Music for oldies

I should have made this ancient blog posting back in October 2009. Better late than never. Neurotic Media and CM2Oldies have launched iOldies online music and entertainment store that features over two million MP3s. This is the press release.

This site claims to be the only source offering the 50-plus Baby Boomers single downloads, entire album downloads, CDs, vinyl records (LPS), ringtones and “retro” DVDs in one “shopping experience”.

I have no idea how the range of music from this site compares to iTunes but it certainly is a more colourful experience to visit although not as easy to use and the background music sends me mad!


Unless the site has major advantages in terms of price and/or range I wonder why the Web literate Boomer would come here rather than where they buy their non-retro/nostalgic music? Whatever, I wish them well. Dick Stroud

Saviours of the UK recording industry

Today, Shirley Bassey (72) re-entered the album charts with her first album of original material in 20 years. number 20.

The Guardian has an article commenting the latest example of a veteran artist who has found critical and commercial acclaim beyond retirement age. "It's been a vintage year for veteran artists," said the man from the Official UK Charts Company. "The success of older acts has been growing over recent years but it has peaked in 2009."

There are a number of factors behind the twilight glory of older artists, including the changing retail landscape. High street retailers like Zavvi and Woolworths have gone but supermarkets, where older music fans tend to buy their music, are playing a much bigger part in album sales.

Labels are realising that chasing the older market makes sense when younger music fans are used to getting their tunes for free. Is what we are seeing the final fling of the CD player versus the inevitable march of iTunes?

The list of oldies who are back in fashion goes on and on.. Neil Young (64). Bruce Springsteen (60), Leonard Cohen (75), Barbra Streisand (67), Vera Lynn (92)…….

The fascinating question for the music industry is if the strength of attachment that these older artists have with their own age cohort will be repeated in the future. I have no idea. Dick Stroud

Matt - thanks for a great newsletter

Matt Thornhill is the founder and president of a company called Boomer Project. If you haven’t subscribed to his newsletter you should.

I have just got around to reading the June edition and it contains some really interesting links to Boomer focused businesses that are totally new to me.

The one I really liked is Sonic Boomers that describes itself as

Monday through Friday there are daily links to relevant news for the Boomer audience, as well as a different song spotlighted from the entire history of recorded music. Each Friday, new album, DVD and book reviews are published, along with feature stories, interviews, and a highlighted article from the archives of rock 'n roll history.

It looks an inviting and well constructed web site. Matt, thanks for publicising. Dick Stroud

The Techy 50-plus

This Reuter’s article is an interesting reflection on the 50-plus and their tech literacy.

If you are interested in jazz and blues music then the recording company Blue Note might mean something to you. I means nothing to me.

It appears that by the end of August the label will have revamped its Web site to become a social network and digital music store for fans of jazz and blues, rather than its current format - a simple promotional site.

The core age demographic of its customers is 35-54. Not a group that most marketers associate with digital downloading and social networking.

According to the Ipsos TEMPO survey, adults beyond the age of 34 make up about 40% of all paid-for downloaders -- twice the proportion that teens account for. They also download more songs than average: nine per month compared with the average five across all generations.

The generation gap is similar for music subscription services, where 35- to 54-year-olds represent 45% of those who exclusively use paid streaming or subscription-based music services. Interesting. Dick Stroud

The Zimmers

For the past few weeks I have had a task on Outlook to “write something about the Zimmers”. I keep hitting the Snooze for 1 day option.

A number of friends, who know about my interest in the 50-plus market, have asked: “So what do you think about the Zimmers”. I have found it difficult to know what to say.

A video of their performance has been watched by well over 2,500,000 people on YouTube and about 100,000,000 people, in 50 countries, have seen clips of the band on television.

Most of the UK newspapers have covered the story in detail. Here is what the Times had to say about them. They have been the biggest ‘age thing’ this year. But still I am not sure what I think.

This might sound a bit ‘precious’ but I don’t find anything very edifying or entertaining in a group of old people impersonating The Who. I can see what it creates a buzz and might sell some music tracks but it is for novelty value.

I have great admiration for the 90 year old lead singer and I hope he got a lot of fun when filming and recording the track. But in my mind the sooner the media spotlight moves on the better. Dick Stroud

Music for Grownups?

My old chum Chuck Nyren was recently on a radio chat show reviewing AARP’s punt into the world of music.

You can listen to the interview and view (and listen) to the AARP music Web site.

Chuck’s provides a great summary – “as is usually the case, AARP’s grab for Baby Boomers is an admixture of good intentions, some top-notch stuff – and cheesy, insulting schlock”. It is well worth reading the rest of his blog posting.

Yep the venture could be improved but at least AARP is having a go at doing something innovative. Age Concern, Help the Aged and Saga - are you listening? Dick Stroud