Hi Steven:
I think you should do some research. The record industry is completely
youth oriented and baby boomers do not buy the bulk of the products.
Please, go to your library and do some Lexis/Nexis research if you
don't believe me. And yes, the younger customers are more likely to
prefer alternate forms of entertainment or even "steal" products thru
illegal downloads (although any unbiased party that has looked at this
"problem" seems to say time after time that the music companies
greatly overstate it and their biggest problem is lack of compelling
product and ripoff pricing, and refusal to understand a shift in the
preferred end-product to downloaded digital files). The stuff you like
and might buy a few CD's of each year, that's subsidized by the
Britney Spears albums of the world.
It would not be profitable to
cater to any tastes but the very mainstream with a
manufactured/packaged/warehoused product. That's just how economics
work today. Plus the consolidation of retailing means limited shelf
space to promote the bad apples currently in the roster. Note that
Tower Records is in bankruptcy and HMV has pulled out of most US
markets, meaning the ONLY place to buy packaged CD's in most of the
USA is Wal-Mart, Target or someplace similar. The success of Amazon
still proves that depth and breadth can be successfully sold, but at
Amazon, something like 80% of CD sales dovetail the top-100 charts
(see the many refutations of the "Long Tail" book, including Lee Gomes
in the Wall St. Journal).
Anyway, main point is, baby boomers do control these companies, but
the kids are the main customers for recorded music. Has been that way
since the 1960's. Same with movies, BTW, which is why there's so
little adult-oriented fare at the multiplex. Finally, do some
demographic research and you'll see that "son of baby boom" generation
is also huge and they are the ones with the mass amounts of disposable
income to feed the entertainment industry right now. All too many of
their parents are mortgaged to the hilt, maxed out on credit and
suddenly realizing that their social security check will hardly buy
groceries, much less maintain the McMansion.