Music mogul Pete Waterman on ageism in the music industry and the effects of streaming ahead of his Birmingham show

"It’s like they think that when you get to 60 your ears suddenly fall off your head," says the 71-year-old Midland icon.

"They’re all 30 year olds.

"The record business is not famed for its great business sense.

"It’s like ‘what do old people know about modern music?’. Yeah right.

"Some people might want to change their lives at 60 and retire, but not everybody.

"Because you’re over 50 you must be old fashioned.

"Does anybody want to be seen working with a 70-year-old bloke?

"It’s cool for The Rolling Stones, but not for a writer and producer."

The former Pop Idol judge, Walsall FC aficionado and railway enthusiast produced a total of 70 number one hits while with songwriting trio Stock Aitken Waterman. Prior to the formation of the team featuring Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, Pete had produced an array of hits; his first number one being Pass The Dutchie by Musical Youth in 1982.

But Coventry-born Pete, who hosts a show on BBC WM every Saturday, says he is now too busy with his radio and railway commitments to take on work with artists.

He is, however, carving out time to talk to Birmingham audiences about his colourful life with an intimate show at the city's Town Hall on June 13.

Looking at the modern day music industry, Pete believes it has become increasingly difficult for UK stars to compete with those in America due to the internet and the vast difference in population between the two nations.

Not only that, but he says the vast majority of investors in artists are American, meaning they hold all the financial power.

He also believes the same goes for British TV which now must compete with online streaming services such as Netflix - and says something must be done to protect the terrestrial channels.

"The only way UK artists can win is to close down the internet. Close down social media," says Pete.

"It’s simply not a level playing field. The difference in the size of the population in the US compared to the UK simply outdoes us.

"At the end of the day, numbers win the battle. What they’ve done now is brought the talent industry to a point where whoever can pay the most wins the race.

"If you look at the current charts, there’s more American influence than ever - and it’s because of where the money comes from. The investors are primarily American companies; there are very few left in the UK.

"The same can be seen with TV versus online series. Channels such as ITV and The BBC can’t compete with the likes of Netflix. It’s basically a case of local versus global.

"At some point, there has to be a look at national produce and its identity, and how we plan to protect it. It’s a debate that will pop up in the next 10 years.

"If everybody in the Black Country lost their accent, for example, I truly believe it would make us so poor."

Not only does he believe the internet is responsible for a decrease in UK stars' success and their ability to compete on the global market, but also for the increasing anonymity of chart stars when compared to the days of pop icons such as Kylie and Westlife.

"Everything now is down to algorithms," explains Pete.

"They just look at what most people are buying. It’s like Go Compare everywhere - all they do is compare figures.

"They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing."

Pete thinks the internet also has a lot to answer for when it comes to music acts charging high prices, due to the short-lived nature of the success which comes with streaming. He does not, however, believe any act would go into the industry purely with the intention of securing fame and money, as he says the many challenges they face can only be overcome by hard work and passion.

"Every artist has a manager and a lawyer. And they know how much money can be made with streaming - and it may only be for a short amount of time - so they grab it," says Pete.

"We always used to start our tours in Wolverhampton. It was £1 on the door and and you’d get a free can of coke and a burger. Now it costs an absolute fortune.

"I don’t think any artists are only interested in the money - but their managers and lawyers are. And I’m not blaming them for it.

"But nobody just wants to be famous. They’ve got to put some thought and work into it or it just doesn’t work.

"If they’re purely in it for the money they may as well forget it because the odds are against them."

He also says the industry's priorities are very different to the days of Stock Aitken Waterman, with girl groups such as Bananarama and Steps now being old fashioned.

"The bottom line is simple. Things change and stuff goes in and out of fashion," he adds.

And though Pete insists he liked each and every artist he worked with, making records was always a 'very difficult job' and 'there was no fun in the studio'.

He also says he often had to adopt a father-like attitude with many of the stars, as they relied on Pete's team so heavily.

"If I didn’t like them, I didn’t work with them," says Pete.

"Making records is a very difficult job. It’s all about personal choice.

"You’ve been employed to get them a hit. If they come up with something you don’t like, you have to tell them. On average, we’d probably work for three to four days on a track. So you’d end up antagonising somebody (if you didn't get on with them).

"You’d just end up walking on eggshells all the way through. Then you’d go home and you’d just be knackered.

"We had fun on the road, but then there’s no pressure because the artist is doing all the work.

"Trying to find a chip shop in Bewdley or a curry house somewhere in Shropshire at 1am in the morning when everything’s closed was always fun - though difficult of course.

"But there was no fun in the studio - it was all work. We had banter, and I’m not saying it wasn’t enjoyable; I’d have gotten out of it if it wasn’t.

"But we had a job to do - we had the artists relying on us. The pressure of that is enormous.

"Sometimes you had to talk to them like a dad. That whole experience of emotion is carried all the way through."

Tickets to see Pete at Birmingham Town Hall next month start at £27.50.

For more information on the show and to book, click here