Why aren't songs pre-80s played on radio?

[iHype.]

So basically, on AC/HAC/Urban AC which ofcourse are home to playing old classics majority of the time, the earliest hits they'll play are songs from 80s. Songs from the 70s/60s/50s are essentially never really played on any radio formats. Maybe Sirius XM has special stations for them, but that's about it. 

Why do you think the 80s is the cutoff for what's considered playable classics on radio today?

Even in the early 2010s and 2000s I feel like the earliest played on radio was still the 80s. It's like music before then has no place on radio stations. Which is kinda weird to me because you'd think the 40+ year old demo was the biggest radio demo these days (no brainer for HAC/AC/Urban AC formats), and they are obviously fond of hearing songs from prior to the 80s. 

Do you also think throughout the 2020s that 80s hits will eventually be phased out too, and 90s will then become the earliest genre played on all formats the majority of the time?

[iHype.]

For further example, here was The Beatles radio audience for their hits on radio during a random week in 2017:
culturalmentepop.blogspot.com/2017/04/mediabase-beatles.html
Taxman: 0.165
Let It Be: 0.152
Come Together: 0.139
Hey Jude: 0.136
Here Comes The Sun: 0.111
Something: 0.071
While My Guitar Gently Weeps: 0.070
Get Back: 0.064
A Day In The Life: 0.041
Golden Slumbers Medley: 0.036
Norwegian Wood: 0.033
Revolution: 0.031
With A Little Help From My...: 0.029
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts...: 0.029
Day Tripper: 0.023
I Am The Walrus: 0.023
Help!: 0.021
She Said She Said: 0.020
Twist And Shout: 0.017
Tomorrow Never Knows: 0.017
Penny Lane: 0.015
Two Of Us: 0.014
You've Got To Hide Your Love..: 0.013
I'll Follow The Sun: 0.012
Dear Prudence: 0.012
Paperback Writer: 0.012
Magical Mystery Tour: 0.011
Ballad Of John & Yoko: 0.010
Blackbird: 0.008
Strawberry Fields Forever: 0.007
Hey Bulldog: 0.007
Lady Madonna: 0.007
The Long And Winding Road: 0.006
Nowhere Man: 0.006
Oh! Darling: 0.005
We Can Work It Out: 0.005
Back In The U.S.S.R.: 0.004
Rocky Raccoon: 0.003
Revolution 1: 0.002
Good Day Sunshine: 0.003
Hello Goodbye: 0.002
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da: 0.002
I Saw Her Standing There: 0.002
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds: 0.002
I Feel Fine: 0.002
She Loves You: 0.001
In My Life: 0.001
If I Fell: 0.001
Drive My Car: 0.001
Getting Better: 0.001
Across The Universe: 0.001


By comparison, here is the radio audience for Madonna's hits during a random week in 2017:
culturalmentepop.blogspot.com/2017/04/mediabase-madonna.html
Like A Prayer: 4.895
Into The Groove: 3.316
Lucky Star: 2.832
Open Your Heart: 2.683
Material Girl: 2.681
Holiday: 2.634
Borderline: 2.525
Crazy For You: 2.049
Vogue: 1.953
La Isla Bonita: 1.893
Papa Don't Preach: 1.764
True Blue: 1.536
Dress You Up: 1.185
Live To Tell: 1.022
Cherish: 0.842
Take A Bow: 0.385
Like A Virgin: 0.289
Express Yourself: 0.152
Music: 0.086
Secret: 0.245
Beautiful Stranger: 0.015
Frozen: 0.012
Don't Tell Me: 0.009
4 Minutes: 0.008
I'll Remember: 0.007
Hung Up: 0.005
Ray Of Light: 0.005


Madonna still has various classics that reach millions in audience per week. While The Beatles biggest song gets just a measly 0.165.... lower than 17 Madonna hits. 

If you go to AC/HAC/Urban AC playlists on a typical day, the oldest songs played are 1980s hits. You MIGHT find a 1977-1979 hit or two squeezed in.

[Deleted]

AC and Urban AC did play songs from the 70’s during the 00’s. I even remember hearing songs from the 60’s on Urban AC in the early 00’s.

The core age demo for these formats is 30-ish to 50-ish. People who came of age pre-80’s are dying off (in the case of music from the 60’s and before) or moving beyond the core demo (in the case of 70’s). I’m sure in the next 10 years 80’s music will make up less of the playlist and 90’s music will make up more of the playlists.. assuming Millennials are listening to AC formats in ten years.. they were young enough when streaming came about that their “doctor’s office” music may just be playlists!

[Au$tin]

Jun 19, 2020 20:29:54 GMT -5 @jazzysoul47 said:

AC and Urban AC did play songs from the 70’s during the 00’s. I even remember hearing songs from the 60’s on Urban AC in the early 00’s.

The core age demo for these formats is 30-ish to 50-ish. People who came of age pre-80’s are dying off (in the case of music from the 60’s and before) or moving beyond the core demo (in the case of 70’s). I’m sure I’m the next 10 years 80’s music will make up less of the playlist and 90’s music will make up more of the playlists.. assuming Millennials are listening to AC formats in ten years.. they were young enough when streaming came about that their “doctor’s office” music may just be playlists!

Yep, and the transition is already beginning. I was visiting my home town a few months back and I turned on our local pop station around noon and caught them playing a hit from the 00s. I didn't think anything of it until it ended and the titlecard for "Retro Lunch" came on and I audibly gasped. For as long as I can remember that station's Radio Lunch segment played songs from the 80s and 90s. Now it does 00s and 90s.

[Marv]

Classic Rock, Classic Hits, Smooth Jazz/Smooth AC and AC stations all have music from the 1970s in their respective libraries and that's been the cases for decades.

Classic Country stations certainly do as well.