Teens today have every song (ever?!) available at their fingertips. All it takes is a quick Spotify or YouTube search, and they can access all their favorite artists, discover new ones to fall in love with, and create playlists to get them through every hangout with friends, dramatic breakup, or late-night study session.
And yet, parents wish their kids would go old school and listen to an actual CD or vinyl record. And instead of moaning and groaning about it being outdated, restrictive technology, Gen Z and Gen Alpha seem to actually be on board.
There could be a few reasons for this. There is a rise in love for all things ’90s nostalgia, the desire to support their favorite musicians by doing more than just streaming, and the desire to rack up a physical collection to display their interests.
“I think mostly for Gen Z it’s an aesthetic thing,” one CD-loving Gen Z-er told Axios last year. At the time, revenues from physical music formats (CDs, vinyls, etc.) had reached a decade high with the help of younger fans.
Recent research in the United Kingdom found that 46 percent of Gen Alpha are listening to physical music. The survey, conducted by Key Production, also included feedback from parents. Around 46 percent of surveyed parents said their child(ren) listened to CDs, and 38 percent said they listened to vinyl. Even cassette tapes seem to be making a comeback.
“In an age dominated by streaming, it’s the younger generations who are continuing to drive the demand for physical music,” Key Production CEO Karen Emanuel said in a statement. ” … For many of these young listeners, physical music offers something digital formats can’t: a sense of authenticity, ownership, and emotional connection. It turns music into a tangible experience—something to hold, display, collect, and connect with on a deeper level.”
Perhaps most interesting is that 80 percent of parents prefer their children listen to music on CDs and vinyl rather than on their smartphones. This could be because it offers an opportunity to bond over the retro technology. Or, perhaps more likely, it could be because it’s a switch away from screens. Teens aren’t scrolling through their phone when they are setting up a record player or plugging their headphones into a CD player. And what parent doesn’t love to see their kids’ screen time decrease?
Teens are apparently in it for the digital detox too. More than 70 percent of Gen Z respondents said they listen to physical music to help them reduce screen time, per All About The Rock.
And you might be wondering about the costs of this shift. Sure, collecting CDs, vinyls, and their respective players can be expensive, but the survey shows that there is a lot of sharing. Nearly 30 percent of Gen Z respondents said they receive physical music from friends, and some even inherit it from family members.
Plus, listening to physical music doesn’t have to break the bank. Many libraries have collections of CDs and vinyl that are available to the public, and thrift stores often carry them at a fraction of the price of retail stores. So parents, take note for future holiday shopping. Because, as Emanuel said, it seems physical music is no longer “a relic of the past.” “It’s firmly part of the future, and it’s here to stay.”
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