Triple J targets Generation X

If you love alternative music but find ABC radio station Triple J jarringly young in its pitch, then a new station may be right up your alley.

ABC digital radio station Dig Music is about to undergo a mammoth relaunch under the new management of Triple J, with the 30-plus discerning music lover its target.

The radio station will boast a large and varied playlist, focusing on new music from Australia and overseas, but also the alternative songs and artists from the late 80s, 90s and earlier that have shaped the lives of Generation X.

"We're looking at people who have grown up with Triple J and really love music, but might feel there's not really a station out there at the moment that really represents where they're at," Triple J station manager Chris Scaddan said.

Triple J has a tendency to alienate listeners as they get older, he says.

"We unashamedly feed younger Australians and we keep the music constantly evolving with the current musical trends and the latest artists from particularly Australia but right around the globe.

"Those sounds are modern and they're now. We try to be ahead of the curve. So as (the audience) gets older they sort of move beyond that in a way."

As well as what Scaddan perceives as a large audience ready for the likes of Dig, he also believes there is a lot of new alternative music that doesn't find a home station at the moment.

"There's a lot of music out there that doesn't quite fit Triple J ... that's being made for the more mature end of the market that Dig is gonna be a perfect place for."

Many of these artists, said Scaddan, would have come through Triple J originally, but find their new albums and releases no longer get played on the youth station.

"There'll be a lot of familiar Triple J artists on Dig," he said. "It's going to be fun."

He estimates there will be about a 10 per cent crossover between Triple J and Dig, and says he wants the two stations to own their own space.

Dig Music took on its new feel on Thursday evening, with the promise of a refreshed format including guest programs by artists including Moby, Billy Bragg, Sarah Blasko, Josh Pyke, Eskimo Joe, Bernard Fanning and Missy Higgins.

Over the next six months, the station aims to collate feedback from listeners via website digmusic.net.au before relaunching in April 2014.