Back catalogue has always been a banker for the music industry. The big artists, the ones with a life span of ten or even twenty albums, have to date been able to generate substantial income for labels with their repertoire. Just think how many Top 10 selling Greatest Hits albums there are each year.
The problem however, is that time appears to be starting to run out for some of the iconic 70s and 80s artists. PopScores reveals declining emotional connection for some who are in danger of disappearing from our consciousness. For now this is certainly true with teenagers who are obviously tomorrow’s twenty somethings.

The problem is immediately apparent when one looks at consumer awareness of artists. For example, a solid 69% of teens are aware of Annie Lennox’s name (“Name Awareness”) but only one in two (53%) know enough about the artist to hold an opinion (“Informed Awareness”). Depeche Mode are another example. They score a very reasonable 66% Name Awareness with teens but only 45% Informed Awareness.
Familiarity matters because it’s the door to emotional connection. Declining consumer awareness impacts emotional connection and consequently reduces the Love score; the measure that significantly influences an artist’s brand value and consumers’ purchase propensity.
In the case of Bryan Ferry his Love score amongst teenagers of 3% compares to 18% amongst 40-49 year old females. Depeche Mode have a Love score of 17% amongst 30-39 year old males but just 3% with teens while Jean Michel Jarre’s strongest connection is with 50-59 year old males (14% Love) but just 3% with teens.

Bruce Springsteen is possibly a more serious case still. He scores a creditable 75% Name Awareness with teens but only just over half know enough about him to hold an opinion. However, PopScores reveals another notable insight – it’s not just the teen segment that is failing to connect with him but also 20-29 year olds. He scores a strong 91% Name Awareness and a reasonable Informed Awareness of 80% with 20-29 year olds but his Love score is just 4% in both segments which is less than one quarter of that amongst 50-59 year old women.
There is however plenty of positive news for some legendary artists seemingly capable of escaping the curse of time. For example, Elton John scores a stunning 97% Informed Awareness with teens due perhaps to his many escapades with Eminem, Blue and Pete Doherty. Michael Jackson and Elvis also record remarkable Informed Awareness levels of 96% and 95% respectively.
U2 and Meatloaf are faring well. While their Informed Awareness levels are below 90% which is a warning sign their Love scores remain strong at 14% and 12% respectively which are materially above benchmark.
Finally, The Beatles continue to enjoy a strong emotional connection with teenagers. Nine out ten teens claim familiarity and an impressive 20% say they Love them which puts The Beatles in the Top 20 of teenagers’ most loved artists today.