Why do almost all women today hate home audio?



Why do almost all (99%) of women never seriously, sit, and listen to home audio through even one album?

I knew many, many women that listened, and had there own stereos, in the late 60's and 70's.

They even had big record collections, and some even had real-to-real tape recorders.

Why did they disappear?

What changed?

don_c55

Could it be today's popular music turns women off?

Back when I was in high school it was Beatles, Stones, etc. we all listened to the radio in our cars and had songs we all liked both sexes pretty much equally. Having said that I only knew guys like me visiting HiFi shops and interested in the electronics and speakers.

 

This is a little offbeat, but I actually started dating my wife as a result of an audio connection. We had met in Brooklyn Heights decades ago, when both of us lived there. After a couple of different nights out, she visited my apartment, walked in and said "oh Quads.' (I had a pair of the original ESLs running at the time). I said "how could you know that?" Turns out she worked part-time as a grad student as an assistant to a pretty famous NYC photographer who was a well-known audiophile. A guy who I only knew by name and reputation-Chuck Lamonica. 

I asked her whether she could introduce me. She did and we got on famously. Chuck was one of those guys everybody loved- full of soul, forgot more than most ever knew about hi-fi. He and I would spend hours listening while Liz hung out with his wife, Elsa (who only recently passed away; Elsa was Morris Levy's receptionist at one point as a young woman). Anyway, a great couple who we both loved. Chuck died young of a heart-attack-in 1991. Elsa passed only last year, but Liz stayed in constant touch with the family. 

So, in a sense, hi-fi was a bond that helped cement our relationship. Liz is pretty ambivalent about gear- she'll allow me the opportunity to explain stuff-- not just about the stereo systems, but the broader history of reproduced sound, the business and popular culture, something that I spend a fair amount of time on as a retired copyright lawyer who teaches and is interested in archival matters. She's happy to join in listening sessions, but really isn't a gear head. That's ok. One of us is enough. She's got plenty of interests beyond that--and occasionally has one of her friends over--to listen to the big system. 

I hate generalizations, but it may be that women are more interested in the end result- the music-- than how we get there. She wants a small, press and play system for the kitchen/dining room. I asked her how she felt about 300b tubes and she looked at me like, "man you are such a dork." 

We are. Dorks. :)

@whart Seeing that you’re a retired copyright lawyer who is really into music, I’m wondering if you have any opinions on these famous cases regarding copyright infringement in popular music.

I consider the “Blurred Lines” case from a few years back to be a horrible precedent.

Marvin’s song has a completely different chord progression, completely different melody, completely different structure, completely different lyrics. Somewhat similar percussion arrangement.
The songs share a cowbell.  
Even the cowbell figures are different.  
That a plaintiff can get a trial for “the plagiarism of a ‘groove,’ or a ‘feel’” is just as preposterous as it sounds.  
The precedent set by the plaintiff actually winning lays fertile ground for injustice and destruction to the relationship between artistic expression and music commerce.

On the other hand I believe Artikel Sound System to have a home run with this same case presently.  
Dua Lipa and her cadre of songwriters, for their song “Levitating,” took Artikel Sound System’s song, “Live Your Life.”  
That is, the chorus of “Levitating” is the chord progression/vocal melody/rhyming scheme of “Live Your Life,” plus a very similar “groove,” even in the same key.

I was glad Ed Sheeran won his case the other day.  
His “Thinking Out Loud” has “Let’s Get it On”’s chord progression, but it is so common a chord progression as to be owned by no one. The fact that the groove is then similar to “Let’s Get it On” doesn’t cut it. 
Totally different vocal melody, lyrics, and structure.

Those are my thoughts.  
Do you have any on the matter?
 

I apologize. I understand why my post re: impermanence was removed. Even Old Sid (i.e. The Buddha) said "Not all will be ready to learn this truth in their current Life; indeed many will not want to learn this truth in their current Life."

The content of my post must have been troubling for those of you for whom Old Sid’s observation applies. I’m sorry for having facilitated that troubling.

 

@tylermunns- I generally don't get into the substance of active cases here but I think the Led Zep case helped push back some of Blurred Lines. A friend's firm handled the Sheeran case.  I'm occasionally pulled in to cases as an expert on U.S. law or music business practices. I do teach (at UT Law in Austin) but I'm also thinking of going back to school for archival preservation and library science--there's a preservation side and also a more analytical side (think: AI interfaces). I've been spending as much time on the history as on the advances if that makes any sense. Thanks for asking. 

Bill