Classic rock music is a subgenre of rock music that is heavily influenced popular songs from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Radio stations are commonly referred to as “radio stations.” Most American cities, as well as many other countries, have at least one radio station dedicated to music from these decades. The term “classic rock” can, however, be applied to any musical group.
Album-oriented rock, or AOR, was the first type of classic rock music radio station. During the 1970s and early 1980s, these stations broadcasted both current and classic rock music, but the mid-1980s, most AOR stations had stopped playing new music and focused solely on classic rock. Philadelphia’s WYSP was the first radio station to call itself a classic rock music station in 1981; 1984, more than 40 stations across the United States had adopted the term.
The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Queen, and the Eagles are some of the most well-known bands associated with classic rock music. Even though some of the artists who perform on these stations are still active in the music industry, only their earlier hits are broadcast on the radio. Popular hard rock and metal bands from the 1980s, such as Guns ‘n Roses and Metallica, can be heard on some classic rock stations. Some stations have recently begun to play 1990s bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains in their programming.
People who were young when classic rock music first came out are usually the biggest fans. Today, that group includes 50-year-olds who grew up listening to the Beatles, 40-year-olds who grew up listening to the Eagles, and even 30-year-olds who grew up listening to Nirvana. The majority of DJs associated with classic rock radio stations are men, as are the majority of the audience. Relix and Uncut, for example, are two magazines dedicated to this genre of music.