Puccini or P Diddy

I remain befuddled by the hand wringing about the average age of classical concert goers. Usually the speaker makes the point that audiences are aging (some say they average in their middle 50's - the horror) and implies that eventually these folks will all die and the halls will be empty.
Allow me to make a couple of points to these nattering nabobs of negativism:
* Maybe the demographics for concert goers is simply middle-aged and older. What's the matter with that? I would guess that the average purchaser of Mercedes, Jaguar, or Opus One is middle-aged as well but I doubt that the producers of these products are obsessed with that.
* Classical music is a taste that matures and deepens over the years but once you have the taste, you don't you lose it - unlike forms of popular entertainment. Sure the audience for Puccini is a lot older than the one for P Diddy but I will guarantee you that P Diddy's listeners will be a lot more likely to listen to Puccini 20 years from now than P Diddy.
* Attending live performances is logistically and economically difficult. I, for example, have little opportunity nowadays to go to live performances because I spend my non-work time shuttling kids around to soccer and baseball games and hounding them to do their homework. Most of my listening is at home, in the car, on the train, etc. I used to attend all the time, but I know that, some day (probably in my mid-50's) , I'll be in a position to gorge myself on concerts just as my friends look forward to spending more time and money on the golf course as their life situation changes.
* I have heard that the conservatories and music schools are burgeoning with students. While people lament that fact that there are not enough jobs for these folks (unlike English, Philosophy, and Latin majors I guess?!), I see it as a healthy sign. Regardless of how they make their living, each of these pairs of discerning ears will be consumers of serious music for the rest of their lives and will entice friends, spouses,and family members to partake too. Classical music has never been a profession in which to get rich or even to expect full employment, but there has never been a better time for professional musicians. (See some of my other posts on this topic.)

I lack specific statistics on average age of concert goers and the enrollment numbers at conservatories and music schools. If any reader can supply me with those I would be grateful and most eager to share them with PQ readers.

Am I off base here? Let me hear your opinions.