Teen music minding its elders on charts

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A recent survey from the Recording Industry Association of America showed that from 1996 to 2005, the number of 15- to 19-year-olds buying music declined from 17.2 percent of music buyers to 11.9 percent. The percentage of buyers in the age groups between 20 and 44 either declined very slightly or remained about steady, but the biggest leap was in the over-45 group: They now represent 25.5 percent of music buyers, up from 15.1 percent in 1996.

Even though Manilow and Dylan had No. 1 debuts with their albums this year, it’s not as if pop is no longer a music that appeals to youth. After all, one of its biggest sensations, Beyonce, is a certified veteran at age 25.

But her boyfriend, 37-year-old Jay-Z, had one of the biggest sales debuts of the year with his album “Kingdom Come.” On it, he talks about being mature and seasoned and even has a song, “30 Something,” bragging about his elder status.

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“When you’re 50 years old, you still love hip-hop, but you just can’t relate to the music anymore because the people making it as they grow, they’re still trying to cater to a younger audience,” he said in a recent interview. “I just felt it was very important for me to make a grown-up album, and that’s the tone of it, the whole album.”

Jay-Z isn’t ruling out selling to the kids either. And it seems that these days, there’s less of a distinction between the MTV set and the VH1 set.

“(Certain acts) start off appealing adult, but just because it’s really great music ... it’s appealing to other demos,” said Krim, noting the success of acts like Blunt and the rock group Keane.

Daniel Powter, 36, had one of the year’s biggest hits with “Bad Day,” a sing-along piano track that first got popular when it was used as the sendoff song on “American Idol.”

Powter credited his life experience for helping him to finally make a hit like “Bad Day.”

“I think I’ve put a foundation in. I couldn’t have written the music when I was 18,” he told The Associated Press earlier this year.

“I don’t want to lie about how old I am. I still feel good. I still feel great. I love to play music.”

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