This…is the most awesome thing I’ve heard all week.

“The top 100 is strewn with records that can only be described as easy listening.

And it is all a reflection of a significant change in the music industry – the power of “mum rock”.

Forty-somethings now buy more than twice as many pop CDs as teenagers and the gap is growing every year.”

While it’s true that I’ve noticed a lot more Mum-friendly music on the shelves… I’m not sure that I really agree with most of this article. Although, heh, at the same time I have no actual evidence to back up my argument, just a vague half remembered memory of reading something somewhere.

According to the article:

“Downloading is one factor explaining why teenagers are buying fewer CDs, especially when it comes to compilation albums.”

Fair enough on the compilation albums, but I remember reading how the teenage age group was actually buying more cds even though they’re the biggest downloading group – probably something to do with actually being able to listen before you buy and getting exposed to a wider range of bands perhaps.

And perhaps the reason the “average teenage record buyer” is spending less money on CDs that certainly aren’t cheaper to buy in shops, is that they’re looking around online to buy CDs at half the price you’d find them at in Virgin or HMV. While CDs are indeed cheap in the supermarket (which is one of the places I like to buy my music and games), what teenager is going to loiter with their friends in a supermarket?