They are an oldie group. First, it's impossible for them to produce new music since Kurt is gone with the wind.

Their moment ended twenty-eight years ago. That's a generation, plus change. The kids that listened to Nivana now have children who have barely heard about Nirvana, and are more likely to go to a Foo Fighters concert, and still not really make a huge connection with Nirvana.

I suppose, though, that one would argue oldie implies the band is still around, but they're playing old hits, or are a retro or nostalgia act (the way Tina Turner was considered in the eight years after she left Ike to when Private Dancer was released). But they're not, so maybe "oldie" isn't totally the correct term, but they were a band one time... long ago.

TrivialPursuit said:

onlyforaminute said:

But there seems to be a precedent to only classify 50s to 60s music as oldies regardless of how much time passed. Personally, I think that's silly because why were 50s or 60s classified as oldies to begin with?

I think later generations usually use terms like "old school" or "retro" instead than "oldies but goodies". There's also "classic rock".

MickyDolenz said:

onlyforaminute said:

So every generation gets it's own title? It's kind of funny. I've never heard there's an official designation until a gen z'er had the nerve to call something from the 90s an oldie. It’s hilarious. I really don't like it either. But I had to concede after I did the math.

Sure they do. R&B was originally called "race music" and country was "hillbilly". "Disco" became "dance music" in the 1980s. A "vocal group" became a "boy band" in the late 1990s. Or they split up a genre into many sub-genres.

Bands like Nirvana can be considered an "oldies" act...or "Dad Rock". 1991 was a long time ago...At the school I teach at, I get a kick out of seeing my middle school students wearing Nirvana, GnR, The Stones and even Prince T shirts. Some of them don't even know who the artists are or haven't even listened to their music...They just like the way the shirts look.

the funny thing with music and eras is when you look at the time that has passed. 80's artists whether they are still are around or not still get played ALOT, technically its an oldie, because that era is 40 years ago basically but think seriously to the 80's did you hear music from the 1940's (40 years) along side the current stuff? So Nirvana and those 90's artists are "throwbacks" but at a certain point mainly during the 80's when radio was HUGE everything got played and these artists regardless stayed around. There was no run on Benny Goodman in 1986 I mean lets be real, but turn the radio on or whatever and you will be gettting more 80s now then you did then.

SolaceAHA said:

There was no run on Benny Goodman in 1986 I mean lets be real,

There was a local radio station called "easy listening" that would play stuff like that back then and others like Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, & Percy Faith. They would also play a few newer songs like I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder. But the easy listening station changed formats to Spanish language music around the early 1990s and a few years later so did the album rock (AOR) station

MickyDolenz said:

SolaceAHA said:

There was no run on Benny Goodman in 1986 I mean lets be real,

There was a local radio station called "easy listening" that would play stuff like that back then and others like Andrews Sisters, Johnny Mathis, & Percy Faith. They would also play a few newer songs like I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder. But the easy listening station changed formats to Spanish language music around the early 1990s and a few years later so did the album rock (AOR) station

But a few easy listening stations is not even close to the way older music still gets just as more play, still is the TOP seller in terms of physical product. Trust me a few stations playing big Band music in the 80's is not a comparison to that genre still being just as in demand. This is why you have NO defining eras of music after the boy bands of the early 2000's once stores starting closing, and things went to digital and downloads and streaming, and the music got simplistic and easy to produce the days of an "era" or "sound" are long gone.

Prince as well, big whoop, this is why the reactors are important.