Alan, isn't it just a way to keep updated with a certain social group?  There are people who say "old, but..." and there are other people who say "modern, but...".  
But is music meant to divide people?

I like a lot of 'old' songs such as classical music as well as Frank Sinatra, Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire and Sergio Mendes' songs 

Ruth, honeslty I do not care about time and country.

Music from different times and places is different.

I don't see how "Japan, 1970" is more "modern" than "Ireland 1880" or "Africa 2000 years ago". Speaking about Africa : modern European music has been influenced by traditional African music (and by some traditional European genres too).

Can't we say that the modern European music is older now compared to what it was?

(I remember a musician from a famous pank group here said: "we play music of Ancient Greece". He meant: no one knows which music they played in Ancient Greece. Why couldn't it be punk rock?)

I don't have a preference when the topic is "old music", but there are some "classic" (from movies, series...) that is so cool...