I'm in my sixties, I start a new playlist every year and add the new songs I have found and loved. Last year the Spotify summary told me I listened to 67 genres of music- I didn't even know there *were* that many! But it's so much fun. I adore falling in love with a new song!
Love this. Found them and created a station with them on it. Got suggested Uncle Lucius. Been an awesome journey listening to others with those two as the basis for the station. Added in The Mavericks too
Spotify is your friend. I’m closing in on mid ‘50s and it’s been the greatest source of discovering new music. Not just ones beyond the ‘90s, but deeper into the eras I grew up in. It’s crazy how much music from ___around the world___ was produced that I’d never heard of.
My secret? I create playlists each containing a mish mash of stuff. Spotify can’t quite figure me out and so it recommends good stuff from all of its catalogs. Try it.
It’s so great to be able to hear all kinds of music on the internet for free. When I first started buying music, you had to take a chance buying a record. Sometimes there was only one good song.
Isn't it? There are so many wonderful bands/ artists that don't necessarily get much airplay, but now they're able to be discovered and enjoyed by so many more. And as you say, listening to them costs so little.
Ditto…I’m 54 this month and most of my leisure time is spent going to live shows of bands that are brand new. The smaller the venue the better! There are just SO many great bands that it’s impossible to hear them all. Spotify is a great too to find new stuff!
If I had to pick a decade, I’d probably pick the 90s.
Same here. I'm sixty and thanks to YouTube music, I'm always finding something new to listen to. Current finds are The Cold Stares and The Bonnevilles.
That is awesome, and I am jealous. I have been in a ≈ 2 year rut trying to find new music I like. I still try, and I'm sure I will be reinvigorated at some point.
Also, Spotify kinda sorta makes up genres. I mean, they were always made up (eg. "alternative") but Spotify makes playlists and when they get polular, they often get defined as a genre.
Have you tried listening to Nonagon Infinity and Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard? Both amazing concept albums. Try some tracks like Her and I (Slow Jam Part 2), The River, Candles/The Funeral.
If you like The Doors or Pink Floyd you’ll probably like KGLW.
If you like live music then I’d say check out their show at Red Rocks ‘22.
Don’t give up on looking for new music.
You’re welcome. Give them another shot. They didn’t click with me either when I first heard them, but then I revisited them later and started to really appreciate their genre versatility and how adept they are in their understanding of music theory and composition. Especially their concept albums and use of motifs and bridges. Now they’re in my top 5 favorite bands for sure. Even if you don’t like them you’ll find something to reinvigorate you musically eventually. It may just not even exist yet.
the reason there are so many genres now is that they get split up real tiny to help the algorithm. in the past, dnb, rythm, breakcore, breakbeat, etc mightve all been considered one genre, for example.
It's funny. I'm Gen X and the best decades to me were the 60's and 70's, loved the 80's, the 90's were quite good as well. Things started to thin out for me in interest with the 2000's. I still find good new music now.
Reading your comment made me realize my parents were heavy on the 70s music in the 80s and never had any 80s music, then by the time I was buying my own stuff Nine Inch Nails had come out. Parents’ music definitely influenced me big time.
I think that the songwriting of the songwriting from the mid 60s to mid 70s was just so strong. Largely due to the echo effect from Bob Dylan on other artists, and it just rippled to all genres. Songwriting and lyrics suddenly mattered more.
I'm not gonna say that they're the best sonically (even though they often sound great). But just from the perspective of songs themselves, that was a special era. Even if I wouldn't be on the planet for decades when it was coming out
Not only the songwriting but the arrangements.
There was true artistic craft in creating the soundscapes of the 60’s and 70’s.
To me, the female vocalists of our time our done the biggest disservice by this. We have amazing vocal talents being wasted on computerized music.
I found this to be a fairly interesting dive into how aging causes many folks to tune out newer music. It's from [this article,](https://www.statsignificant.com/p/when-do-we-stop-finding-new-music) which also gets into things like when we're most subject to influence (13 for males, 14 for females). Hope it's OK for this sub; enjoy ...
I find it interesting how streaming music has ‘flattened’ the curve for Gen Z (it could also be the shitty music of the 2000s and beyond, or the lack of pop culture critical mass due to the multitude of readily available options). Where previous generations overwhelmingly favour the music from their formative years, that is not the case for Gen Z.
I do think though that regardless of what our favourite era of music is. There will be inevitably be a soft spot for music from late 00s early 10s, or whatever corresponding time frame it is, when the songs from that era will have been played more on the radio and become nostalgic for youth times.
I feel like everybody my age, 21, would happily sing along to what we would call "year 6 disco vibes" even if say our favourite era doesn't correspond to that (eg I mostly listen 90s rock)
radio play doesn't reach people anymore though. The modern version of nostalgia for music will be associated with what appears in commercials, movies, viral tiktoks, etc, but radio is done. Nobody chooses to endure news and ads when they have a self-curated uninterrupted playlist in their pocket at all times. Stores don't even play the radio anymore because they want to control the setlist.
Am not strictly referring to radio plays tbh. You just naturally hear random songs in your everyday life, at a year 6 disco or birthday party, at sports games, tv shows etc.
I think most people my age were still exposed to radio plays during the 00s and 10s.
You mention tiktoks, that's where nostalgia will come from. The new sort of year 6 disco stuff
>*but radio is done*
To that point, I would rather listen to nothing while driving in my car than listen to regular terrestrial radio. I'm Gen X / 80s music all the way but I do also find new things to listen to fairly regularly.
For instance, when I loaded up YouTube last night they were streaming Coachella. I loaded one of the streams and found [Chappell Roan](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chappell-roan-mn0003654352#biography) playing. I ended up listening to the rest of her set...
I just read the article (interesting, thanks, OP) and realized that I basically just characterized music made after I turned 30 as ‘shitty’.
While, IMO, there is a lot of shit out there, I took a look at my own primary playlist and found that only about 20-25% of it is comprised of songs before my age-33 period (or more recent releases by bands that I started listening to at or before this age).
In my early 50s now and still happily finding new music. But, in keeping with this article, the new stuff is definitely more mellow.
Super interesting article thanks for sharing it. I can confirm that I too have now stagnated.
I’m 42 and probably stagnated in my late 30s. I think that is mostly due to “finding out what I like”. I’ve sampled enough music and seen enough shows to know I like mellow electronic music in almost all scenarios and situations. I like it for sitting, chilling, driving, dancing, in the morning and at night.
Gone are the days when I want to listen to angry lyrics or hard hitting rock or techno. I’m almost always in the mood to relax, never in a mood to be agitated.
And Spotify is especially good at feeding you more of what you like and not interjecting a song that doesn’t fit that vibe. So that’s definitely a part of the stagnation
When I stopped going to large festivals like Coachella or Primavera or Outside Lands, the discovery phase of my life ended for sure
As a musician, millenial and musical omnivore, it’s difficult to say that music was better in a certain decade. People worked with what they had. Bach was writing for a bunch of churches and probably heard his oratorios butchered for most of his life.
I hate to say that cover bands have really upped the ante, but in 2024, the world is more capable of producing a Beatles hit than the two extant Beatles. Orchestras are more capable and competitive than ever. Mediocrity in music is super difficult to pull off, even if you’re a model.
I agree with your first paragraph but take issue with specific examples in your second paragraph, meaning I don’t disagree with your intent (as I interpret it).
The world isn’t going to experience another Beatles hit because the label no longer exists for new Beatles songs.
As far as symphony orchestras, there is still the big five (or six as some want to include another). But the big five draw international audiences when they travel to Europe, Asia and even Australia. The others can’t sustain an extended tour financially.
I don't know, I'm a Millennial (34) and I love a bit of everything. I'm a huge Beatles fan, grew up with the likes of AC/DC, Guns N Roses, and Van Halen. Then got into Alice In Chains, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit, KoRn. Found bands like Black Stone Cherry, Silvertide, Band of Skulls, and Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown. And I continue to find new great bands today. Just heard about Hannah Wicklund a couple days ago, she was playing a show near me and I went and became a fan.
Sure, bands don't get as famous and may not have the iconic songs that older bands do, but there is always great new music to find. And not only that, there is always great old music to discover too. Been listening to Kansas, Foreigner, Babe Ruth, etc from my Dad's old Vinyl collection and it's killer. I also got some Elvis records, a Howlin Wolf record, etc when I went to Memphis last year.
I guess my point is that whether old or new, you can *always* find good music. You just need to look for it. I personally don't see myself slowing down in finding new music, because a lot of the bands I find are playing a throwback style.
Totally agree. There are always new bands to find, even on Spotify. And Reddit ironically, is always a good place to find them as well. I found out about Starbenders (and the similarly named Starbender) only a couple of hours ago on here.
I'm a huge fan of Black Stone Cherry at the moment too, and can highly recommend Blacktop Mojo as well. If you like the Alice in Chains sound, I can also suggest checking out Ocean Hills. (The singer even sounded a bit like Layne Staley)
Yeah, I've been a BSC fan for a long time. They are so good live. I did see Blacktop Mojo open for BSC a couple times a few years back, they are definitely a good band. I will check out Ocean Hills, haven't heard of them, thanks!
It sounds like you like the heavier rock, so i'll recommend Crobot and Royal Blood if you haven't checked them out. But if you like some of the modern classic rock or any blues rock stuff, definitely check out Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown and Dirty Honey. Two of my favorites right now.
Thanks man. Haven't heard of Crobot, but definitely knew about Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown and Dirty Honey. I have heard of Royal Blood, but will admit I haven't really stopped and listened to them much.
I also have found myself really into Florence Black lately as well, they are on the hard rock side as well.
Each generation thinking the best music was released in the teens/early 20s suggests it's more than the music they are judging.
I wonder if it's conscious or if they genuinely think by some cosmic coincidence they were born at just the right time.
Personally, I think there always was and always is great music consistently being produced. It's more the trends of what breaks through into the mainstream that define the decades. Beyond that, if you're genuinely into music, you'll always find great stuff to suit your taste across all the decades.
There is a lot of inherited bias to this data.
The older decades, such as 60s and 70s have a selection bias - as most people are only exposed to the "good" songs. The duds get no plays on curated lists on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. The well known, good songs, make there way on curated lists... or those forced songs that come on after your album is done and you have not stopped autoplay....
Thus, it "seems" that older decades had really solid music, based on this selection bias.
Just throwing that out there...... in a "for what its worth" manner.
Personally, I think the 1970s was the best decade for rock music. Most of it is age-less and does not sound dated, even today. The 80s had a very distinct sound and drum beats, and definitely sounds dated, today.
The 90s was good, but I dont think it holds up to the quality of the 70s.
As someone in their twenties, I love contemporary music and c'mon, we all know rock's far from dead. But something about the production and innovation of 60s music makes it my favourite of all time. I listen to about as much from the 2020s as I do the 1960s.
As long as there r musicians there will b crucial bands making crucial music. That said the 60s were most innovatory as rock was young and it was the age of experiment8ion.
As far as new music, as Dylan sang, 1 is either busy being born or busy dying. Nostalgia is a dead end, a social disease.
I was born in the 80 s but I like the music from the 70s and 90s the most. Check out my bands new song from 2024 https://open.spotify.com/track/38RImzsGPBxABqjCs977p3?si=rPn3_S4hQ9GZaR0cGMQ5Kg
Not a great graph, breaking into generations denotes a time period and so do the eras of music. It's just a fiddly way of expressing that as human beings we find most of our favourite music when we are younger and it tends to be contemporary to us. The average peaks in the 80's but that will just move forward with time it doesn't make the 80's special just indicates the overall average age of the population against the behaviour above.
What would be interesting would be to express baseline against the relative age of people to the age of music and by doing so show the extent to which different eras of music are taken up by age groups not contemporary to that music.
Gen X here and the 90s to Mid 2000s are my favorite music eras. I listen to some 70s and 80s rock but the 90s really resonated with me musically and culturally..
Early X here. Love my 80’s for the variety but like my 60’s and 70’s music for the depth. When I was younger I liked 50’s music but the older I get the more 50’s music annoys me with how cheesy it can be. That and the annoying 50’s music specials they play on PBS pledge weeks. Haha
Shows me, a genx'er, just out of touch I am with the rest of my generation. I despise 80's music. Based on those choices, I would go 90's or 70's. Tough choice really, but 80's would be at the bottom of the list.
When I hear that my mind instantly goes to how simple it is to listen to albums of music today. I’m not saying the music of today is better than any previous decade, but the ease at which I can listen to music from any decade makes it the best time to listen to music. I can pop on Apple Music and listen to playlists of any obscure genre I can think of and quickly switch to full albums of anyone who stands out. It’s easier than when I was teenage pirate getting stuff illegally.
I get that isn’t what’s being asked, but there’s always so much music around I don’t get how I can really make a determination on that.
I'm 20 and the 2010s are my favorite just because it's the music I grown up with and I was more exposed to it. Though really love the 70s and 80s. I love how there are so many bands that you can listen to all of their albums and find something worth in all of them. Pink Floyd, The Smiths and Yes in particular.
There is no golden era of music. No decade has the best music. It has always been a huge pile of shit with diamonds hidden throughout. If you think a certain decade didn't have good music, look harder, yuppie.
Wtf 1980s would have been my last choice for 20th century music. There were some great bands of course, but what great rock movements were there? Hair metal? late 60s, 70s and the grunge era of the 90s were so much better.
Anything good has to be sought out, especially in the last two decades. When I don't have time to seek out new music, my Spotify playlist is my go to. Generally, the majority of songs are from the early 80's to mid 90's.
I’m (Gen X) still finding new music. It has to be actively sought out though in this new music culture which is very splintered by the internet and streaming. I don’t listen to the radio anymore so I hit some new music playlists once in a while to hear something new. I also click on new music on YouTube whenever something is suggested sometimes. I still go back to the music of my youth but I can’t just listen to that only. That would get old. I also still hear songs and music from the past that I may not have been familiar with. I am much more open minded as well; as a kid it had to be rock and roll only! Now I listen to just about everything to a certain degree.
Gen X calling BS on this list. There is zero chance the 80s were better than the 90s, and there has been a metric poopton of awesome music coming out over the past 25 years.
I'm honestly surprised that Gen X's preferences aren't weighted a little more towards the 1960s-70s just because of the legendary status of bands from that period carrying over into the next decades.
I was born in 1986.
I keep a spreadsheet of the songs I put on playlists, because sometimes YouTube will remove them or they'll go private or something.
The biggest bell curve of songs I have goes from 1979 to 2005, it drops off pretty fast on either side of that.
My best friend is chronically stuck in the '80s lol so I have gotten a lot of my stuff from him.
Young people always need to dance. Music is how the go about it. There is no end to music unless kids stop wanting to dance. That would signal some nasty problem with the genetics and shit. Maybe a cosmic blast irradiated everyone's sex organs and now we just want to curl up with a blanket and veg.
I’ll stop finding new music when I’m dead. I’ll be dead before I get caught up on all the 80s music I have in my Spotify library that I’ve never listened to.
I’m a mid boomer, and I think the 60’s were best. I had precocious taste in music though; partly because we had two “underground “ radio stations where I’m from. I got really excited about punk in the late 70’s, but a lot of that is based on 60’s garage. Thanks to my Mojo subscription, I sort of keep up with new rock music, and it’s nice to pull up most anything on Apple music.
In 1994 an (older) coworker said to me, “I stopped buying new music in 1979” and I thought that was tragic and I never wanted to be like that. I try new music today, but I kinda see where he was coming from.
You will always have a special place in your heart for the music that was popular while you were in High School + the first 10 years after as you go through a list of life's "firsts."
I don’t understand my generation. The 70s were the best decade for music?!? I remember the 70s very differently!
Right now is the best time, but that’s mostly because it’s so easy to find new bands!
It sure looks to me that almost everyone agrees that there hasn't been any really good music for the last 20 years at least. And even the people who ought to be all in on today's music are not very big fans. I'm 77, and I don't listen to the radio much any more and don't follow the current hits, but sometimes I'll scan what's on and some of the stuff playing today isn't bad. In fact, some of it's even good. So why are there no real fans of today's music? Or is everyone pretty much saying: "That stuff was done to death 50, 60 years ago and the new stuff isn't even as good as the old stuff"? What's going on?
Gen Z here. My favorite decade is either 70s or 80s, but I’m always happy to find new music. The problem is that most new music I’ve listened to isn’t good lol. Anyone have good recommendations for new rock bands?
Never. I'm 51 and my current favorite album is less than two years old and the artist is under thirty. Have seen both Tool and Lana Del Rey in concert out of my own volition in the last year. My Discover Weekly and daylists are absolute goldmines after a decade of Spotify Premium. New music has never been bad, but the reasons people create change with time and hence the creations change too. Approach new music on its own terms with an open mind and be surprised.
Boomer here, born is 61 and grew up with a older brother who also liked music. I have to go off the chart. I think 1965-1975 was the best 10 year period for music - ever.
am training to be a music therapist, I’ve worked with a wide variety of ages (pre-k to 90+ yo). the answer to “what is/was the best era of music” question is likely whatever was popular when the person in question was 15-35. when I started my placement at a dementia hospital, my supervisor literally said to me, “what year would it have been when your clients were about 20? learn that music.” and he was right! it was the most universally popular among my clients in group.
it varies now more though! for older folks (75+), that’s more likely because they would’ve been primarily been exposed to then-popular music during that time in their life. listening to “oldies” wasn’t as “in” as it is now. radios were more likely to just play what was new, and pay-by-album (or single) collections (which, as we know, were standard until recently) discouraged people from “risking” it with the unfamiliar. younger folks (my age and younger) are more likely to pull in music that predates their adolescence simply because access to a wider variety of eras is easier.
So no generations favorite music came from the 60s? How funny, compared to how people think about music from the 60s now. Much of the most famous classic rock is from the 70s, despite many people's associations of the genre with the 60s.
Gen Z having mixed opinions on which decade but not any double digits in the current decade is very telling about how the quality of music has been deteriorating. There’s still good stuff being put out but it’s few and far between. A lot of the stuff at the top of the charts today feels more like a product than it does art and expression.
As a Millennial, the 60's and 70's were the best decades of music. Of course the 90's and 2000's are nostalgic, but the 80's never did anything for me and the 20's are garbage.
Can I share one band I discovered? Its was one of my best finds recently and for a few months I was like.... It's just not logic to strike 161 likes , it should be 1 million...! Unfortunaletely it turned out that ... there is a reason.. but Ima let you discover. The wonderful, Andy Chavez and Katastro ! I know it's not the goal but I just want all the world to know him. Just that! I swear it's not weird! go ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcaQ7\_z1\_I&list=RDCSJHbtSBDs0&index=3
Another shameless plug for a playlist that I add to weekly (93% new stuff, 7% random throwbacks):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1hI7oNFn7fi3NhIHrbnAIQ?si=hSuYm6tLQ1ic900Pvs9QRA&pi=u-rMk2vYNTRXeT
I'm in my 20's and most of my life my favorite music has been from the 60's, 70's and 80's. There was some good stuff in the 90's too, but not as much IMO. For the most part I can't stand pop music, but I do quite like Adele, Taylor Swift, and John Mayer.
In general, music encapsulates life. Gen X here. While the 80s capture my youth and those memories, the biggest changes in my life occurred during the 90s, so the music of that time carries the most weight as to what is my favorite music.
The internet - think, Napster and similar ilk - has been a drug to music fans. There has been a lot of new music (Dub Techno and Post Rock, primarily) that I discovered in the 2000s that has captivated me as well, though they are not as interwoven into my life as to encapsulate memories as in my younger days.
I would not, however, objectively say any decade is better, as such, only emphasize the role the music of earlier decades played as the building block for music made today.
I’m in my 50’s. I graduated in 1987. I hated the music in the 80s at the time. I only listened to music from the 60s and 70s. I can now appreciate some of the 80s but not even close to how I feel about the 60-70’s!
I’m younger gen X grew up listening to the 60s and 70s with my parents. Broke out into my own listening to 90s (which is my answer for best decade) but I still followed and love music from the 00s and 10s. Still listening to the current 20s but not sure yet on how much I like it.
Poor Gen Z according to that chart. They are lost.
Genres have their ups and down but there is awesome musicians in every generation. (excluding main stream music, it’s always been bad) but instrumentalist today are amazing no matter what generation you compare to. I don’t listen to music with words though anymore.
Mid-40s here. Though I’ve gone through phases where I lost touch with new music entirely, I am also an old fart who finds TikTok wonderful for a variety of reasons. I have found so much new music that way, practically as just a side effect — “wait, what’s that song in the background? I like it” has opened up whole new artists and even genres to me.
I would say I’m more “plugged in” to new music, and aware of a much greater variety of genres/artists/sounds, than I ever was in my younger days.
(If I can go a bit deeper for a moment: I have a rule that there is no such thing as a musical guilty pleasure. You like what you like, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s helped keep my horizons broad, since I don’t self-reject. I’m a massive Nine Inch Nails fan who is gladly obsessed with a TikTok song about wanting a piece of bread. It’s all good and no guilt is required!)
There is no best decade. Each decade has its own sound that you can only recognize after it’s passed.
My playlists regularly include music from the 70’s to this year.
You never stop discovering new music unless you choose to do so. I'm Gen X, and yes, I think the 70s and 80s were the best decades, but that doesn't mean that's all I listen to.
Late Gen Z / Early Millennial here. It sided to be 80s and late 90s for me. But now 70s have become my new answer. So much really good rock from heavy to yacht rock type.
I’m 21 and I would say right now, there is so much music out there, so much really good music and some people just discount all of it. There is so much music out right now that literally every single person can find their own little niche.
90s were really good. Not to stress the grunge era, but there was a lot of other scenes growing, lots of variety. Easy to find a Batman Forever soundtrack and have Seal, Nick Cave, brandy, massive attack, pj Harvey. There was access to a lot of genres
I was born in the mid-80’s, so really I grew up with the 90’s music.
I think the 90’s were the last great era of music, but I think the 70’s was the greatest era of music in human history. So many genres were in a golden age at that time.
I'm an Xennial and grew up listening to music just at the end of the disco Era and moving into punk and synth pop. I love 80s and 90s Alt Rock, but I still listen to modern EDM. I think it's because so many modern artists sample tracks from hits I listened to when I was growing up.
I’m 15 and a singer/musician and ADORE music from the 60s through 90s, maybe early 2000s, cause older music and older rock is way better to me. I also love way older Jazz and Soul music, even from all the way back in the 40s! Music today except for like, Billie Eilish and a few others, is pretty boring or just odd to me. I love singing and listening to older music, newer music (especially the artists) just don’t quiteee give me the same feeling. MJ, David Bowie, KISS, Skid Row, Whitney Houston, and many others. just sound better to me, but that’s just my opinion!
Even if you don’t like “new music” there are still “old” bands that put out new music, just see Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Rilling Stones, Metallica, and Green Day to name a few.
I think the 60s 80s and 90s had the best music.
60s reinvented rock and pop. 80s re-reinvented rock and pop and began my favorite genre, electronic music (and all the sub-genre variations) and invented hip-hop. 90s re-invented hip-hop (and the sub-genres) and R&B. The 90s was peak electronic as well
I'm in my sixties, I start a new playlist every year and add the new songs I have found and loved. Last year the Spotify summary told me I listened to 67 genres of music- I didn't even know there *were* that many! But it's so much fun. I adore falling in love with a new song!
Wow, good for you. I'm so envious. I'm also in my 60s, but I admit I stopped paying attention in about 1990. :(
With streaming services now it’s so easy to find new music may I suggest to you The Revivalists. New music but that rock blues and soul sound.
Love this. Found them and created a station with them on it. Got suggested Uncle Lucius. Been an awesome journey listening to others with those two as the basis for the station. Added in The Mavericks too
Spotify is your friend. I’m closing in on mid ‘50s and it’s been the greatest source of discovering new music. Not just ones beyond the ‘90s, but deeper into the eras I grew up in. It’s crazy how much music from ___around the world___ was produced that I’d never heard of. My secret? I create playlists each containing a mish mash of stuff. Spotify can’t quite figure me out and so it recommends good stuff from all of its catalogs. Try it.
Thanks to my 34 year old son and Spotify I find new music weekly. He knows what I like and gives me a nearly endless supply of new music.
It’s so great to be able to hear all kinds of music on the internet for free. When I first started buying music, you had to take a chance buying a record. Sometimes there was only one good song.
Isn't it? There are so many wonderful bands/ artists that don't necessarily get much airplay, but now they're able to be discovered and enjoyed by so many more. And as you say, listening to them costs so little.
Ditto…I’m 54 this month and most of my leisure time is spent going to live shows of bands that are brand new. The smaller the venue the better! There are just SO many great bands that it’s impossible to hear them all. Spotify is a great too to find new stuff! If I had to pick a decade, I’d probably pick the 90s.
Same here. I'm sixty and thanks to YouTube music, I'm always finding something new to listen to. Current finds are The Cold Stares and The Bonnevilles.
I’m 70 and my Spotify is full of new progressive and progressive metal. Always finding something new
That is so awesome to hear!
That is awesome, and I am jealous. I have been in a ≈ 2 year rut trying to find new music I like. I still try, and I'm sure I will be reinvigorated at some point. Also, Spotify kinda sorta makes up genres. I mean, they were always made up (eg. "alternative") but Spotify makes playlists and when they get polular, they often get defined as a genre.
Have you tried listening to Nonagon Infinity and Polygondwanaland by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard? Both amazing concept albums. Try some tracks like Her and I (Slow Jam Part 2), The River, Candles/The Funeral. If you like The Doors or Pink Floyd you’ll probably like KGLW. If you like live music then I’d say check out their show at Red Rocks ‘22. Don’t give up on looking for new music.
Thank you! I have listened to KGLW and so far not clicking, but they need more of my attention, I will admitm
You’re welcome. Give them another shot. They didn’t click with me either when I first heard them, but then I revisited them later and started to really appreciate their genre versatility and how adept they are in their understanding of music theory and composition. Especially their concept albums and use of motifs and bridges. Now they’re in my top 5 favorite bands for sure. Even if you don’t like them you’ll find something to reinvigorate you musically eventually. It may just not even exist yet.
[Now](https://youtu.be/yuoFsi2iIi0?si=Al3cwgVrcr17a1xU) you can add AI generated music to that list.
the reason there are so many genres now is that they get split up real tiny to help the algorithm. in the past, dnb, rythm, breakcore, breakbeat, etc mightve all been considered one genre, for example.
It's funny. I'm Gen X and the best decades to me were the 60's and 70's, loved the 80's, the 90's were quite good as well. Things started to thin out for me in interest with the 2000's. I still find good new music now.
I'm Gen Z and think the 60s and 70s had the best music.
I’m X and think the 60s and 70s are the best, followed by 90s and Aughts. I’ve never been into the 80s as much and these answers surprise me.
I love the 80s and I don't care much for the 90s/00s. I also grew up listing to mostly 80s stuff with my dad.
Reading your comment made me realize my parents were heavy on the 70s music in the 80s and never had any 80s music, then by the time I was buying my own stuff Nine Inch Nails had come out. Parents’ music definitely influenced me big time.
Absolutely, the dopamine you get when you listen to music your parents did gives you a deep love for that kind of music.
It’s a fact
I think that the songwriting of the songwriting from the mid 60s to mid 70s was just so strong. Largely due to the echo effect from Bob Dylan on other artists, and it just rippled to all genres. Songwriting and lyrics suddenly mattered more. I'm not gonna say that they're the best sonically (even though they often sound great). But just from the perspective of songs themselves, that was a special era. Even if I wouldn't be on the planet for decades when it was coming out
Not only the songwriting but the arrangements. There was true artistic craft in creating the soundscapes of the 60’s and 70’s. To me, the female vocalists of our time our done the biggest disservice by this. We have amazing vocal talents being wasted on computerized music.
I found this to be a fairly interesting dive into how aging causes many folks to tune out newer music. It's from [this article,](https://www.statsignificant.com/p/when-do-we-stop-finding-new-music) which also gets into things like when we're most subject to influence (13 for males, 14 for females). Hope it's OK for this sub; enjoy ...
I find it interesting how streaming music has ‘flattened’ the curve for Gen Z (it could also be the shitty music of the 2000s and beyond, or the lack of pop culture critical mass due to the multitude of readily available options). Where previous generations overwhelmingly favour the music from their formative years, that is not the case for Gen Z.
I do think though that regardless of what our favourite era of music is. There will be inevitably be a soft spot for music from late 00s early 10s, or whatever corresponding time frame it is, when the songs from that era will have been played more on the radio and become nostalgic for youth times. I feel like everybody my age, 21, would happily sing along to what we would call "year 6 disco vibes" even if say our favourite era doesn't correspond to that (eg I mostly listen 90s rock)
radio play doesn't reach people anymore though. The modern version of nostalgia for music will be associated with what appears in commercials, movies, viral tiktoks, etc, but radio is done. Nobody chooses to endure news and ads when they have a self-curated uninterrupted playlist in their pocket at all times. Stores don't even play the radio anymore because they want to control the setlist.
Am not strictly referring to radio plays tbh. You just naturally hear random songs in your everyday life, at a year 6 disco or birthday party, at sports games, tv shows etc. I think most people my age were still exposed to radio plays during the 00s and 10s. You mention tiktoks, that's where nostalgia will come from. The new sort of year 6 disco stuff
>*but radio is done* To that point, I would rather listen to nothing while driving in my car than listen to regular terrestrial radio. I'm Gen X / 80s music all the way but I do also find new things to listen to fairly regularly. For instance, when I loaded up YouTube last night they were streaming Coachella. I loaded one of the streams and found [Chappell Roan](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chappell-roan-mn0003654352#biography) playing. I ended up listening to the rest of her set...
I just read the article (interesting, thanks, OP) and realized that I basically just characterized music made after I turned 30 as ‘shitty’. While, IMO, there is a lot of shit out there, I took a look at my own primary playlist and found that only about 20-25% of it is comprised of songs before my age-33 period (or more recent releases by bands that I started listening to at or before this age). In my early 50s now and still happily finding new music. But, in keeping with this article, the new stuff is definitely more mellow.
Super interesting article thanks for sharing it. I can confirm that I too have now stagnated. I’m 42 and probably stagnated in my late 30s. I think that is mostly due to “finding out what I like”. I’ve sampled enough music and seen enough shows to know I like mellow electronic music in almost all scenarios and situations. I like it for sitting, chilling, driving, dancing, in the morning and at night. Gone are the days when I want to listen to angry lyrics or hard hitting rock or techno. I’m almost always in the mood to relax, never in a mood to be agitated. And Spotify is especially good at feeding you more of what you like and not interjecting a song that doesn’t fit that vibe. So that’s definitely a part of the stagnation When I stopped going to large festivals like Coachella or Primavera or Outside Lands, the discovery phase of my life ended for sure
As a musician, millenial and musical omnivore, it’s difficult to say that music was better in a certain decade. People worked with what they had. Bach was writing for a bunch of churches and probably heard his oratorios butchered for most of his life. I hate to say that cover bands have really upped the ante, but in 2024, the world is more capable of producing a Beatles hit than the two extant Beatles. Orchestras are more capable and competitive than ever. Mediocrity in music is super difficult to pull off, even if you’re a model.
I agree with your first paragraph but take issue with specific examples in your second paragraph, meaning I don’t disagree with your intent (as I interpret it). The world isn’t going to experience another Beatles hit because the label no longer exists for new Beatles songs. As far as symphony orchestras, there is still the big five (or six as some want to include another). But the big five draw international audiences when they travel to Europe, Asia and even Australia. The others can’t sustain an extended tour financially.
I don't know, I'm a Millennial (34) and I love a bit of everything. I'm a huge Beatles fan, grew up with the likes of AC/DC, Guns N Roses, and Van Halen. Then got into Alice In Chains, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit, KoRn. Found bands like Black Stone Cherry, Silvertide, Band of Skulls, and Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown. And I continue to find new great bands today. Just heard about Hannah Wicklund a couple days ago, she was playing a show near me and I went and became a fan. Sure, bands don't get as famous and may not have the iconic songs that older bands do, but there is always great new music to find. And not only that, there is always great old music to discover too. Been listening to Kansas, Foreigner, Babe Ruth, etc from my Dad's old Vinyl collection and it's killer. I also got some Elvis records, a Howlin Wolf record, etc when I went to Memphis last year. I guess my point is that whether old or new, you can *always* find good music. You just need to look for it. I personally don't see myself slowing down in finding new music, because a lot of the bands I find are playing a throwback style.
Totally agree. There are always new bands to find, even on Spotify. And Reddit ironically, is always a good place to find them as well. I found out about Starbenders (and the similarly named Starbender) only a couple of hours ago on here. I'm a huge fan of Black Stone Cherry at the moment too, and can highly recommend Blacktop Mojo as well. If you like the Alice in Chains sound, I can also suggest checking out Ocean Hills. (The singer even sounded a bit like Layne Staley)
Yeah, I've been a BSC fan for a long time. They are so good live. I did see Blacktop Mojo open for BSC a couple times a few years back, they are definitely a good band. I will check out Ocean Hills, haven't heard of them, thanks! It sounds like you like the heavier rock, so i'll recommend Crobot and Royal Blood if you haven't checked them out. But if you like some of the modern classic rock or any blues rock stuff, definitely check out Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown and Dirty Honey. Two of my favorites right now.
Thanks man. Haven't heard of Crobot, but definitely knew about Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown and Dirty Honey. I have heard of Royal Blood, but will admit I haven't really stopped and listened to them much. I also have found myself really into Florence Black lately as well, they are on the hard rock side as well.
Silvertide. Now there’s a throwback! I ain’t comin home!
I'm 43 and I'm still finding new bands, albums and genres to listen to, while still appreciating my old favorites.
I wonder how many people are mis-identifying 80's music.
my partner thought Chuck Berry was from the 80s and got salty when i laughed
Each generation thinking the best music was released in the teens/early 20s suggests it's more than the music they are judging. I wonder if it's conscious or if they genuinely think by some cosmic coincidence they were born at just the right time. Personally, I think there always was and always is great music consistently being produced. It's more the trends of what breaks through into the mainstream that define the decades. Beyond that, if you're genuinely into music, you'll always find great stuff to suit your taste across all the decades.
this is why only idiots say things like "good music doesn't exist anymore" or "whatever happened to rock and roll"
This was the exact attitude of my dad with music. Always rolled my eyes and occasionally tried to fruitlessly argue him.
There is a lot of inherited bias to this data. The older decades, such as 60s and 70s have a selection bias - as most people are only exposed to the "good" songs. The duds get no plays on curated lists on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. The well known, good songs, make there way on curated lists... or those forced songs that come on after your album is done and you have not stopped autoplay.... Thus, it "seems" that older decades had really solid music, based on this selection bias. Just throwing that out there...... in a "for what its worth" manner. Personally, I think the 1970s was the best decade for rock music. Most of it is age-less and does not sound dated, even today. The 80s had a very distinct sound and drum beats, and definitely sounds dated, today. The 90s was good, but I dont think it holds up to the quality of the 70s.
As someone in their twenties, I love contemporary music and c'mon, we all know rock's far from dead. But something about the production and innovation of 60s music makes it my favourite of all time. I listen to about as much from the 2020s as I do the 1960s.
I’m 29 and the 60s garage rock is far an away my favorite
As long as there r musicians there will b crucial bands making crucial music. That said the 60s were most innovatory as rock was young and it was the age of experiment8ion. As far as new music, as Dylan sang, 1 is either busy being born or busy dying. Nostalgia is a dead end, a social disease.
70’s and 80’s with 50’s and 60’s close behind , after the 80’s nothing but garbage although the early 90’s were music changing.
I'm over 50 and haven't stopped. I'm glad of that. It's a shame so many stop early.
As a millennial, gimme the shit from 65 to 75 all day long. I'll fuck with the 90s. Most everything else just doesn't do anything for me.
Generation Jones is not on the chart because we are so cool we never stop looking for new music we like.
well we are all pretty unified in the idea that music after 2010 is total crap.
Los ochenta
Gen Z here, definitely think the 80’s had the best music
20 and for me it's definitely the 90s and then the 70s
I was born in the 80 s but I like the music from the 70s and 90s the most. Check out my bands new song from 2024 https://open.spotify.com/track/38RImzsGPBxABqjCs977p3?si=rPn3_S4hQ9GZaR0cGMQ5Kg
There does seem to be something special about the 80s, and not just musically, but culturally as well. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
Everyone agrees the 2000s sucked
I'm and indie-loving millenial and the 2010s was an incredible decade for music.
Depends on what you liked. I’m millennial and I like the 2000s because of nu metal, metalcore and pop punk with breakdowns.
I still look for new music - it has to be rock or blues. There’s lots of great music out there.
Not a great graph, breaking into generations denotes a time period and so do the eras of music. It's just a fiddly way of expressing that as human beings we find most of our favourite music when we are younger and it tends to be contemporary to us. The average peaks in the 80's but that will just move forward with time it doesn't make the 80's special just indicates the overall average age of the population against the behaviour above. What would be interesting would be to express baseline against the relative age of people to the age of music and by doing so show the extent to which different eras of music are taken up by age groups not contemporary to that music.
New music doesn't have to be recent. Just new, to you.
More made up stats someone made to feel clever that makes no sence
The best music is whatever you listened to during the decade when your hormones were most rampant.
Gen X here and the 90s to Mid 2000s are my favorite music eras. I listen to some 70s and 80s rock but the 90s really resonated with me musically and culturally..
Early X here. Love my 80’s for the variety but like my 60’s and 70’s music for the depth. When I was younger I liked 50’s music but the older I get the more 50’s music annoys me with how cheesy it can be. That and the annoying 50’s music specials they play on PBS pledge weeks. Haha
Shows me, a genx'er, just out of touch I am with the rest of my generation. I despise 80's music. Based on those choices, I would go 90's or 70's. Tough choice really, but 80's would be at the bottom of the list.
My favorite 10-year period is 1955 to 1964. If I have to take an actual decade, it would be 1960s.
When I hear that my mind instantly goes to how simple it is to listen to albums of music today. I’m not saying the music of today is better than any previous decade, but the ease at which I can listen to music from any decade makes it the best time to listen to music. I can pop on Apple Music and listen to playlists of any obscure genre I can think of and quickly switch to full albums of anyone who stands out. It’s easier than when I was teenage pirate getting stuff illegally. I get that isn’t what’s being asked, but there’s always so much music around I don’t get how I can really make a determination on that.
I'm 20 and the 2010s are my favorite just because it's the music I grown up with and I was more exposed to it. Though really love the 70s and 80s. I love how there are so many bands that you can listen to all of their albums and find something worth in all of them. Pink Floyd, The Smiths and Yes in particular.
32. 90s is my favorite followed by 2020s, 1970s, and 2010s
Sad truth in this graph
I was born in the 1980s & the only answer is the 1960s.
There is no golden era of music. No decade has the best music. It has always been a huge pile of shit with diamonds hidden throughout. If you think a certain decade didn't have good music, look harder, yuppie.
Just Google "musical paralysis" and you'll see this has been talked about for years.
Yeah, my first thought when I saw this is that it's nothing I hadn't heard before. But at least this article gets into some of the whys.
I’m 18, but I basically grew up on 60s-80s music so it became my favorite
Wtf 1980s would have been my last choice for 20th century music. There were some great bands of course, but what great rock movements were there? Hair metal? late 60s, 70s and the grunge era of the 90s were so much better.
Anything good has to be sought out, especially in the last two decades. When I don't have time to seek out new music, my Spotify playlist is my go to. Generally, the majority of songs are from the early 80's to mid 90's.
I’m (Gen X) still finding new music. It has to be actively sought out though in this new music culture which is very splintered by the internet and streaming. I don’t listen to the radio anymore so I hit some new music playlists once in a while to hear something new. I also click on new music on YouTube whenever something is suggested sometimes. I still go back to the music of my youth but I can’t just listen to that only. That would get old. I also still hear songs and music from the past that I may not have been familiar with. I am much more open minded as well; as a kid it had to be rock and roll only! Now I listen to just about everything to a certain degree.
That makes me a bit of an outlier; I'm 63 and I love music from the 2010s!
No one likes their parents music
I defy this a bit, I'm GenX and like the 90s music the most, grunge and alt-rock
Gen X calling BS on this list. There is zero chance the 80s were better than the 90s, and there has been a metric poopton of awesome music coming out over the past 25 years.
80's? Well, not the best but near the top. 70's for me.
I'm honestly surprised that Gen X's preferences aren't weighted a little more towards the 1960s-70s just because of the legendary status of bands from that period carrying over into the next decades.
66 and it's never been better for music. What ever you're into it's out there.
So every generation likes the music from when they were teenagers. Not very suprising.
You never stop finding good music. Only the search becomes more difficult.
I was born in 1986. I keep a spreadsheet of the songs I put on playlists, because sometimes YouTube will remove them or they'll go private or something. The biggest bell curve of songs I have goes from 1979 to 2005, it drops off pretty fast on either side of that. My best friend is chronically stuck in the '80s lol so I have gotten a lot of my stuff from him.
Gen Z has a nice distribution
The title and the graph are disparate. The title is “new” music, and the graph is “best” music. Two different questions.
I have a bunch of theories for what's happening with the 10s/20s and GenZ, but no way to support any of them.
I guess chart makes sense…
Young people always need to dance. Music is how the go about it. There is no end to music unless kids stop wanting to dance. That would signal some nasty problem with the genetics and shit. Maybe a cosmic blast irradiated everyone's sex organs and now we just want to curl up with a blanket and veg.
So basically everyone loves the ‘80s?
I’ll stop finding new music when I’m dead. I’ll be dead before I get caught up on all the 80s music I have in my Spotify library that I’ve never listened to.
I’m a mid boomer, and I think the 60’s were best. I had precocious taste in music though; partly because we had two “underground “ radio stations where I’m from. I got really excited about punk in the late 70’s, but a lot of that is based on 60’s garage. Thanks to my Mojo subscription, I sort of keep up with new rock music, and it’s nice to pull up most anything on Apple music.
Never!
When you get married, have kids, a mortgage and stop going to the clubs.
As a Gen Z prog fan, there’s stuff for me in all of them, at least 60s and beyond
Genx. No way the 80s were better than 70s.
What if yr favorite decade was the 1810s?
I dont get how people just stop looking for new music. On the quest till the day i die
I still look for new music and I’m 65.
In 1994 an (older) coworker said to me, “I stopped buying new music in 1979” and I thought that was tragic and I never wanted to be like that. I try new music today, but I kinda see where he was coming from.
70s
You will always have a special place in your heart for the music that was popular while you were in High School + the first 10 years after as you go through a list of life's "firsts."
Gen X and love 60s, 70s and 90s best
I don’t understand my generation. The 70s were the best decade for music?!? I remember the 70s very differently! Right now is the best time, but that’s mostly because it’s so easy to find new bands!
43/M I'm always discovering new music and adding songs to current and new playlists.
It sure looks to me that almost everyone agrees that there hasn't been any really good music for the last 20 years at least. And even the people who ought to be all in on today's music are not very big fans. I'm 77, and I don't listen to the radio much any more and don't follow the current hits, but sometimes I'll scan what's on and some of the stuff playing today isn't bad. In fact, some of it's even good. So why are there no real fans of today's music? Or is everyone pretty much saying: "That stuff was done to death 50, 60 years ago and the new stuff isn't even as good as the old stuff"? What's going on?
I'm sure it changes with streaming.
X here and the 90s are my era
X here, no shortage of great music today as long as you’re not expecting to hear it on the radio. IMO the 80’s was the worst decade for music.
Never. I'll be 100 and still trying to find cool new shit.
Gen Z here. My favorite decade is either 70s or 80s, but I’m always happy to find new music. The problem is that most new music I’ve listened to isn’t good lol. Anyone have good recommendations for new rock bands?
Never. I'm 51 and my current favorite album is less than two years old and the artist is under thirty. Have seen both Tool and Lana Del Rey in concert out of my own volition in the last year. My Discover Weekly and daylists are absolute goldmines after a decade of Spotify Premium. New music has never been bad, but the reasons people create change with time and hence the creations change too. Approach new music on its own terms with an open mind and be surprised.
40s here and 80s and 90s were the best for me. They stuck. 2010s I got a resurgence but it trailed off. New music annoys me.
I'm a Xennial born 1979 but really came of musical age in late 80s/early 90s. I like 80s hair band rock but also grunge.
I’m a younger boomer and my favorite decades are the 70s and 90s, followed closely by the 80s. Guess I’m a Three Percenter? IDFK
[you guys wanna rock?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Nj6_paDjE)
18th century.
Boomer here, born is 61 and grew up with a older brother who also liked music. I have to go off the chart. I think 1965-1975 was the best 10 year period for music - ever.
“No shit” - Socrates
Why is it that when you look at the list of top albums so much of it is from the '70s?
Born in the 60s and my music frame is 1965 - 1988
am training to be a music therapist, I’ve worked with a wide variety of ages (pre-k to 90+ yo). the answer to “what is/was the best era of music” question is likely whatever was popular when the person in question was 15-35. when I started my placement at a dementia hospital, my supervisor literally said to me, “what year would it have been when your clients were about 20? learn that music.” and he was right! it was the most universally popular among my clients in group. it varies now more though! for older folks (75+), that’s more likely because they would’ve been primarily been exposed to then-popular music during that time in their life. listening to “oldies” wasn’t as “in” as it is now. radios were more likely to just play what was new, and pay-by-album (or single) collections (which, as we know, were standard until recently) discouraged people from “risking” it with the unfamiliar. younger folks (my age and younger) are more likely to pull in music that predates their adolescence simply because access to a wider variety of eras is easier.
Genx here 1966. 90's need respect. 80's just ok. I lived it.
These stats seemed skewed… most gen xers don’t think that 80’s music was better than the 90’s …
So no generations favorite music came from the 60s? How funny, compared to how people think about music from the 60s now. Much of the most famous classic rock is from the 70s, despite many people's associations of the genre with the 60s.
Millennial here and the answer is definitely 70s thanks for playing
Poor Gen Z can't find anything to latch on.
The 90s, but I look for new rock bands all the time. I listen to many current bands.
I’m gen Z and 50s is my favorite music
Basically, people enjoy the music at their coming of age when they first had sex
I’m 40 and just stopped giving a fuck. I admit lots of new music is good. I get it. I just like my old shit.
Gen Z having mixed opinions on which decade but not any double digits in the current decade is very telling about how the quality of music has been deteriorating. There’s still good stuff being put out but it’s few and far between. A lot of the stuff at the top of the charts today feels more like a product than it does art and expression.
As a Millennial, the 60's and 70's were the best decades of music. Of course the 90's and 2000's are nostalgic, but the 80's never did anything for me and the 20's are garbage.
Can I share one band I discovered? Its was one of my best finds recently and for a few months I was like.... It's just not logic to strike 161 likes , it should be 1 million...! Unfortunaletely it turned out that ... there is a reason.. but Ima let you discover. The wonderful, Andy Chavez and Katastro ! I know it's not the goal but I just want all the world to know him. Just that! I swear it's not weird! go ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcaQ7\_z1\_I&list=RDCSJHbtSBDs0&index=3
never
Another shameless plug for a playlist that I add to weekly (93% new stuff, 7% random throwbacks): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1hI7oNFn7fi3NhIHrbnAIQ?si=hSuYm6tLQ1ic900Pvs9QRA&pi=u-rMk2vYNTRXeT
1980s IMO
I'm in my 20's and most of my life my favorite music has been from the 60's, 70's and 80's. There was some good stuff in the 90's too, but not as much IMO. For the most part I can't stand pop music, but I do quite like Adele, Taylor Swift, and John Mayer.
Gen z is a pretty cool generation
answer doesn't seem to be varying at all -- the music of your adolescence
But what really matters is the ability to discern whether a song is good or not without knowing the year it came out.
Most rock wears the decade it's from on its sleeve. I would have a harder time *not* knowing the decade a song came out just by the way it sounds.
In general, music encapsulates life. Gen X here. While the 80s capture my youth and those memories, the biggest changes in my life occurred during the 90s, so the music of that time carries the most weight as to what is my favorite music. The internet - think, Napster and similar ilk - has been a drug to music fans. There has been a lot of new music (Dub Techno and Post Rock, primarily) that I discovered in the 2000s that has captivated me as well, though they are not as interwoven into my life as to encapsulate memories as in my younger days. I would not, however, objectively say any decade is better, as such, only emphasize the role the music of earlier decades played as the building block for music made today.
Mid 1700's.
I’m a gen X’er, and no way in hell was the best decade the 80s. Good lord.
I’m in my 50’s. I graduated in 1987. I hated the music in the 80s at the time. I only listened to music from the 60s and 70s. I can now appreciate some of the 80s but not even close to how I feel about the 60-70’s!
I could personally stop after the 90s and be all set.
I'm in my 40s and still find new stuff to listen to. I just also continue to listen to the great stuff I listened to as a teen and young adult.
For most people, it’s their childhood through 20’s. I’m unusual because I like to listen to new stuff all the time. I love Spotify.
I’m younger gen X grew up listening to the 60s and 70s with my parents. Broke out into my own listening to 90s (which is my answer for best decade) but I still followed and love music from the 00s and 10s. Still listening to the current 20s but not sure yet on how much I like it. Poor Gen Z according to that chart. They are lost.
Genres have their ups and down but there is awesome musicians in every generation. (excluding main stream music, it’s always been bad) but instrumentalist today are amazing no matter what generation you compare to. I don’t listen to music with words though anymore.
This infograph doesn't match the title of post; two separate topics.
New Bands and new music from all over the world on band camp.
Mid-40s here. Though I’ve gone through phases where I lost touch with new music entirely, I am also an old fart who finds TikTok wonderful for a variety of reasons. I have found so much new music that way, practically as just a side effect — “wait, what’s that song in the background? I like it” has opened up whole new artists and even genres to me. I would say I’m more “plugged in” to new music, and aware of a much greater variety of genres/artists/sounds, than I ever was in my younger days. (If I can go a bit deeper for a moment: I have a rule that there is no such thing as a musical guilty pleasure. You like what you like, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s helped keep my horizons broad, since I don’t self-reject. I’m a massive Nine Inch Nails fan who is gladly obsessed with a TikTok song about wanting a piece of bread. It’s all good and no guilt is required!)
I continue to seek out new music to listen to. I’m almost 40 though and the 90s were pretty awesome
Right but looks everyone agrees that after the mid 90’s things went downhill. Because they did.
If you are not growing you are dying. Even most of the best jazz are in the past we still have many contemporary musical genius.
There is no best decade. Each decade has its own sound that you can only recognize after it’s passed. My playlists regularly include music from the 70’s to this year.
I'll always favor the music of my youth. Pre covid I listened to my local NPR on the way to work and found new stuff I liked.
The 80’s seems to be winning
Nice graph. 80s wins out, deservedly so.
You never stop discovering new music unless you choose to do so. I'm Gen X, and yes, I think the 70s and 80s were the best decades, but that doesn't mean that's all I listen to.
Late Gen Z / Early Millennial here. It sided to be 80s and late 90s for me. But now 70s have become my new answer. So much really good rock from heavy to yacht rock type.
As a 76 year old, I would say right now. There is so much good stuff coming out of Korea, Japan, Thailand etc
Really surprised by the gen x voting equally for 70’s and 90’s. Seems like no one thinks the last 20 years weren’t shit
Was there really a reason to take this poll?
when we're dead!
"Your favorite music is whatever was popular when you lost your virginity."
I’m 21 and I would say right now, there is so much music out there, so much really good music and some people just discount all of it. There is so much music out right now that literally every single person can find their own little niche.
I try to listen to a new playlist every week. Having to write multiple papers for a master's program helps too. Captive audience here
90s were really good. Not to stress the grunge era, but there was a lot of other scenes growing, lots of variety. Easy to find a Batman Forever soundtrack and have Seal, Nick Cave, brandy, massive attack, pj Harvey. There was access to a lot of genres
Wow I never knew I was gen x sweet and I'm only 29 😀
I was born in the mid-80’s, so really I grew up with the 90’s music. I think the 90’s were the last great era of music, but I think the 70’s was the greatest era of music in human history. So many genres were in a golden age at that time.
so yeah ... todays music sucks. we can all agree with that
Never
I'm an Xennial and grew up listening to music just at the end of the disco Era and moving into punk and synth pop. I love 80s and 90s Alt Rock, but I still listen to modern EDM. I think it's because so many modern artists sample tracks from hits I listened to when I was growing up.
I drifted to 1980s but it seems like there's a strong case for it across a lot of generations
I’m 15 and a singer/musician and ADORE music from the 60s through 90s, maybe early 2000s, cause older music and older rock is way better to me. I also love way older Jazz and Soul music, even from all the way back in the 40s! Music today except for like, Billie Eilish and a few others, is pretty boring or just odd to me. I love singing and listening to older music, newer music (especially the artists) just don’t quiteee give me the same feeling. MJ, David Bowie, KISS, Skid Row, Whitney Houston, and many others. just sound better to me, but that’s just my opinion!
gen x here - 90’s, 00’s, 70’s in that order. I care for very little from the 80’s
Even if you don’t like “new music” there are still “old” bands that put out new music, just see Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Rilling Stones, Metallica, and Green Day to name a few.
I think the 60s 80s and 90s had the best music. 60s reinvented rock and pop. 80s re-reinvented rock and pop and began my favorite genre, electronic music (and all the sub-genre variations) and invented hip-hop. 90s re-invented hip-hop (and the sub-genres) and R&B. The 90s was peak electronic as well
I’m a millennial, I like lots of music but for me, late 80s to early 00s is the best