If you want to see the flip side of this forum demographics, go to www.kvraudio.com forum.

I think there are many reasons, have voiced them here, only to be lambasted as to why things are fine as they are. The following is the short list of my perceptions - whether well-founded or not:

1. PG is likely still just known at the BIAB company, which for most persons in the younger set, has little relevance to loop-based music creation/production. It's the domain of cover song, 1-man-band musicians.

2. The advertisements in print magazines still fall very far behind professional graphic design. People always have, and always will judge a book by it's cover.

Contrast:
http://www.pgmusic.com/index.html
http://www.image-line.com/documents/flstudio.html
http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/start.html
http://www.avid.com/US/products/pro-tools-software
http://www.reaper.fm/
http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/
http://ntrack.com/

Nearly all have a video demonstrating main features. Some mix new with existing features. Steinberg's site looks similar from a graphic design standpoint, but most of the others look 'younger'. Hard to put specifics on what I mean here, but the graphic design looks more current. The main image on PG's BIAB site: http://www.pgmusic.com/css/gfx/pgbanner2013.jpg simply looks like it came from a clip-art package - plain and simple.

The 'chart' font shown on BIAB features, is going to look strange to those that have never seen a chart before. That's a whole lot of people buying and using music software these days. Some are calling themselves 'producers' more than they are calling themselves musicians. Some are both. Most are creating music from a different mindset than learning how to best generate "Moon River", with which GM sound source to get the most realistic backing tracks.

3. The graphic design of the user interface seems nearly unchanged from the 1996 version that I started on and perhaps going back to before then. There was an update where there was given a choice of instrument icons for the track 'markers', which is available on GarageBand, but not most other DAW software. Most other more popular DAW software looks more current from a color choice, button design, graphic design, etc. Should this matter? - no - but the judging of the book by it's cover behavior is still in play.

4. PG's descriptions of it's products are somewhat behind the times. This is the descriptive text for PowerTracks Pro Audio: "PowerTracks Pro Audio is a full-featured, multi-track music sequencing and digital audio recording program. PowerTracks Pro Audio includes powerful and unique features such as: The Audio Chord Wizard, which automatically and accurately figures out the chords from MP3/WMA/WAV audio files, the TC Helicon Vocal Harmonizer to add harmonies or pitch correct your audio tracks, and RealDrums which allow you to instantly generate audio drum tracks that are real recordings of drummers - not single drum hit samples but full recordings lasting 1 to 8 bars."

Note-the words "Digital Audio Workstation" or even DAW, do not appear. It's still referring to 'sequencing'. DAW has been the more known term for at least 10 years. 'Sequencers' go back to Dr. T's era.

For BIAB, the main page does not describe the main thing that it does, but is a running list of updates. For existing users, great - for potentially new customers - very confusing. http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.htm

What is the main thing of BIAB, it's core purpose? If you hit the main BIAB page, you have to dig to find what it does. The front page is the 'new features' but doesn't address the one main thing that BIAB/RB do: Accompaniment Generation, either via Real Band tracks or MIDI. That's it's main 'cool thing' that separates it from anything else on the market. The front page for that product should make that loud and clear. Advertisements should make it loud and clear - and simple.

In actuality, when hitting PGmusic.com, it should be something like this page, with a little bit of interactivity, and less text but more graphics to demonstrate how it actually works: http://www.pgmusic.com/bbwin.features.htm That page tells what it is but way too wordy. No video demonstrating function as the main feature of the page. Big mistake. Too much reading, not enough 'seeing'.

I think Mountainside's comments probably have some effect on it as well. Exposure to traditional music appreciation and understanding is waning. jazzmammal hit on this from a different angle as well

Bottom line as to jazzmammal's comments - the generative aspect of music these days is not about entering in a chord sequence and picking a style. That's a really cool thing for traditional songwriting, but for less traditional music, it's not really there. The production of the sound is as much of the process as the layout of the chords. Experimentation outside of the box, not in the box, is what people say they are looking for - though there are formulaic elements in these newer styles as well.

-Scott btw, in my 40's closer to 50 than 40.

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