Listening to Older Music  

There was something by a local columnist in the Jackson (MI) Citizen Patriot (my local paper) about younger people listening to older music. He says that as much as he likes the music and that he thinks that people would naturally listen to the best music, that kids lose something special when they don't listen to current music, since none of their favorite artists from their younger years will be around when they get older.

First, let me say that I do listen primarily to newer music. But if you look through my iPod, I do like AC/DC, Quiet Riot, Skid Row, even Edgar Winter. The columnist does have a point, since none of the above, with the exception of Winter, is around even today.

But with so many people of today so focused on themselves, especially the celebrities, there's no guarantee that listening to newer music will mean having our favorite bands around later. And if you listen to anything that isn't really mainstream, you aren't going to hear that stuff on the radio in the future, either.

So: Do today's kids lose something by listening to the older music rather than the bands of their own generation?