Archive for May, 2009

Boomers and Their Music

Lina Ko May 19th, 2009

It’s common for people to stereotype baby boomers and their musical tastes. Of course, it’s natural to associate boomers with their preference for boomer-era musicians – Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bee Gees and others. In terms of music, I’m kind of unusual for a boomer. My taste in music is pretty eclectic – from the Stones to Prince to Robbie Williams to Black Eyed Peas to Divine Brown to young musicians such as Joss Stone, Duffy, Amy Winehouse, Sophie Millman and even the wunderkind Nikki Yanofsky.

To me, there will always be that group of iconic boomer bands who influenced me when I was growing up – the Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and almost all Motown musicians. In spite of my reference often on this blog to boomers reinventing themselves, most of the boomer musicians I liked are not making new music any more. The Rolling Stones are making new breakthroughs via their concerts, but not in creating new music. CCR is long gone and the solo-touring John Fogerty does not have the same impact as the band. The only baby boomer musicians who are constantly reinventing themselves and still making a huge impact are Prince and Madonna. I don’t particularly like Madonna’s music but I’ll pay any price to see her perform. Being a devoted Prince fan all my life, hearing his latest triple-disc set Lotusflow3R is a real thrill! In spite of his eccentricity, Prince is probably still one of the most talented R&B musicians alive. And watching him perform in concerts only drives home the uniqueness of his diverse talent in creating and playing music.

We boomers are lucky to experience and enjoy the ‘oldie’ music, but we should also continue to support new, up-and-coming artists who shape the present and the future of the musical world.

Mainstream Media Still Has A Role

admin May 6th, 2009

According to The Edmonton Journal, there’s still life to the mainstream media in spite of the omnipotence of new media. Research has indicated that new technology does not replace existing technology – it actually seems to stimulate its growth. In fact, Statistics Canada’s 2006 report – Our Lives in Digital Times – demonstrated this reality.

For example, the office computer was supposed to create the paperless office; instead, office paper consumption has doubled in the past 20 years. Email was supposed to replace snail mail, but the amount of mail going through Canada Post has increased slightly. Internet sales have increased, but so has the overall square footage of retail and the number of retail stores. Cell phones are everywhere, but the number of land-line telephones installed has doubled in the past 20 years.

Part of the ‘new technology is better than old technology’ argument is attributed to youth, but even the young are using both quite comfortably. By the same token, boomers are also using both. It’s long been a myth that boomers are not tech-savvy – in fact, they use new media as often as they rely on traditional media.

Yes, daily newspapers and television are facing troubles with declining advertising. However, new media are facing the same trouble. As recently reported in the National Post, YouTube is facing a $400-million loss, and Yahoo continues to struggle financially, as banner ads in the new media decline as much as in traditional advertising.

With the coming retirement or ‘reinvention’ of the biggest demographic in history – the baby boomers – it’s logical to predict a new golden age for newspapers and other mainstream media, such as magazines. At the same time, new media will also continue to appeal to this demographic if they know how to target them.