New Or Never With Interest In Classic Rock Dying Of Boredom, New Music Makers Have Taken Over The Airwaves And Retail Market

About the only nostalgia in rock ‘n’ roll these days is that admonition about never trusting anyone over age 30.

Albums by White Zombie, Rancid, Foo Fighters and Silverchair are flying out of stores, while big-name CDs by Rod Stewart, Elton John and Pink Floyd gather dust.

At the time of its own busy fall season, the music world is in the midst of a big turnover in its star structure.

“It was really long overdue for a new rock generation to take over,” said Ken Barnes, former editor of the trade publication R&R. “It really hadn’t for so long. The acts of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s held this unnatural sway and dominance for years and years.”

The popularity of so-called alternative music - now rock ‘n’ roll’s mainstream - makes breathtaking changes at the top almost routine. By its very nature, it celebrates anything new.

The message for older stars: adapt somehow or your days selling a lot of records are over.

Alex Miller was struck by the change the last time he visited a music store. He had to look hard to find a copy of Stewart’s new CD, “A Spanner in the Works.”

“It was tucked away in a far corner, almost as if it was an embarrassment,” said Miller, president of Next Step Music.

Miller’s career path illustrates the different focus. He recently left as general manager following the collapse of the Continuum record label, home of such veteran artists as Ron Wood and Roger Daltrey, and is starting his own label for young musicians.

There’s also evidence that “Stairway to Heaven” has lost its death grip on radio airwaves.

Two prominent stations that specialized in “classic rock,” WNEW in New York City and KLOS in Los Angeles, abandoned the format this summer in favor of a new “alternative rock” playlist.

“We found the interest in classic rock is waning,” said Ted Edwards, program director at WNEW. Radio stations have spent several years making money by incessantly playing songs that were two decades old.

Rock ‘n’ roll is taking on less importance in the lives of listeners who grew up on this music, Edwards said. Many are turning to talk radio, he said.

While classic rock isn’t dead, it’s becoming marginalized as a radio format and is no longer the music of choice for mainstream rock stations, said Ken Unmacht, editor of the M Street Journal, a publication that monitors radio formats.

Frankly, there’s ample evidence that many radio listeners - even ones considered older and stuck in their ways - were sick of hearing the same songs and artists.

The number of radio stations with the adult alternative format, which promotes artists like John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, has doubled to about 90 in the past year or so and has the potential to explode in popularity, Unmacht said.

Perhaps no one’s taken advantage of the current atmosphere quite like Hootie & the Blowfish. David Letterman’s favorite band has sold almost 5 million copies of its debut album, according to Soundscan. Hootie was marketed first as an alternative band.

“It’s kind of a reassuring traditional rock sound with a little patina of newness,” Barnes said. “Younger fans can consider it something new and older fans can consider them traditional and reassuring.”

Other new musicians in Billboard’s Top 50 aren’t as reassuring, such as the furious sounds of White Zombie and scorned woman Alanis Morissette.

But the popular new bands have an impressive breadth. There’s Blues Traveler and the Dave Matthews Band, who saw years of steady touring pay off this year. Live’s album, “Throwing Copper,” has made the band from rural Pennsylvania major stars.

Rancid earned alternative credibility when it ended a bidding war with major labels and stayed with Epitaph, its independent home. The band’s new album, “And Out Come the Wolves,” has drawn comparisons to the stylistic punk diversity of the Clash and debuted on Billboard’s charts at No. 45.

First albums by Foo Fighters, the new band led by ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, and young Australian rockers Silverchair have been big successes.

Contrast that with Stewart’s album, which recently sagged to No. 132 on Billboard’s charts. Pink Floyd’s live album, “Pulse,” opened at No. 1 but has dropped quickly. Elton John was at No. 100 earlier this month. Bob Dylan’s “Unplugged” album, touted as a strong comeback, wasn’t even on the charts.

The death of Jerry Garcia, and speculation about whether Blues Traveler or Phish are the heirs apparent to the Grateful Dead, adds to the sense that an era has passed.

Change is happening so quickly that even relatively young bands quickly become passe. The Spin Doctors spun out. Belly’s latest album flopped. And Blindmelon’s second album has them on the road to obscurity.

How older artists deal with the new makes for some fascinating watching. Neil Young’s recent collaboration with Pearl Jam got great reviews and sold fast initially, but had dropped to No. 81 on Billboard’s chart after only nine weeks.

Bon Jovi’s cheeky new video features a skateboard-carrying punk and lookalikes for Eddie Vedder, Courtney Love, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Stone Temple Pilot’s Scott Weiland.

Perhaps most interesting is David Bowie’s attempt to resuscitate his career by going back to his progressive roots and recording a new album with producer Brian Eno. He’s also touring, and performing with, the red-hot Nine Inch Nails.