I just don't get why 1954 is so important.

How about this.
Pre   audio recording availability. (1890 ish) Traditional
Post audio recording availability. Sill traditional but slowly morphing into revivalist, with a boom when Radio broadcasting started in the 1920s, when more of the population became aware of music of all genres.
And the situation has been expanding ever since.
Makes more sense to me than the year of my birth being of any significance to anybody. (except me!)