Favorite music genres among consumers by age group in the U.S. 2018 | Statista (2024)

The statistic provides data on favorite music genres among consumers in the United States as of July 2018, sorted by age group. According to the source, 52 percent of respondents aged 16 to 19 years old stated that pop music was their favorite music genre, compared to 19 percent of respondents aged 65 or above.

Country music in the United States – additional information

In 2012, country music topped the list; 27.6 percent of respondents picked it among their three favorite genres. A year earlier, the result was one percent lower, which allowed classic rock to take the lead. The figures show, however, the genre’s popularity across the United States is unshakeable and it has also been spreading abroad. This could be demonstrated by the international success of (among others) Shania Twain or the second place the Dutch country duo “The Common Linnets” received in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, singing “Calm after the storm.”

The genre is also widely popular among American teenagers, earning the second place and 15.3 percent of votes in a survey in August 2012. The first place and more than 18 percent of votes was awarded to pop music, rock scored 13.1 percent and landed in fourth place. Interestingly, Christian music made it to top five with nine percent of votes. The younger generation is also widely represented among country music performers with such prominent names as Taylor Swift (born in 1989), who was the highest paid musician in 2015, and Hunter Hayes (born in 1991).
Country music is also able to attract crowds (and large sums of money) to live performances. Luke Bryan’s tour was the most successful tour in North America in 2016 based on ticket sales as almost 1.43 million tickets were sold for his shows. Fellow country singer, Garth Brooks, came second on the list, selling 1.4 million tickets for his tour in North America in 2016.

Favorite music genres among consumers by age group in the U.S. 2018 | Statista (2024)

FAQs

Favorite music genres among consumers by age group in the U.S. 2018 | Statista? ›

While teens tend to listen to the most music, adults who are 45+ tend to buy the most music. Music listening peaks among older teens and young adults, ages 16–24.

What age group listens to the most music? ›

While teens tend to listen to the most music, adults who are 45+ tend to buy the most music. Music listening peaks among older teens and young adults, ages 16–24.

What is the most liked genre of music in America? ›

Nearly half of all Americans say Rock music is one of their favorite genres of music (48%), putting it well ahead of pop music (40%). In turn, pop music has a comfortable lead over country (33%), R&B (33%) and rap or hip-hop (30%). But do fans of these genres attend music gigs at the same frequency?

What genre of music do most people listen to? ›

Which are the most popular music genres in the US?
  • Hip hop / Rap. According to Statista's most recent numbers, hip hop was the most streamed genre of music in the U.S. in 2021. ...
  • Rock. Some people say that the golden days of rock'n'roll are over. ...
  • Pop. ...
  • Country. ...
  • Dance / electronic. ...
  • R&b / Soul. ...
  • Frequently Asked Questions.
Jan 29, 2024

What was the most popular music genre in 2018? ›

I In 2018, Nielsen Soundscan's year-end music industry report confirmed that R&B/hip-hop was the most popular genre in America. Nine of the 10 most consumed songs in the United States were hip-hop/R&B songs, and as streaming became the dominant way to consume music, eight of the 10 most streamed artists were rappers.

What age group is mainly music for? ›

Both mainly music and mainly play are designed for whānau with under five-to-six year old children. Having tamariki attend who are out of this age group may be disruptive, purely because they become bored.

What music do 16 year olds listen to? ›

Favorite music genres among consumers in the United States as of July 2018, by age group
Characteristic16-1920-24
Hip Hop/Rap48%54%
Indie/Alternative Rock31%40%
Classic Rock26%36%
Soundtrack15%23%
8 more rows

What is the least popular genre of music in the US? ›

The least popular genre in the US is folk, with just 15 percent of respondents saying they listen to it.

What is the most used music genre? ›

There are many genres of music worldwide, over 300. Leading for the most popular genres worldwide, pop music takes the first spot. In countries like the US, include hip-hop, blues, RNB, and rap take the leading spots.

What is the most listened to genre in 2024? ›

"Rock / alternative / indie music" and "Urban music (hip hop, R&B, etc.)" are the top two answers among U.S. consumers in our survey on the subject of "Preferred audio content by genre".

What music genre is popular now? ›

Data from YouGov Global Profiles - which covers demographic, psychographic, attitudinal and behavioural consumer metrics with 1,000+ questions in 47 major markets – reveals that pop is the most popular genre in most countries, alongside rock.

Which type of music is liked by most of the people? ›

Light music is liked by the maximum (40%) number of people.

A survey was made to find the type of music that a certain group of young people liked in a city. Adjoining pie chart shows the findings of this survey.

What is the fastest growing music genre? ›

Rock, at nearly 20%, followed closely behind among U.S. listeners, while pop songs accounted for 12% of streams, per the report. World, Latin and country ranked as the three fastest-growing genres in 2023 by on-demand audio streams among U.S. listeners.

What is the most played song of 2018? ›

Drake was the most-successful artist of the year. "God's Plan", "In My Feelings" and "Nice for What" ranked in the top ten most-streamed songs in the US for 2018. "God's Plan" concluded as the most-streamed song in 2018, with more than 1.5 billion streams.

What were the most popular music genres in 2017? ›

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hip hop and R&B surpassed rock for the first time in 2017 as the biggest music genre in the United States, but British artist Ed Sheeran's romantic pop album "Divide" was the year's biggest single draw, according to a Nielsen Music report.

Which genre sells the most music? ›

However, some of the most popular genres globally include pop, rock, and hip hop, which have had significant cultural and artistic impacts and continue to evolve and find success. Other popular genres include electronic dance music, R&B, and country.

Which generation listens to the most music? ›

A recent survey exploring music listening and buying behaviour has revealed that the proportion of people listening to physical music is greatest amongst Generation Z (ages 18-24).

At what age does music impact us the most? ›

For men, the most important period for forming musical taste is between the ages of 13 to 16. Men were, on average, aged 14 when their favorite song was released. For women, the most important period is between 11 and 14, with 13 being the most likely age for when their favorite song came out.

What age do music artists peak? ›

In this research, most musicians believed that peak performance on their musical instrument was reached before 30 years or between the ages of 30 and 39, and that performance starts to decay later (Gembris and Heye 2014) .

At what age is music most memorable? ›

The nostalgia surrounding our favourite songs isn't just a recollection of old memories; scientific studies show we remember more from our adolescence and early twenties than any other period of our lives.

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