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Wrinklies keep CD sales up
By Jonathan Prynn, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 25.11.03
Debbie Harry: Back in vogue
Ageing rockers - the types whose children wince when they play air guitar to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody - are riding to the rescue of the music industry.
At a time when the "MP3 generation" is getting its tracks for free from the internet, fortysomething music fans are beginning to dominate sales.
According to current trends, the over-40s will account for more than 50 per cent of album sales in Britain within five years. Fortysomethings have already overtaken teenagers as buyers of music albums, according to research carried out by the British Phonographic Industry.
The reason for this surge in mature-age spending may be because of the enormous popularity of nostalgia gigs. This week alone sees an unprecedented roll-call of Jurassic music stars whose hits have not graced the charts for decades - from the Four Tops to Blondie.
Bob Dylan played a heaving Hammersmith-Apollo last night, while David Bowie and Debbie Harry strut their stuff tonight. Tomorrow sees the Four Tops and the Temptations at the Albert Hall, followed by Fleetwood Mac in Earl's Court this weekend. Heavy metal veterans Iron Maiden start a UK tour on Monday.
The latest invasion follows the success of the Rolling Stones' Forty Licks world tour earlier this year, and last week's sell-out concert at Hammersmith Apollo by AC/DC - fronted by a 48-year-old man dressed as a schoolboy in shorts.
Since 1999, the proportion of total album sales accounted for by people aged between 40 and 49 has risen from 16 per cent to 19 per cent, while teenagers' share of the market has fallen from 18 per cent to 16 per cent.
The trend has accelerated in recent years as wealthy professionals have replaced their treasured vinyl collections of their youth with CDs or music DVDs.
There has also been a huge increase in sales of CDs at supermarkets in the past five years, another factor that has pushed up sales to the middle aged. "People with a basket full of bread and beans pop in the latest Dido album at the same time," said Virgin Megastores' Simon Dornan.
Without the continuing high level of spending of more mature consumers, the industry could be facing meltdown. This year, sales of albums are expected to be about £1.8 billion, down from £2 billion in 2002. A BPI spokeswoman said of the fall in sales to the young: "It is worrying as these are the buyers of the future."
The staying power of the rock dinosaurs has also been helped by the sheer quality of their music and a reaction against the manufactured "pap pop" that has dominated the charts of the past decade, according to music industry experts.
Younger artists have also revived interest among the young in the music of the past by citing inspirational acts. Oasis were famously influenced by the Beatles, while The Darkness have drawn on Queen, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
Reader views (1)
Wonderful positive article about the Music business.
Unfortunately despite the demographics, the 40-60 (not so 'wrinklie' these days) age group does not seem to be greatly taken into account when it comes to the presentation of Music in much of the media. It seems that the majority of music programming is still aimed at a much younger listener or viewer.
As far as the music from the 60's and 70's, this large back catalogue has been made more available through the Internet and as your article mentions through Vinyl-CD re-issues. This has partly inspired the retro-scene which is definitely an under-current amongst the new younger bands coming up.
I personally believe that the Music Industry could take positive steps to generate this interest in music by opening up the back catalogue to the public. To retell the 'storyline' of modern popular music. To make available some of the more obscure names that never received the acclaim at the time of release.
Then instead of the very negative press, that does nothing for the Music Industry, we could see more informative articles and have perhaps increased access to Music that was missed the first time around.
I hope there are plans to look at this issue again and update Jonathon Prynn's excellent article.
As for myself, I am a 40+ Musician and currently developing an Independent Website for new Music talent in London and the South East.
- Bran, Saffron Walden, Essex
