How many youngsters still play with model trains?
Times, they are a-changin'.
Rant against the industry with hopes for discussion on positive change
As a 20 year hobbyist who has worked around the industry and made tons of contacts I really worry about the future of this hobby.
For the last 30 years the industry has catered to an aging clientele which I can tell you as a used gear guy a large percentage of my inventory comes from audiophiles who have passed away and at 38 i rarely meet people my age or near who are hobbyists.
The industry is about the shadiest mainstream industry that has fought standards tooth and nail which is why amp and speaker ratings are all over the place confusing and discouraging the casual consumer.
Millenials and Gen Z have spoken loudly that they won’t support shady business practices however market trends show that like audiophiles they bought a cheap Bluetooth speaker, than eventually a better and eventually a nice one. They want a option that is currently really only available from Devialet and a couple other manufactures.
Also sales people use the technique that “you don’t know how to listen to music, you need to sit motionless in one spot” music reproduction needs to adapt to modern life where people are living smaller spaces with far more media options than ever before.
As a guy on the border of Gen X and millennial I’ve built 4 rigs for friends over the years because I always get the response of “I can’t give up a whole wall, that’s insane”
I would really like to see a company make a 12” and 15” Tannoy gold tv stand with volume control, bass, treble and loudness knobs as well as USB charging with an outlet strip on the back and a shelf for a PS5 or Xbox… that way they get big clean sound for example
What are y’all’s thoughts on ways the industry can still thrive and meet the new demands of consumers while getting good music to more people? Without a new influx I don’t see how the majority of brands and brick and mortars and stay on business due to a decline in clientele
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There's two issues. First the music. It's synthesized so all the nuance we find so interesting is gone and there's ear buds. Why would I give up a whole wall and have to deal with annoying my neighbors when I can integrate my music, my telephone and my social life into my phone in my pocket. When you were in your twenties did you listen to 50 year old music? Just like MTV killed the record store MTV is dead today killed by the iPhone. Too bad I'm too old to pick up the good stuff on the cheap in 20 years. |
The issue of "attention spans" is a very serious one. The hifi industry is just the tip of an iceberg which threatens humanity. Why? Because distraction and fragmentation are the enemies of a coherent sense of history and memory. We need both of those to learn from past mistakes, hold our leaders to account, and to trust some of our longer-term methods, such as science. If anyone wants to see who profits off the destruction of attention, I suggest you read Shoshana Zuboff's book on surveillance capitalism. This is where the money is, short term, and where our undoing lies, long term. |
musicians are hopeless!! hahaha!! man is that true! ...or beat up car stereo, or walkman, or computer, or phone plugged in to something. ive always had a massive music collection and never took any interest in good hifi til a coupla years ago. |
+1 @hilde45 Couldn't agree more. This is nearly an analog to PRaT, whereas the Pace of life is nearly "off the chart". The Rhythm of daily events as I knew them as a kid seems missing completely. The Timing of events seems to be self-serving for the real decision makers (whomever the hell they are). Sad commentary. The high-end will be here as long as we are. Just like any other group of companies some will grow and change while others fall. It is out of our hands. Regards, barts
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