Music: Going from 'Retro' to 'Oldie'

Photo credit: Leigh Goessl

When does music go from "retro" to "oldie"? Is there even a difference between the two? 

I've always likened "retro" as days of yesterday, but not too far back in the past, and  the "oldies" was the stuff from my grandparents' era. 

Now I'm not so sure!

Anyone growing up in the 1970s probably considers the '50s and part of the '60s as "oldies" music. For instance, in the greater New York City area, we had a radio station - 101.1 (CBS-FM) - that played music from earlier eras, making it one of the only radio stations (at least that I was aware of) in the region on the dial to play oldies all day long. 

In my memories, this is mostly Elvis, sock-hop type of stuff, mixed in with "downtheshore" and beach music. 

Fast forward to today and what a shock for me when I traveled up north and tuned into 101.1 FM. They were playing primarily 1980s music with a splash of '70s tunes. This even included hair bands and classic rock mixed in with some soft rock and pop songs. 

A few years back I first heard '80s music referred as "retro", but I guess the time has come where it has officially transitioned into 'oldies' music.  Where do the years go? 

Needless to say, this is now one of my more favorite stations to when visiting the greater NYC area (lol).

How did you first feel when the music you listened to as a kid/teen turned into "oldies" tunes?