A new study suggests we are a nation stuck in our ways when it comes to music, with 38 emerging as the average age we stop appreciating new tunes entirely.
According to the research, 79 percent of us listen to the same handful of songs from our youth, while one in three (30 percent) insist they just don’t “get” modern music.
Over half (58 percent) maintain that current bands and artists don’t make music like they did when they were young, while 61 percent believe modern tunes are not as good as the ones from their era.
As many as 53 percent find the music from their youth comforting, according to the study.
The survey also revealed the signs that you’ve stopped being able to appreciate “modern” music, with 30 percent of people saying new songs just sound like ‘just noise’.
When asked why they’ve stopped appreciating new music, respondents claimed, ‘The lyrics don’t mean anything!’ (30 percent), ‘It all sounds the same!’ (26 percent), and ‘No-one writes proper songs anymore’ (24 percent).
The survey was conducted by Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola, who have created a Jukebox, blasting out alternative festive songs to passers-by this Christmas.
Those stuck in their musical ways are also likely to utter phrases like ‘This song is so bland’ (18 percent), ‘Why do they use autotune all the time?’ (18 percent), ‘It’s too loud’ (17 percent) and ‘That’s not singing, it’s shouting’ (14 percent).
One in ten (12 percent) have even been heard asking if a new song ‘had been written by AI?’.
A quarter (23 percent) say it would take them a lot of effort to find modern songs they like, while 21 percent simply don’t like the songs they hear on the radio.
Two thirds (65 percent) of those stuck in a musical rut say they only listen to music from their youth, with one in five (21 percent) admitting that they don’t explore music outside of their favourite genres.
One in three (30 percent) only ever listen to pop music, 22 percent are wedded to rock, 12 percent love RnB and 10 percent grunge to Indie and according to the poll the 80s were the decade for the best music, followed by the 90s and the 70s.
Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola who commissioned the poll, will be showcasing eight alternative holiday tracks at Battersea power station this weekend, as they aim to banish the monotony of overplayed Christmas hits.
Ioanna Topali, Marketing Director at Coca-Cola, says of the launch: “Our study shows that, as a nation, we’ve hit repeat a few too many times on the same Christmas tunes. It’s time for a change – that’s why we’ve created the Jukebox, bringing a fresh twist to your festive playlist. It’s all about stepping out of the usual routine, discovering new sounds. It’s time to discover something new this Christmas.”
And Christmas songs are the genre in which we are least likely to appreciate new music – with 77 percent admitting they listen to the same song every year and four in ten (43 percent) not even trying to listen to modern festive songs.
This research of 2,000 Britons was commissioned by Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola and was conducted by Perspectus Global in November 2024.
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