an analog renaissance.
Welcome to the latest edition of The Gen Z. This week we delve into the world of analogue music and look at why Gen Z is blowing so much money on CDs, vinyl and cassettes. We also discuss the rise of social search, the plight of the iPad kids and why Gen Z needs its own Delia. Read on to find out more…
It’s been a few years since millennials revived the vinyl market, investing in turntables and LPs despite the practicality of streaming, and now Generation Z is doing something similar with CDs.
Many of us probably thought that CDs were a thing of the past. Maybe – just maybe – you still have a few CDs lying around in your car somewhere, but I haven’t heard anyone talk about buying a new CD in years.
However, that could change. In 2021, revenue from CDs Rosa for the first time in two decades. Revenues had been steadily declining, reaching $480 million in 2020, but the following year – still in the midst of the pandemic and the accompanying economic slowdown – total CD revenues rose by over $100 million. Combined with vinyl sales (which have been rising steadily for well over a decade), this meant that physical media as a whole saw its first increase in sales since the long-ago year of 1996.
Of course, streaming is still dominant. CDs accounted for 92% of music sales in the US in 2002, and those days as the primary medium for listening to music will never return. Interestingly, however, more and more people are buying CDs. next to Listening to music via streaming. For Gen Z, the two formats each serve a different purpose.
It’s also worth noting that many Gen Z members are too young to remember ever listening to CDs. I’m one of the older members of that generation, and I remember driving around in the car with a portable CD player on my lap and headphones plugged in. When I was younger, we had shelves full of CDs in the kitchen at home—something that feels strangely distant now—but many Gen Z members were born too late to remember ever buying or using CDs, let alone vinyl records or cassettes.
The youngest generation of Generation Z was born in 2012: a decade after the CD heyday. By the time they were old enough to really notice these things, many of the once ubiquitous CDs were gathering dust in attics and thrift stores. And yet today, in 2024, CDs are once again popping up in Gen Z bedrooms everywhere.
The analog renaissance isn’t just limited to CDs and vinyl. Cassette tapes are making a minor comeback, with artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo releasing peculiar cassette versions of their new albums. And outside of music, film and Polaroid cameras are also making a steady comeback, as people prefer a slower, more deliberate, and less “perfect” approach to photography rather than simply whipping out their iPhone.
Film photos evoke a certain nostalgia that is hard to match with iPhone-perfect images. With the aesthetic of early Instagram and Tumblr filters, many Zers invest in Polaroid cameras or 35mm film.
So what is behind Generation Z’s rediscovery of analogue music? There are a few main reasons for this:
Community and fandom
Artists like The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Sabrina Carpenter are releasing physical versions of their new albums alongside digital and streaming offerings. For artists, it’s a great way to boost sales, but for hardcore fans, it’s a way to support their favorite artist and get their hands on exclusive merchandise. Physical album versions have unique graphics and the covers themselves can look great. If you’re a superfan and want something to decorate your shelves with, a vinyl cover of your favorite album isn’t a bad idea.
In addition, some artists offer deluxe editions of their albums that include songs not available on streaming platforms. This has drawn heavy criticism; when there are multiple versions of a physical album, each with a different hidden song, fans may have to shell out hundreds to get their hands on all of the artist’s music. Still, many fans don’t mind paying the cost, just as some of the most passionate football fans buy every version of their team’s shirt.
Homesickness
As I said, CD sales peaked more than twenty years ago at the beginning of the 21st century. Whether we remember those times or not, many Gen Z members look back with nostalgia to those days and the decades before. It was a time when culture consisted of objects that people could hold in their hands, and many Gen Z members yearn for an alternative to the endlessly changing, virtual world we seem to live in today. Rightly or wrongly, some feel that things like the experience of listening to music or taking a photo had more weight and meaning back then precisely because it was a slower and more difficult process. Now, if I want to share a piece of music with you, you don’t have to go to a store, get an album, and put it in a record player. You can just mindlessly click on the link below:
A break from the screens
Similarly, physical music offers a break from the endless scrolling and constant distractions of social media. A CD or vinyl record offers an analog, tactile experience that separates music listening from the endless sea of content our phones offer.
It’s increasingly about bringing a sense of intentionality back into our actions and habits. I’ve written a lot in this newsletter about Gen Z’s pursuit of healthier lifestyles, and I think our generation’s return to physical formats is partly related to this. There’s a growing awareness of the risks that too much screen time can bring, from missing out on real life to developing a social media addiction to low self-esteem and poor mental health. Music can and should be an escape from all of these things, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Gen Z is finding ways to keep them apart.
Of course, streaming is not going away. Having Spotify on your phone is too convenient to give up completely, and it is It’s nice to be able to share and discover new music so easily (listen to the song above, it’s great). What has changed is the role that CDs and analogue music play – as a complement to streaming rather than a competitor, and as a welcome break from the virtual world.
Generation Z im Web
iPad kids speak out (vox)
Generation Alpha doesn’t always have the best reputation – they’re known as “iPad kids,” which reinforces the idea that these children are addicted to technology and have lost (or simply never developed) the ability to interact with the real world. Vox explored this idea in a recent article and spoke to some Alphas about whether it’s all really so bad. More info
Do social media algorithms promote misogyny and violence? (tied up)
There is growing evidence that violent and misogynistic content is being pushed onto men and boys online – without them consciously seeking it out or engaging with it. Not only is this creating a strong ideological divide between young men and women, but there are also fears that it is leading to more violence against women and girls. Despite this, it is not really clear why social media algorithms seem to push male-centric content so strongly. The way they work remains incredibly opaque. More info
Generation Z is abandoning Google search in favour of TikTok and Instagram (Assets)
“Google” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in June 2006, and since then the search engine has been the go-to for anyone looking to find something online. (“Google” is even the most searched word on its competitor Bing.) Now, however, Gen Z is “searching” rather than “Googling,” and it’s not just their way of speaking that’s changing: They’re 45% more likely to use social search on sites like TikTok and Instagram than Google (compared to about 20% of Gen X and less than 10% of baby boomers). When it comes to news consumption, some worry that this could make Gen Z more narrow-minded. More info
20-year-olds are in trouble (the Atlantic)
In America, you might think that teenagers are the most depressed and anxious, or the elderly are the most lonely, but in fact, it’s twenty-somethings who are more depressed, anxious and lonely than any other age group. Even Richard Weissbourd, who led the Harvard Graduate School of Education study, was surprised by the results. (Interestingly, they found that teenagers and seniors actually suffer the least from anxiety and depression.) More info
Why Generation Z needs its own Delia (the telegraph)
“Food is more important than ever, more fashionable, more impressive – and yet we cook less.” In an age where there are millions of different recipes for a single dish, there is the argument that we still lack the skills and techniques to experiment on our own – something an online initiative is trying to change. (In other Gen Z kitchen news, most of us seem to have don’t have a corkscrewIs the rise of the screw cap to blame, or are we just do not drink Wine more?) More info
That’s all for this week! Subscribe to get the latest news on Gen Z and youth culture and check out The common denominator for a weekly summary of the latest news, trends and food for thought.
