Why Gen Z Doesn't Care About Music

I discuss my theory as to why the GEN Z generation doesn't care about music.

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[patrickryan]

This video explores a fascinating topic, from many perspectives, i.e. cognitive sciences, musicology, and the art form itself. While there are clear differences in generational experiences of music, Rick is asking the important, difficult and ultimately philosophical question, of what these differences mean for the future of music.

The formative experiences of Rick’s and my generation occurred before the internet, and even before digitization. Our parents’ generation, and their parents’ before them, had rich experiences of music in the culture. Pianos were commonplace, musical education was respected and valued, and music was interwoven in society, from experiences in churches to dances to any formal public gathering. Since then, the changes have not only accelerated but have deepened. Musical experience, perception, and understanding all interlace as a kind of weave of resilience that has been weakened, in much the same way that a sustainable ecological system is weakened as its’ biodiversity is diminished. In both spheres, we careen toward disaster; the landscape is bleak. A gen Z’er who never took a music lesson (whose parents didn’t either), who never danced to a live band, whose only experience of music is through a video game or an auto-tuned formulaically homogenized “product” is less likely to notice that the fabric of complexity of emotionally expressive music is unraveling.

The minimization of music and the related plague of musical illiteracy in recent generations has given us people whose “sensing abilities” (re: musical perception) have atrophied, like an organ that once served a function, or a muscle that’s no longer used. It’s comparatively like an ecologically ruined landscape, where a rich and varied diversity has unraveled and disappeared to the point where it is all but eclipsed from memory.

The rapid rate of technological change has most certainly altered how people experience and interact with music, even changing the human organism, developmentally and structurally, over time. The change has been so rapid that even the most dedicated defenders of the art form are reeling, as evidenced in Rick’s post. Music helps develop the empathetic feeling of the human organism, aids in resonating with the expression that comes from the language of melody, rhythm and harmony, in particularly in an improvisational context. As musical experience and literacy decline, attention spans get shorter. Instant gratification and addiction replace knowledge and any discretionary aesthetic. The discipline which leads to understanding and valuing music as contributing to a healthy, vibrant culture, is lost.

[aaroncoulter]

My oldest was born in 2009. I've tried to get my kids interested in music, but to no avail. I usually play Rock, Blues, or Jazz in the truck when we go places and tell them stories about the musicians. Anyway, my boys wanted to go for ice cream the other day and I wasn't playing any music. My oldest said...Dad, put on some Rock and Roll and tell us a story. I was so happy.

[King-Of-The-Demons]

I’m gen z and music is one of the most important things in the world to me, I honestly don’t think my life would be the same without it.

[doughorton]

Rick, I'm only a year or two younger than you. When I was a teenager there were times I would put on the headphones, lie down, and simply "listen" to an album. I wouldn't do anything else. Simply close my eyes and listen. If I had time, I'd put on a double album (such as the white album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, or Quadraphenia) and lose myself in the experience. Even today, I can simply listen to music without needing to do anything else.

[Frygonz]

This comment will get buried, but I'll give my take. I'm a gen z (24) band director. I know from my own life that this partly comes from a deficit of boredom in young peoples' lives. Boredom is a valuable thing because it pushes you to make decisions about your future and use your free time for learning or creation. With short form entertainment, every nook and cranny of everyone's day is filled with stimulant. Therefore, the little pushes that happen that get someone to finally explore an instrument have gone down in frequency. I sit for hours on shorts/reels. It is poison. I have a saxophone and want to become a great improvisor, why haven't I picked it up today? That said, I don't think gaming itself is a factor, because games still require focus and practice; it's the auxiliary media connected with gaming and that media's entire ecosystem that is causing the phenomenon that you're witnessing.

[Fubbernutt]

I’m a gen z kid. I think it’s interesting to hear your perspective. I think a lot of people my age don’t have as much of a connection to music as other generations did, but it’s still a big part of their lives. The difference is that, on average, listening to music isn’t as active for us. Most people I know listen to music while they’re doing other things or as a background thing. People listen to music while they’re studying or walking home, things like that. I think it’s partially because music is so easily accessible now. It’s not like a ritual to open up a CD or record and listen to the whole thing through like it was for my parents. You just kinda look up what you want to hear and add it to a playlist. That doesn’t mean we aren’t listening to music as much, it just means it isn’t really in the foreground. That’s probably why it seems like we aren’t as passionate about it. I’d argue there’s a lot more passion there than it seems, it’s just manifested in a different way. Cool video though. You made some interesting points.

[Neimykanani]

I’m an older Gen Z but video games actually got me into music and into classical music. It made me interested in learning piano as well

[honest_E]

I don’t know. I’m gen z, and everyone I know loves music. It may just be my circle, but I didn’t feel like anybody in Highschool didn’t listen to music. I felt like everyone was ALWAYS listening to music. So much that they weren’t paying attention in class.
Also, games expanded my love of music. They introduced me to different genres. Stuff like the Minecraft soundtrack is incredibly popular.
I myself am a huge fan of film score, but unfortunately most people don’t share that love with me.

[yavuz]

There is an intense visual and auditory bombardment not only in games, but also on Instagram, YouTube and the entire internet. And new generations are growing up in this chaos. That's why it's now difficult to truly experience a masterpiece produced with effort and knowledge. In fact, every second they are presented with "products" that are packaged with ready-made visuals and music, and which are easy to consume. Being surrounded by technology lowers people's attention threshold, and it is very difficult to resist this.

[theomegamuffin]

I'm a younger gen z and I've always obsessed over music, but I've noticed almost all my friends or kids I talk to aren't all interested in music and I struggle to connect to them in that way.

[ethan]

There are a lot of people my age who couldn’t care less about music and I could never understand that. Music is my entire life, I couldn’t go a day without it.

[HughAllison]

As a musician I was talking with a pro football player one time. He said, “you know, all atheletes want to be musicians and all musicians want to be athletes”. I said, “l never wanted to be an athlete”. You are dead on.

[Paula-]

I know very few people under 50, who have an interest in learning to play an instrument . I'm 73, my brothers and I all took music lessons as children and grow-up playing several instruments. We loved buying sheet music and listening to all kinds of music. Most houses had pianos even really poor kids and I am still thrilled by soundtracks. I picked up harp and flute since the pandemic and I love having something that can reflect my inner feelings the way playing or appreciating music. I admit that much of the music I listen to now is coming from outside the US. it's just more interesting and not afraid to go deeper.

[demonic]

Games actually broadened my taste. It feels great when game developers put music in the right place. The emotional investment makes the music more memorable.

[TheEternalElir]

Japanese composers go all out when making music for anime, same for games. And the music is an obvious make or break factor for the overall experience. And everyone knows that. The music is usually what stays with us, takes us back when hearing it again at a later stage.

[jimiwills]

I’m so late to this conversation, and I’ll try to keep it short… I hear you Rick!!! So much said is right on point… but… I’m an optimist! As a boomer myself, I can’t predict how music moves forward in the next 20, 50.. 100 years, but as a teacher, nothing works better in my classroom than music. I teach Spanish using my guitar in an elementary school. Over the 14 years that I’ve been teaching in my school, my principal has purchased me a small arsenal of guitars to teach interested students to play… during their recess and lunch breaks!!! Yes.. students give up their recess to come to my classroom and learn guitar!!! It’s beautiful!!!
I’ll leave it at that. I believe that kids will always love music.. albeit a little differently than each previous generation 😆

[kokovec]

I’m a year late to this topic but I believe it’s more of a Gen-Z male phenomenon.
I asked my 26 year old nephew what he likes to listen to and he struggled to answer. My niece said Taylor Swift, Beyoncé. and K-Pop.
Music went from glam rock to glam pop. The substance and male appeal is gone.
Boys spend time on video games but girls are social creatures and will take time out of their day to be part of the social scene.
That might be a reason why there’s no male version of Taylor Swift.

[TheAdam]

Gaming actually enhanced my interest in music. Licensed music soundtracks in games like GTA exposed me to a lot of great bands I wouldn't have heard otherwise

[jonnitti]

I think that's really weird because video games definitely helped me get into music. A LOT of video game soundtracks have shaped my music taste

[BenjaminPhillips-eibp]

I'm 15, been into music since I was about 11-12 ish and it frustrates me that nobody around me gets ANYTHING. They barely know of the Beatles, nevermind Clash, Sabbath, BB King, Bring Me The Horizon, Metallica, Oasis, Blur, Led Zeppelin, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, Good Charlotte, Run-DMC, Aerosmith, etc. "Rock" to them is anything from Imagine Dragons to Esophogus (not even sure the genre but VERY heavy)