YouTube Indicates What the Future is For Audiophiles - Interesting Demographics.


Howdy,

I just wanted to share some data from YouTube as I found it quite eye-opening and thought some of you might too.

I've posted a couple vids on YouTube recently and, as some will know, YouTube provides analytics data with every video, which is available to the channel owner.

The first video featured a Krell KSA 80 amp and at the time of writing this there have been 9,500 views:

Female - 0%
Male - 100%

13–17 years 0%
18–24 years 0%
25–34 years 0%
35–44 years 0.9%
45–54 years 13.5% 
55–64 years 44.4%
65+ years 41.3%

So, 100% male, and pretty much all of the traffic is from guys 45 years old and above, with 40%+ from guys over 65!!

The second video was a spoof (song) on Audiophiles that was shared a lot and watched by a lot of audiophile spouse, so the stats were slightly different, but not much. At the time of writing, 18,150 views:

Female 2.4%
Male 97.6%

13–17 years 0%
18–24 years 0%
25–34 years 0%
35–44 years 5.9%
45–54 years 18.6%
55–64 years 35.5%
65+ years 40.1%

The video was watched by a few females because it was shared and hit with a slightly younger audience but not by much. For all intents and purposes, the stats are the same for both vids.

Caveat - YouTube tends to attract an older audience and it's tipped up towards males. TikTok would show different results, but I think YouTube is really the platform of choice for most of us, so the data is more pertinent. 

Conclusion - we're a dying breed. 40% of us will be dead in a few years and there's not many 'yoots' coming through to replace us.

No real surprise here but we're all blokes - old, fat, sweaty, bearded, and about to kick the proverbial bucket. (Yes, I'm speaking entirely for myself).

Do you think there's more that manufacturers, dealers, reviewers etc. should be doing, or is it just the inevitable playing out?

Thoughts?

Here's the link to the two vids for reference: 
Krell KSA80
The Audiophile Song

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My son, 35 yrs/old, has a 40’x60’ shop/gym/party room with one boom box, blue tooth, speaker thing. I offered an old system of mine but nope, didn’t want it. OK.

He’s building a new 3700 sq/ft home & of course I ask about a listening room. Nope, All they use are phones with ear buds. He wasn’t raised that way. Ha

When you said "listening room", you said the wrong thing. You should have said "home theater" and a projector to watch his football games and movies in a life like manner.

Home Theater is the gateway drug for a younger guy/gal to explore audiophila. When he accidentally listened to some real music on it with the subwoofers n all, it would have sounded pretty good (lot better than bluetooth boombox) and that could have been the start of audiophilia/associated exploration/additional gear refinement.

 

 

Yup. Stuff changes over time. I have tons of money into film photography equipment, the current generation is primarily interested in toy cameras when they shoot film. Motorcycle manufacturers are selling more scooters and fewer upscale bikes. Next will be the automotive industry; most of my kid’s generation view cars as appliances. People are becoming more mobile and less interested in owning tons of possessions that they will need to drag around every few years. Maybe it’s a good thing. 

We need the next layer of statistics that indicate "when" people transition to becoming audiophiles.  Sounds like a job for Microsofts' Power BI ! ! !

I have seven different hobbies.  For decades,  most of them have been "dying off". Funny, most are still around. Stamp collecting doesn't have the crowd it once did but most are doing just fine. As one group dies off, the next comes of age and takes their place. Yes, the ranks are thinner than they used to be in some cases but that's probably because it's so much easier to have varied interests in the internet age. 

I had a conversation in Chicago with a representative of a prominent old vacuum tube component company wherein I pointed out that at the show most all the attendees were men with "a touch of gray".  I (what's left of it is gray) asked him (also gray) how this boded for the future of his sales of their 90K amps, etc. Instead of carefully considering a few ideas to reach the younger guys with money he got uppity with me!  I further explained that it was no longer the 70s, 80s or even the early 90s and copping an attitude may have worked when their room was full of excited listeners lined up to buy their fussy tube gear but the fact remained that the universe of available buyers was shrinking rapidly. 

My point: No flexibility, no creativity, and no real plan equals death. Copping an attitude won't solve this reality. 

What's my not-in-the-biz idea?  Make a fantastic sounding integrated piece that drives a set of bookshelf sized speakers (that actually sound good on a book shelf) that costs under 5K.  That would sell IMO.  With all that lovely cash continue to build and sell had made bespoke components that us addicted guys will buy. If the first guy falls in love with music he will matriculate to the high end stuff in time. 

Just my 2 cents. I also prefer French Vanilla ice-cream and you may be a chocolate chunk guy. Just different dudes with different opinions.