics to Firework? And a good number of Lady Gaga songs?

² Complacency sounds better than rut.

[Violet Crown]

Sure! Just the other day I heard some Grieg on the radio that I'd never heard before. ;)

[Miss Peregrine]

My dd 17 is a music major who loves most genre(s?). Anyway, I listen to all kinds. I do make a point of listening new stuff on my XM in the car.

[Desert Strawberry]

http://www.pandora.com/

Yes, I do. I love Pandora. I cruise around different genres whenever I want something new, and Pandora plays music with similar features to songs that you like. Personally, I'm partial to heartbreaking lyrics and complex harmonies. So even if you just input your old favorites, Pandora will play other songs you may never have heard before.

I'm 37, btw.

[Firefly]

I don't intentionally, but am exposed to it through DH (who does seek out new music) and my two kids.  I'm glad though;  I would have missed out on some pretty good songs/musicians!

[Upward Journey]

I probably wouldn't.  I don't listen to the radio and I seldom remember to put in a CD.  But I think music is my husband and childrens lifeblood, so I end up hearing new stuff by default.

[Mrs Mungo]

Yes. I am the oldest child and grandchild, so my sisters and cousins frequently suggest new bands and singers to me. Now that my kids are teens, they sometimes do the same.

 

The free iTunes song cards from Starbucks have guided me toward certain artists that I like. Pandora also plays new artists that I like quite a bit, along with old favorites.

[sparrow]

I don't intentionally, but am exposed to it through DH (who does seek out new music) and my two kids.  I'm glad though;  I would have missed out on some pretty good songs/musicians!

 

It's the same way here, with dh and kids introducing me to new stuff.  I have heard new stuff that I like, by listening to old stuff that I like, on Pandora.

 

[marbel]

Yes, I do. 

 

Funny, though.  My kids are teens but they prefer '80s rock: Journey, Bon Jovi, Tom Petty.  That cracks me up.  They really don't like much of the current music that their peers listen to.

 

I have a nephew who is a musician of the singer-songwriter type, and he sometimes posts links to new songs/bands/musicians on facebook.  I have found a few new favorites that way.  And, we listen to the radio in the car.

 

My 30-year-old niece was recently impressed that I mentioned listening to the Black Keys.  I am not sure it's impressive, but her mom, my older sister, is completely stuck in '60s musics. (She is 62, I am 57.  I like to think that becoming a mother in my old age helps keep me young.)

[Caroline]

My oldest son and I share an iTunes account, so I get exposed to a lot of new music that way. I also teach in an urban high school, and hear new music from my students, too. But, I also like to listen to music from the '70's. It brings back memories of working at the kitchen table on my homework with my mom.

[swimmermom3]

These days more of my "listening" time is taken up by the Teaching Company in preparation for the school year.  However I came of age during the later punk movement  and my first real job was selling advertising for an alternative newspaper where I had several music promoters for clients. That experience prompted an ongoing search for new music. Just when I lost momentum in looking for the novel, my kids hit the teen years. Discussing music and sharing new and old picks has always been a bonding experience.

 

My dd and I play sort of a one upsmanship game in trying to find new artists the other has not heard. Thankfully, NPR has inadvertently saved my backside a few times in that game. For my older son,  who prefers classic rock and Johnny Cash, I was able to pass on the recommendation for Max Raabe (Thank you, Sebastian!) as my son had started to listen to music from the Fallout series.

 

I am afraid that our live shows run to old bands. Dh and I took our dd and our nephew to see Pearl Jam and had a blast, but then dd and I routinely watch videos of Eddie  singing with Neil, with Ben, with Bruce, whoever! Mutual drooling is also a bonding experience.

[Lara in Colo]

I find that I don't listen to music hardly ever anymore-- I just cannot find the time without interruption to listen, and I guess our house isn't set up for music to be played all over it.  But when I do listen, I generally stick to the stuff I know-- simply because I can barely get though that  and there isn't time to add more stuff.  It is sort of like adding more dessert recipes to my overstuffed box.  Once I get though the ones I love, I don't have room in my diet for more desserts without getting as big as a house.  If I get bored with either my desserts or my music, I will add more-- that almost never happens.

 

There are times when new stuff sneaks though-- like on the radio in the car on the way to a potluck where I try an amazing dessert.

[Pawz4me]

I used to always have music on.  But youngest had sensory issues as a toddler/preschooler and couldn't stand to have anything playing.  And even though he got over it, I seemed to "catch" it.  Now it seems to me that any kind of music is just another part of the never-ending noise we're constantly bombarded with in modern life.  The older I get the more I crave silence.

[nmoira]

These days more of my "listening" time is taken up by the Teaching Company in preparation for the school year. However I came of age during the later punk movement and my first real job was selling advertising for an alternative newspaper where I had several music promoters for clients. That experience prompted an ongoing search for new music. Just when I lost momentum in looking for the novel, my kids hit the teen years. Discussing music and sharing new and old picks has always been a bonding experience.

 

My dd and I play sort of a one upsmanship game in trying to find new artists the other has not heard

:)

 

It was catching myself feeling cutting edge while listening to PiL (yup, I made it all the way to post-punk) that got me on this kick. :tongue_smilie:

[Swimtaxi234]

I got really tired of listening to the radio this summer, so I have been listening to older CDs - Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Hootie and the Blowfish, Janet Jackson, etc.  I had forgotten how much I liked those songs/artists.

[sparrow]

:)

 

It was catching myself feeling cutting edge while listening to PiL (yup, I made it all the way to post-punk) that got me on this kick. :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol: 'Fishing' by PiL is one of the last songs I blasted while driving through town with the windows down!

[NicAnn]

Well, Im 26 however my friends and associates all over 35 for the most part.

I do seek out new music and go to shows whenever possible. Dh is in a for fun metal band (avenge sevenfold, three days grace kind of stuff), so I tend to listen to whatever they are working on.

 

I always go back and forth listening to hardcore/emocore stuff and indie folk rock. And then of course the yearly listening of Nsync...which I can't apologize for since it was popular when I was 13!

[sparrow]

Oh, and speaking of PiL, I saw them at Lollapalooza years ago. The Lollapalooza webcast, live from Chicago, starts in about an hour. I watched NIN last night ;). 

 

http://www.lollapalooza.com/

 

 

Mumford & Sons play tonight. They seem like such a "mom" band, but I love them.  I'm also going to try to catch The National.  Tomorrow Beach House, Vampire Weekend, and The Cure!

[twoxcell]

Well my dh is almost 39 and he is always listening to and seeking out new music. I don't have to do it because he does it for me. lol ;)

[Jean in Newcastle]

We have a rule in my car.  If ds16 is in the front seat he gets to play his favorite oldies channel ("oldies" means music from the 60's to the 80's).  All of the 80's stuff was pretty new to me because I had stopped listening to the radio during the 80's!  If dd11 is in the front seat (we turn off the airbag) then she gets to play her favorite current pop channel.  I'm am up on what Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele and Usher are singing.  If I am (blessedly!) alone I listen to silence or NPR or the jazz channel.  Dh tends to just put on sermons when he's in the car and doesn't listen to music.

 

We watch The Voice and other music contest shows.  That is where most of my knowledge of current pop music comes from.  Ds also listens to a lot of alternative music when he's not stuck in my childhood.  So he shares certain music that he thinks will fit my eclectic tastes. 

[Parrothead]

Well...

 

The newest music I've listened to was when the Jonas brothers were big. Dd was really into radio Disney for a number of years. Now I've gotten her to listen to classic rock. We watch you tube vids of the old rockers. Last night was the Kinks.

 

I do have some nickleback and three doors down. Those would be the extent of any groups since the early 90s. I don't know where to find new music the both dd and I can listen to.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't know how anyone can parent a teen and NOT be exposed to new music all the time whether you like it or not.

 

I have to explore new music all the time. I have teens in my bellydance class, so in addition to keeping an eye on world music I have to pay attention to what the kids like for warm-up music and fusion pieces. Of course, I still expose them to an unnecessary amount of Prince and what-not, but I do have to mix it up.

[Peach]

 We do keep up with current stuff here. For anything and everything to listen to, and free, try Grooveshark.com.

[Caroline]

I don't know how anyone can parent a teen and NOT be exposed to new music all the time whether you like it or not.

 

I have to explore new music all the time. I have teens in my bellydance class, so in addition to keeping an eye on world music I have to pay attention to what the kids like for warm-up music and fusion pieces. Of course, I still expose them to an unnecessary amount of Prince and what-not, but I do have to mix it up.

Yes!!

 

My son also has all of my downloads on his phone, so in the last week he has had James Taylor, Duran Duran, and Bread arrive on his phone. I have had Imagine Dragons (LOVE), Linkin Park, and Shinedown arrive on mine.

[Alice]

I don’t but I was never someone who really was into music anyway. I like music but I’ve always been happy listening to what I know I like. In college friends would introduce me to a new band or artist and I’d add that into my listening mix but I didn’t really seek out the new on my own. I’m not at all musical myself, I think I’m tone-deaf although I always get into arguments with musical people over whether that’s true or not. Regardless, although I like music it’s not a big part of my life like books are. Now seeking out new authors, reading book reviews, following book prize lists, etc.....that’s a different story. :) 

[MissKNG]

No.

 

I think the (pop) music today is terrible.

 

I do listen to the REAL vocal talent (ie. Boyz II Men) here and there.

 

I do like classical, instrumental, big band, etc.

[PeacefulChaos]

I do. 

I'm a little younger than your target range here - I'll be 31 in November - but there was a span of time where I really didn't know any new stuff.  Now I do here and there, but we don't have XM or anything in the car so if I turn on the radio I get the same 10 songs over and over.  ;)  I love Maroon 5, but they're older (as in, they've been around longer - I fell in love with them back when I WAS still up to date on music!) ... I don't care a whole heck of a lot for Mumford & Sons (Is that right? Their name, I mean?) but I really like music that is driven, one way or another.  It either needs to be something I feel like I can dance around to or rock out to.  :P  

I get a lot of my exposure to newer stuff from The Voice, too.  Aside from that, I'm relatively familiar with the stuff that was uber-popular in the last year or two.

As for going and looking for it?  K-pop, baby.  I go and search out new stuff all the time.  :leaving:

[swimmermom3]

:)

 

It was catching myself feeling cutting edge while listening to PiL (yup, I made it all the way to post-punk) that got me on this kick. :tongue_smilie:

 

I had totally forgotten about those guys. They will be getting some play today. :D  I realized I needed to go out looking for more new music when I listened to an interview with Greg Graffin of Bad Religion. I had no idea this guy is a science professor at UCLA now. :eek:

 

And they have a new album. Does that count as new music?

 

[elegantlion]

Ds has introduced me to some. I miss albums where you could experience the whole of a band. I feel like I get a fragmented approach now. 

 

Lately, I like Shinedown and Linkin Park. I also went back and finally bought Iris from the GooGoo Dolls. I'm trying to fill in some music and now I have a car with a CD player -whoo hoo!

 

It kind of comes full circle though. A few months ago ds asked if I knew about the Safety Dance. :svengo: And he's into Foreigner now. 

 

I also spent 3 days singing the theme song from Hellsing after ds introduced me to the anime. 

[Delirium]

Slacker radio (like pandora without the time limit) I have the settings set pretty high to find new things. My daughter also introduces me to stuff she finds.

 

ETA: I volunteer for an organization that occasionally gets picked to run drink and snack bars at concerts. I learn a lot of new music that way too.

[Jenny in Florida]

I do, through a combination of intentional seeking out and accidental exposure via my teens.

 

Every now and then, I get bored with what's on my iPod and hit Pandora to find new stuff to suit my mood. I buy albums and songs and build a new playlist or two, then settle in to listen to those for a few months. Occasionally, at some point in this process, I add a new artist or group to my mental list of favorites, and I pay attention when they release new stuff.

 

My daughter likes to tease me about having the taste of a nerdy 17-year-old girl. So, my big crisis is that I often find myself really, really enjoying music by artists who are embarassingly lots younger than I am. One of my favorite groups is coming to town in October, and I am fighting off the urge to buy a ticket to go to the show, because I can clearly see in my head how ridiculous I would look in that crowd.

 

My son and I have a fair amount of overlap in terms of musical taste. So, he often adopts my playlists once I build them. When he's not listening to that, though, he leans toward classic (1960s - 1980s) rock, Celtic-inspired music and Broadway showtunes. Thus far, I think he absorbs more from me than I do from him, but he occasionally introduces me to someone cool.

 

My daughter loves showtunes, too, but also listens to lots of music from internet-type artists. And she is currently collecting music from British neo-soul singers, which she loves to share with anyone who will listen. So, I do hear new stuff from her.

[LostSurprise]

I'm 40. How do I find new music? By spending way too much time on the internet. 

 

*Seeing who artists I like tour with

*Listening to the NPR song of the day or new artist pages

*Seeing other the Also Bought category on Amazon when I'm buying an album

*Following my favorite artists on Facebook or Twitter and seeing who they talk about

*Following music sites like Paste, Noisetrade, Daytrotter or Pitchfork (when I want, I don't really subscribe)

*Reading Editor's Choice lists (on Amazon or the above music sites), listening to their most popular songs

*Check out artists on Spotify, Pandora, or Amazon

*Make a list of artists/albums/songs I'm interested in

*Read through Amazon's $5 albums

 

Its not really an every day thing. When I'm online I may play an album preview in the background and if it hits me I'll listen to whole songs on Youtube or Spotify. Every few months I'll buy some music. 

[sparrow]

I'm 39, but I can't imagine that a year from now I'll be completely different.  I LOVE listening to new music.  I get into all of it. 

 

Like Goyte? I seem to remember a little crush last year ;) .

[Dana]

Ds has introduced me to some. I miss albums where you could experience the whole of a band. I feel like I get a fragmented approach now. 

 

Lately, I like Shinedown and Linkin Park. I also went back and finally bought Iris from the GooGoo Dolls. I'm trying to fill in some music and now I have a car with a CD player -whoo hoo!

 

It kind of comes full circle though. A few months ago ds asked if I knew about the Safety Dance. :svengo: And he's into Foreigner now. 

 

I also spent 3 days singing the theme song from Hellsing after ds introduced me to the anime. 

 

I heard "Enemies" from Amaryllis while driving my son to guitar lesson last year. I copied down part of the lyrics and then was able to find the song. I enjoy every song on that album. I typically have music on the iPad on random but listen to full albums when I'm at the computer. I've got Sound of Madness playing right now :)

 

Linkin Park is dangerous for me because I had one of their CDs as the background music when I played Burnout (car "racing"/crashing XBox game). I noticed when I was driving around town and a song of theirs came on, I started speeding.

 

Our library lets us download 5 songs per week. Dh grabs a number of albums and songs for us that way (some artists are available, many aren't). Just got Michael Franti & Spearhead albums that way (liked him from Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.

 

My sister got my husband a Roots album as a Christmas present & I've been really enjoying them lately too.

 

So mainly other people bring in new music and then I appropriate it for "new" stuff.

[sparrow]

I heard "Enemies" from Amaryllis while driving my son to guitar lesson last year. I copied down part of the lyrics and then was able to find the song. I enjoy every song on that album. I typically have music on the iPad on random but listen to full albums when I'm at the computer. I've got Sound of Madness playing right now :)

 

Linkin Park is dangerous for me because I had one of their CDs as the background music when I played Burnout (car "racing"/crashing XBox game). I noticed when I was driving around town and a song of theirs came on, I started speeding.

 

Our library lets us download 5 songs per week. Dh grabs a number of albums and songs for us that way (some artists are available, many aren't). Just got Michael Franti & Spearhead albums that way (liked him from Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.

 

My sister got my husband a Roots album as a Christmas present & I've been really enjoying them lately too.

 

So mainly other people bring in new music and then I appropriate it for "new" stuff.

 

I'm not allowed to play The Killers' Hot Fuss CD when I'm driving.  There at least 4 songs on that album that make me speed.

 

[PrairieSong]

Yes. All our kids are in their teens and twenties, and I am always hearing about new (to me) artists from them. I didn't 't keep up with the latest songs when I only had littles though. There is over a decade of serious musical blur in my life.

[Word Nerd]

Yes, I do. I like creating Spotify Radio stations and have found some new favorites there. (I stopped listening to Pandora because Jack Johnson kept popping up in almost every playlist I started, no matter how many times I banned him. His voice may as well be fingernails on a chalkboard to my ears.) I like NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts and free streaming of some new albums. I learn about some groups when they win Grammys, such as Arcade Fire and The Civil Wars. My current song crush is Happy, which I first heard when we saw Despicable Me 2 at the drive-in. Once I was flipping channels and stopped when I heard an amazing singer and thought, "wow, who is that?"--it was Adele performing some of her songs from 19.

[sewingmama]

Not since before my kids were born. My DD has SPD and cant have any background noise on....music drives her crazy playing in the house. Same as tv...we always have it off unless we are specifically watching it. DH also turns everything off as soon as he walks in the house. With all the noise my kids make...background noise sends me a little crazy too.

 

Maybe when my kids are older I'll get back into it. Maybe by then I'll have figured out how to download music.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I love both Jack Johnson and Iz !  But also Adele, and Santana and . . . 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I love both Jack Johnson and Iz !  But also Adele, and Santana and . . . 

[nd293]

I'm 41, and I pretty much stopped listening to music altogether in the last 10 years. Well, there was The Kids' Music Phase, but once that was over all I wanted was silence. My mental health eventually demanded that only one voice be heard at a time, and as that privilege is usually claimed by a child, music fell away. As I never have the radio on, I am totally out of touch with new artists. Lately, though, I've started to listen to classical music (instrumental only, no voices!) and I am loving that. It's a whole new world for me.

[Donna]

I search out new music and artists, attend concerts, meet musicians, and buy new CDs or songs on iTunes. I do it for my kids, mostly my dd (Celtic and classical music but other genres as well), but I find lots of new things I like listening to and will listen when I am alone in the car, too.

[Coffeemama]

I don't intentionally, but am exposed to it through DH (who does seek out new music) and my two kids. I'm glad though; I would have missed out on some pretty good songs/musicians!

This is exactly how it is for me too. The greatest gain for me has been a growing love for contemporary country music, which is a genre I had never been a part of. My DH has a huge itunes library and is always listening to the latest hits in many different genres. I like that my kids have a love for a variety of music types also.

 

If it werent for them, I might be stuck listen to "classic hits" forever....

[jelbe5]

I have been exposed to new (for me) music through . . . Grey's Anatomy. I began watching the show a couple of years ago and checked previous seasons out of the library so I could start at the beginning. Anytime I heard a song I really liked I would look it up and listen to it on line or buy it. I would also use Pandora to find similar music. I even have what I call "Best of Grey's Anatomy" Playlist on my phone.

[Jenny in Atl]

I'm always seeking out new music... I like all kinds, from classical to trip hop, and all in between (except most top 40). I'm also an old ex-punk/mod/grunge/whatever other tag you want to apply. Grew up in a house filled with music, and can't see living w/o it. 

 

Places I search 

 

http://www.npr.org/music/

http://tunein.com/

 

http://pitchfork.com/

 

Browse itunes, and at the end of the year I review the critics top choices on Amazon. The only radio I listen to is college radio (in Atl., GSU or GA Tech, also UT/Chattanooga has a great one).

 

[Luckymama]

I'm 47 and dh is 45. He, ds20, and dd18 actively search out and share new music. Some I like, some I don't. I usually don't play music when I'm alone----I listen to npr in the car and when doing house stuff, I listen to various podcasts at other times, sometimes when I'm totally alone I listen to the creek and the birds----but I don't mind listening to what they are playing.

 

Usually.

 

I hate Pink Floyd.

[Beth in OH]

Spotify has replaced itunes for my family.  Free streaming, but my dc all have the subscription that allows them to download to devices.  It's a great way to explore new music without commitment.  You can also follow your FB friends' playlists.

[Donna]

I need some Celtic band names to search for.

Here are some band names...

 

Lunasa

The Yanks (brand new band of awesome talents)

The Teetotallers

The John Whelan Band

Cherish the Ladies

Leahy

Solas

Beoga

Goitse

Altan

DeDannan

Dervish

Teada

Girsa

We Banjo 3

Open the Door for Three

Full Set

Willis Clan (family of talented homeschoolers)

 

(if you need more or want individual performers, I can give some of those, too.)

[wintermom]

Yes, I'm discovering new-to-me old stuff from various genres, like Motown, R & B, classical, jazz, etc. There is so much amazing music out there already, and more coming all the time. I'd be sad if I didn't expand my horizons in my lifetime.

 

I've found different songs and artists on youtube. In fact, I've spent far too much time doing this! It's so much fun, though. :001_smile:

 

One Canadian Celtic/East coast group that we love in our family is The Rankins, from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. They do some traditional celtic songs, and a lot of fun, story-telling songs. My favourite upbeat song is The Mull River Shuffle, but here is nice little live intro and mix:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXdF6PLm_cg

 

 

[m0mmaBuck]

When I'm in the car, sometimes I put the radio on the local rock station and am happy to hear new music by old favorites like Slash, Alice in Chains, and Black Sabbath, as well as some newer bands like the Killswitch Engage and the collaboration of McCartney, Grohl, Novelselic, and Smear (McCartney and the remaining members of Nirvana). 

 

For the most part, I do not like pop or country music but am exposed to it at work.  I do like some of the stuff by Pink and Kelly Clarkson that I hear on the radio at work, but I don't get the big deal about Mumford and Sons or the Luminieres.  I guess I'm not a big folksy music person.  And I absolutely prefer older country music (mid-90s and older) to the new stuff that I hear.