Why Young Men Care Less About Music and Why It Matters (A Lot)
Young men care less about music and and more video games than in previous generations.. With fewer male listeners and no marketing aimed at them, is a major streaming collapse could be closer than anyone thinks?
Why Young Men Care Less About Music and Why It Matters (A Lot)
by Bobby Owsinski via Music 3.0
I wrote recently about how there are no more garage bands or places for them to play, and how young men would prefer to indulge in video games rather than create music. I think the problem goes deeper than just the creation of music – it’s music consumption as well.
MIDiA Reseach recently posted an article specifically about this and sited the data to back it up. One thing that was startling is the fact that there are more 16 to 24 year old women on social media than men, with the difference being about 5%.
That might not seem like that big of a deal except for the fact that so much of music marketing and discovery is done via a social platform. With more women than men on these platforms, of course the marketing is going to skew towards women, which will only make the problem worse.
Where Is The Angry Music?
One of the things I’ve noticed (I’m sure you have as well) is how safe music is these days, catering the lowest common denominator. That’s always been the case to some extent, but there used to be a vital underground that not only fed the next trend, but met the needs of the men who were listening.
For those males that are reading this, I’m sure you remember the music you loved when you were a teenager. It was angry, upbeat, driven, aggravated, and all the other adjectives that accompany youth.
Rock music was rebellion and found a willing ear with the male youth of the day. It was a way to express your inner rage. Whether it was rock n’ roll, rock, metal, or hip hop, it spoke your language.
Today there’s a lot less of that type of music available, which is another reason that young men are being pushed away from music.
I’m not saying that none of that exists in the music being made today, just that there’s a lot less, and it isn’t heavily marketed to young males. As a result, video games for sure make a better outlet.
The Big Industry Problem
All this is flying somewhat under the radar at the moment, but it won’t be for long.
The music industry says it’s enjoying good times right now, but streaming growth in most countries not in Africa has slowed to low single digits. I expect that growth to plateau or actually fall next year as consumers tighten their belts due the effects of U.S. tariffs and sanctions.
Many have already ditched that second music subscription, and some are even going back to the free tier on platforms like Spotify and Deezer.
But the situation will get even worse if even a small number of the young male population turns its back on music. And you can’t blame them. Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, and Miley Cyrus so not speak to them or for them.
And that’s the problem. Even if subscription prices were to rise again (and you know they will), you can replace some of the money, but you just can’t replace dedicated monthly users.
This is a snowball that’s just starting to roll down the hill. It’s going to get nasty when it reaches the bottom.
Bobby Owsinski is a producer/engineer, author, blogger, podcaster, and coach. He has authored 24 books on music production, music, the music business, music AI, and social media.
This kind of feels like someone starting with a thesis and just running with it, bending the facts along the way to make them fit. The idea that young men are turning away from music, because „there is less angry music“ in the mainstream completely ignores the broader reality of today’s music landscape.
Just because there might be less angry music on the radio (as I’m sure that was the case years ago as well) or part of the main stream, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of angry music out there. Radio has never been the place for underground music. You even named metal and hip hop – hip hop is a huge genre at the moment, especially for the younger generation. It’s not hard to find aggressive, angry, rebellious music – if you’re actually looking for it.
What really bothers me is the assumption that ist’s especially young men – and seemingly only young men – need angry music. All the women I know are furious about the state of the world – and trust me, we don’t have a problem finding our music (not just by female artists btw). The problem in your article is trying to gender music taste.
Also, liking video games doesn’t automatically disqualify you from being interested in listening to or even making music. There are even many interfaces between gaming and music. Music is an integral part of the gaming experience. The music industry knows this and is taking profits from that. It’s no coincidence that some of the world’s biggest artists are giving concerts in Fortnite.
I also find it quite exposing that you chose to cherry pick three big female artists and claim that they don’t speak for young men. First of all, those three women have a huge audience of all genders – just as male artists have female fans too. But you also made it seem like the mainstream was just being catered to by these three women. I would have no problem giving you three male artists, who are huge right now: Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Bruno Mars – they all speak from a male perspective. Would you claim that young women don’t have a voice in music because of that? Of course not. It doesn’t work that way.
could not agree with your POV more here!!
you literally nailed it, could not agree with your POV on this article any more.
This is a thought-provoking topic. The shift in young men’s attention from music to video games reflects deeper cultural and technological changes. Games now provide not just entertainment but also social interaction and identity, much like music once did. If streaming platforms continue to overlook this demographic, it could indeed have long-term effects on the industry’s stability. Music isn’t just losing creators—it’s losing engaged listeners, and that should concern everyone in the business.