According to a new NPD Group study, country music has passed classic rock, to become America’s most popular music genre. To determine a genre’s popularity, NPD’s “Annual Music Study 2012” surveyed consumers asking not only what they actively listened to, but also the music they purchased and the concerts they attended.
The study showed a 1% in the percentage of country music fans in 2012 (28%), a 2% decline in the percentage of classic rock fans (27%), and no change in the percentage of top-40 fans (19%).
EDM May Get All The Press, But...
NPD found that country music is a popular choice among all age demographics. By contrast, classic rock is most popular among music listeners aged 36 and older. According to NPD, “electronic dance music gets a lot of industry attention these days, but 18-to-25-year-olds are twice as likely to say they are fans of country music. Even among teens, country music ranks third, following rap/hip-hop, and pop/top-40.”
