Why do we stop listening to new music as we get older?

+1 @dinov 

+1 @waytoomuchstuff 

I've listened to mostly soul and R&B since the 60's; during that time, I also enjoyed some soft rock and contemporary jazz.  Lately, I've spent time discovering blues and more jazz. 

I've never been a fan of rap, and I don't particularly care for hip hop for a number of reasons.  There are a few new "soul/neo soul" artists that a good friend turned me on to.  I haven't found one yet that's produced a full album that I truly enjoy.  On the other hand, I have hundreds of old school vinyl albums and CDs that I enjoy every song.

I'm 75, at this point in my life I spend a little time exploring new stuff.  I spend a lot more time, just chillin' and listening to the music I've enjoyed during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.  

So glad to see so many "fossil units" join in on this discussion.  Every time I get around my early-twenties grandson, the 2nd question I ask is: "Have you heard any good music lately?"  I make good notes (no pun intended) in my notes app and do a search later in Tidal.  I give them a fair shake, but nothing has shocked my world -- yet. It's good to share a interest music with the youngsters in my family.  (Hot Rods, not so much).  He has a pretty "low give a s---t factor" about sound quality.  That's a different subject altogether.

@normb +1 on WTMD. I found a lot of new stuff there when I lived in the area. The same with 103.1 before they changed formats. 

I'm not sure how to quantify the question.  Is new music something beyond Jazz, RocknRoll, pop or classical? If I listen to one of the jazz standards from the 50s performed by a more recent artist with there own twist would that be new?    I don't usually like a covers of an established song performed almost note for note from the original but I do enjoy a more modern interpterion of quite a few songs.

I don't enjoy modern pop much as it's pretty much the same from artist to artist so I wouldn't classify that as new but I'm now able do to the invention of streaming listen to music from all over the world.  So "new to me" is more what I chose.  I have over 300 albums that I collected from my youth that while they are still good not what I choose to listen to on a day to day basis.

My assertion looking at the above posts that most of us don't fit that assumption that we still only listen to Boston, Queen or the Who and while they're still enjoyable we've expanded our horizons to include lots of other styles of music that just weren't available to us 40 years ago.  My wife on he other hand who doesn't get stereo at all sings along on a Bluetooth speaker the music she listened to 40 years ago and is perfectly content.

@musicfan2349 

Although it would seem that some of are still enjoying new music there doesn't seem to be any consensus as to who today's best music acts might be.

If you look at the covers of today's bighest music magazines (Mojo, Uncut, Rolling Stone etc) you are still more likely to the likes of Springsteen, Young, U2, Zeppelin, Dylan, Madonna, Hendrix, Beatles etc.

If you read the music section of audio magazines then you are likely to find more interesting articles on reissues of classic albums than any new groundbreaking current release.

As @frankmc195 said earlier, 1980 seemed to be a key year when it came to a slowing down in musical development.

By the end of 1980 we had seen more or less every significant musical genre as well as the murder of John Lennon just after his return to recording.

@musicfan2349 

I don't think any of us are in any serious danger of getting jaded in our tastes. Most of us here seem to be finding plenty of 'new' music to enjoy.

New to us, that is.

Until some current artist (other than Roger Waters, Eric Clapton or Morrissey etc) is willing to stick their head above the parapet and speak up as to what is happening in the world today, then their music can hardly be called current.

Given the enormous social changes we've all been witness to these last 20 years or so I think it's fairly safe to say most of the music produced in that in that time has little more than ephemeral value.

Here today, gone tomorrow.