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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

128x128rooze
bipod72
135 posts
 

I think it’s rather fitting that us older generation is leading the way on YouTube. It’s also fitting that the music dies with us since we were exposed to the greatest music ever recorded from the 60’s to the 80’s. Don’t you think? The younger generation listens to all of the crap from today and think it’s an actual hit. Not me. I still listen to everything from the 60’s to the 80’s because that was real music and we were very privileged to have grown up with it!

I’m sure your father felt the same way about your "great music from the 60s and 80s" as just a bunch of poprockracket that wasn’t real music like the music he loved from the 40s and 50s.

They recently did a study that most people’s long-term listening habits regarding what bands and types of music they prefer is from when that person was in their 20s to mid-30s. After 33, they don’t venture beyond that comfort zone to look for new music which explains why my wife and her sisters are stuck on 90s country and hip-hop.

I had the privilege of having parents who owned a record store in the late 70s through the mid-80s. I spent every day after school and summer afternoons in that store listening to all sorts of music. Classical, Jazz, Delta Blues, R&B, Rock, Disco, Punk and New Wave. That set the stage for listening to all sorts of types of music. That curiosity sticks with me.

I listen to new music all the time and I’m 52. Honestly, there are some great artists today that make better music than a lot of the stuff that came out in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I’m not hampered by nostalgia when I say a lot songs in the 60s, 70s, and 80s are lyrically terrible and musically questionable. That includes the Beatles and Stones. The Who has some crap songs, Steely Dan has crap songs. Bands like Devo, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, etc. have bad songs.

I go back and listen to bands I thought were great when I was younger and find much of it to not be great. I can cherry-pick certain songs or albums that stand out but I would never say an artist’s entire catalog is spotless. I also do some digital crate digging to find old new-to-me music to enjoy as much as I enjoy discovering new bands and artists, including listening to the music my kids like when we have dance parties at home. That’s what makes listening to music an enjoyable and serious hobby for me. My hi-fi system is a means to that end as I’m sure it is for many on this forum. When I pass on to the great concert hall in sky, I won’t care if my wife and kids sell my hi-fi system and music collection. I just want the legacy of my hobby to be that my kids enjoy listening to music and it becomes a lifetime hobby for them.

rooze's avatar
rooze OP
636 posts
 

A nicely written article referencing this thread and quoting some of you:

https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/09/audiophiles-gone-soon/

fishagedone
27 posts
 

Have any of you been to a classical music concert recently? Probably exact same age groups, although definitely more females,  but not much in the way of young people. We do need some more outreach for classical music too. 

fishagedone
27 posts
 

How can young people think about buying an audio system when they can barely afford rent ? 

markley
17 posts
 

A few years back everyone said vinyl is dead. Now there are records at Barnes and Noble.  I believe that people will always love music and those that want the best sound possible.  On that note, please bring back reel to reel.

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