Featuring the soothing sounds of flutes, saxophones and synthesizers recorded over a track of either falling rain or a rushing waterfall, new age music was bound to be misinterpreted.

But there is more to the genre than many people first assumed. The title has more to do with the way the music is marketed than with waterfalls and synthesizers. The whole idea behind new age music started because a group of artists chose to market their music in a nontraditional way, said Ray Lynch, a new age artist.

"Our music didn't fit in the typical molds, so we turned to bookstores and places to sell our stuff," he said.

New age music is marketed in a variety of places, including record stores, said Chris Courtney, a publicity assistant for Windham Hill, a leading producer of new age music and Lynch's label.

At City Lights Records, 316 E. College Ave., 10 percent of the customers buy music by new age artists, said manager Ken Kubala.

"Some young people are tired of rock, they don't know enough about jazz and aren't ready for classical music yet," Kubala said.

Not only is the music marketed in a variety of ways, it also serves a variety of purposes.

Some new age music has to do with quests and soul-searchings that came out of the rise of spirituality during the 1970s, said Amy Anderson, the music buyer for Svoboda's Books, 227 W. Beaver Ave. Other new age music has an ethereal quality that is good for meditating, she added.

"New age music can also assist in opening doors which are normally shut," Lynch said. "It gives people permission to let people feel more deeply."

But new age artists don't always perform music that inspires meditation. Other musicians who typically fall into the new age category include Brian Eno, George Winston and Enya. In this case, the title is used to mean adult contemporary music, Courtney said.

Some people choose new age for its soothing melodies.

"I like to listen to Enya when I fall asleep," said Lisa Gambino (sophomore-marketing and international business). "It is also good for studying -- if it does have words, they aren't loud and obnoxious."

When Lynch talks about his music, forget the stereotypes of waterfalls and rainforest sounds. His music has nothing to do with those images. Lynch's music has none of nature's sounds, which are usually associated with new age. It focuses instead on instrumentals and complex harmonies.

Lynch has always been interested in diverse musical styles. When he was 18 years old, he went to Barcelona, Spain, to study classical guitar with Eduardo Sainz de la Maza, a composer. He has also written music for renaissance quartets.

And State College may be starting to appreciate his creative pedigree.

As recently as 1991, George Winston played to a capacity crowd at Eisenhower Auditorum. And at the Daily Grind, 123 W. Beaver Ave., new age music is one of the more popular choices the staff listens to, said employee Gretchen Kelly.

"We had to agree on a type of music that all our customers would agree on," Kelly said. "It is nice, nonvocal music that isn't Muzak."

The Grind's owner, Debbie Molin, sees new age as slowly seeping in.

"A lot of people come ask what's playing," Molin said. "They really aren't exposed to it in State College, but they are curious."