I used to think older people were exaggerating when they complained about modern music. Now I hear one new song and immediately want to explain how much music was different and better in the past.

Is it too optimistic to say music always transcends time and likings? I believe in current times, a person is consuming varied content in mass media. This clouds their perception, belief system and taste preferences. Hence they grow to lack relatability to other’s taste.

People like stuff from their youth because they were young when they heard it.

Music transcends time for sure. A good song can hit the same 20 years later, no matter when it dropped.

No.

When the Beatles were new, older people complained about them and said they weren't as good as the music back in their day.

If you ask people what the greatest era for music was, most people will say it was whichever period happened when they were a teenager. This is not a coincidence.

They like the stuff they listened to in their youth. I never was into pop music. So I am someone who looks very neutral on the music development over the recent years (i.e. there is no nostalgia value I have for music released in my youth) and I agree with the claim that music is getting worse. In particular it’s a trend that is already present for around a century, so every older generation saying that about the newer generations is not very surprising to me.

One problem as you age is you see patterns in media. Everything that seems fresh to younger people comes across as derivative. You've heard it all, seen it all, and you feel more compelled to enjoy media from the past than see or hear a rehash or watered down version, or mangled sample.

It also works even if you are just comparing musicians in the past to others in the past. Elvis' music sounds soulless when you compare him to the rock acts that preceded him.

I think we connect so deeply with music because it’s connected to moments and people in our lives. I think as we grew older and mature it might be harder to relate to the worldview to someone so much younger and also who grew up in a different context. Although I know plenty of adults that love pop music but they themselves still relate to its themes. So I do think it’s depends. But before the Beatles music wasn’t really marketed and focused on youth so heavily. I do personally like older music that was made for adults since I can relate to the topics and themes.

Now, now. You are correct in that the Beatles provided a turbo-boost for the 60s Youth Culture of fashion, music, hairstyles, and influence in general. But Elvis, Doo-Wop, the Philly Sound and "American Bandstand," and California Beach Pop were all the 50s/60s forerunners. "American Graffiti."

Being a teenager in 2005-2008 i definotrly did noz feel that it was a great era..even then. I remember thinking that in the 80s there was Prince,Talking Heads and Sade, 90s and early 2000s had Beck, Daft Punk, Erykah Badu. It wasnt until the 2010s til i got excited about music from my time with albums like Arch Android by Janelle Monae and Good Kid Madd City by Kendrick

Always? Not really. What we are is influenced by our environment, and therefore our perception is. Beethoven's 5th was revolutionary noise back then, now I would say is not perceived like that at all. And that's instrumental, with traditional instruments. In the electronic space there so much stuff thst back then was new groundbraking sounds and now its old school vibes.
That hits different, a 909 doesn't sound the same in the 80s and now.
And on top of all that there's lyrics, many of them about their time.

You can't have a neutral opinion on a subjective topic.

It’s not subjective.

Of course it is.

It's just your opinion.