Music tastes evolve with age, study finds
Music tastes evolve with age, with teens following trends and older listeners favoring nostalgia and personal favorites.
Why it matters
- Shows how musical preferences change throughout life, influencing how streaming services recommend music.
By the numbers
- 15 years of data
- Over 40,000 users
- Over 542 million plays
The big picture
- Teenagers follow trends and have common favorite songs.
- Young adults explore widely, listening to a variety of genres and artists.
- Older listeners narrow down to personal favorites and are influenced by nostalgia.
What they're saying
- Some users find nostalgia depressing and prefer discovering new music.
- Others report broadening musical tastes with age.
- Aggregate data shows trends, but individual tastes can vary.
Caveats
- Based on self-reported data from Last.fm users.
- Individual experiences may vary.
What’s next
- Streaming services may use these findings to improve music recommendations.