How to Make Rock Music Cool with Generation Z

HOW TO MAKE ROCK POPULAR WITH
TEENAGERS
Wednesday, January 29, 14

MUSIC TODAY

POP MUSIC TOPS THE CHARTS
Pop music, interspersed with some hip-hop, EDM and country
dominates today’s music scene.

• Having a crush
• Getting dumped
• Being popular - This is especially true of hip-hop
• Partying
• Youthful ideals
• Prioritizing happiness
• Being true to yourself
• Enjoying life
WHAT DO POP MUSIC ARTISTS HAVE IN COMMON?
They sing about the things teenagers are thinking about...

The look of pop artists is easy to imitate or desire. The videos and
live performances are stimulating.
They look good doing it...

Pop music in the 21st century is more simplistic than folk music of
any culture or time before. Teenagers have short attention spans,
the simplicity of the music makes it easy to focus on the lyrics and
the visuals.
Their songs are simple.

They can make more friends by talking about Lady Gaga then Led
Zeppelin. It comes down to conformity and acceptance.
POP MUSIC SERVES AS COMMON GROUND FOR TEENS
Teenagers want to ﬁt in and be popular.

According to youth market research ﬁrm YPulse, around 30% of
13-24 year olds listen to EDM.
WHILE POP DOMINATES, EDM IS GAINING TRACTION
Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is the latest music craze.

Built around escapism through music and intense dance, EDM has
it’s roots in the after-dark European music scene. However, the
internet has given everyone the ability to view the shows and listen
to the music. Now EDM is everywhere.
TECHNOLOGY GIVES TEENS AN ALL ACCESS PASS TO THE EDM SCENE
Even though they are too young to attend the shows.

EDM is about blending diﬀerent musical styles and genres.
Electronic music can stand alone or incorporate more mainstream
styles such pop, hip-hop or country. Many of the pop hits out there
today include elements of EDM.
EDM FITS IN AND STANDS OUT
Standing out while ﬁtting in is also the goal of most teenagers.

Teenagers have access to an inﬁnite library of music’s past that
they can use or mix however they like.
TEENAGERS CAN BOTH CREATE AND LISTEN TO EDM
The participatory element is a large part of the appeal.

MUSIC IS GETTING “DANICER”
A Rutgers study found that music has been getting “dancier”
since the 70s.

THE TEENAGE AUDIENCE

Teens like a greater variety of music because they have more
methods of discovery.
TECHNOLOGY HAS GIVEN TEENAGERS BROADER TASTE IN MUSIC
We are living in a music library/playlist culture.

According to Nielsen, YouTube beat out radio as the primary way
teenagers ﬁnd new music. In addition to major social sites like
YouTube and Twitter, teenagers are also turning to niche music
sharing sites like Spotify and Sound Cloud. Social media allows
teens to follow artists and friends alike.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE PRIMARY METHOD OF DISCOVERY
Social media allows teens to discover and share.

Commercial music has become the norm for teenagers. They are
more open to ﬁnding new music from TV commercials than they
were in the past. Just look what the Chevy commercial did for the
band Fun.
COMMERCIALS HAVE BECOME AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF DISCOVERY
“Selling out” is a thing of the past.

Social media has made it easy for fans to rally around an artists or
a group. They band around a name like “Little Monsters” as a form
of identity and community.
FOR MANY TEENS BEING A FAN IS PART OF WHO THEY ARE
Fandom culture is huge among teenagers.

According to Nielsen, over 30% of teens attend at least one show
per month. Festivals are a form of escapism from the stresses and
pressures of everyday life. Diﬀerent cultures and genres collide in
a spirit of acceptance. Teens even dress diﬀerently at festivals.
MUSIC FESTIVALS ARE A MAJOR CULTURAL FORCE
Festivals allow for creative expression without judgement.

Older millennials were encouraged to take up many different
activities to find their passion. These days, teenagers find their
passions early and make it their focus.
YESTERDAY’S TEENS WERE WELL ROUNDED, TODAY’S TEENS ARE EXPERTS
Niche expertise is a new form of social currency.

According to Viacom, 68% of teenagers aged 14-17 say their
parents are “like a best friend to me.” They don’t see parents as
the cause of their struggles. MTV has even shed its parent-free
zone roots in favor of family-centric shows like “Teen Mom.”
TEENS TODAY ARE LESS REBELLIOUS THAN THEY WERE IN THE PAST
Parents are their support system, not their enemy.

When MTV asked teenagers what they are rebelling against, they
didn’t have an answer. Previous generations believed they were
ﬁghting they system, this generation believes they are system and
together they can make a change.
TEENS TODAY ARE NOT AGAINST THE SYSTEM, THEY ARE THE SYSTEM
They are re-imagining the culture.

Teenagers place a high value on responsibility, fairness, and being
kind. Lewd public behaviors no longer phase them. Socially
unacceptable behaviors like corporate cover-ups and homo-phobic
remarks are today’s scandal.
ACCEPTANCE IS TODAY’S TEENAGERS’ HIGHEST VIRTUE
They are known as “generation nice.”

ROCK MUSIC

EDM, pop and hip-hop have a repetitive beat, and simple,
understandable lyrics. Rock music has intricate guitar solos,
confusing drumming patterns and metaphorical lyrics.
ROCK MUSIC SOUNDS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST
Pop is simple, rock is complicated.

There is a perception that those who like rock dismiss other forms
of music as being “too commercial” or “not about the music." This
has much to do with rock’s rebellious roots and it’s roll in political
unrest.
THERE IS AN “US AND THEM” MENTALITY TO ROCK
Many teens think if they like rock they can only listen to rock.

ROCK MUSIC IS NOT NEW
Teenagers gravitate to the newest musical available.
Teens are the tastemakers of music. They are the first to buy pop
music and the first to discover a new genre. Every generation
defines itself musically by a style that didn’t exist before. The 70s
had punk, the 80s had hair metal, the 90s had hip-hop etc.

ROCK IS STILL RELEVANT
While pop may to the charts, rock still sells out arenas.
Arcade Fire sold out Madison Square Garden. Vampire Weekend
played Radio City Music Hall. Bands like Muse, Kings of Leon, The
Strokes and LCD Sound System have been known to sell out
stadiums as well.

ISSUES
Barriers to market entry and growth.
• Rock music is less popular than other genres.
• Rock’s distinct sound does not blend as easily with other genres.
• Rock’s rebellious roots conﬂict with today’s culture.
• Rock’s anti-commercialism stance prohibits opportunities for
exposure.
• Rock is an older genre and therefore less relevant.

KEY INSIGHT
Drivers of current behavior/attitudes.
Teenagers are less rebellious than previous generations. They
get along with their parents and accept their peers. The “us and
them” mentality that used to deﬁne the teenage years is a thing
of the past.

IDEA
How to make rock music popular among teens.
Make rock music more relatable to today’s teens by focusing on
the creative process and passion rock musicians have for their
music.

OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities for market entry and growth.
• Gaining relevance by collaborating with pop or EDM artists,
leveraging their brand equity.
• Creating documentaries that focus on the “why” of various
rock bands and their creative process.
• Using social media to gain more fans.
• Using new technologies in rock videos to be more relevant
and get more word-of-mouth. An example of this is Beck’s
360 experience.
• Being in a commercial.
• Making a product such as Bon Iver’s Keep Shoes. Creating a
product would tap into teenager’s desire to imitate and
generate growth through word-of-mouth.

OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities for market entry and growth.
• Creating a fan community.
• Releasing online videos on how to play the guitar. This would
tap into teenagers’ enthusiasm for DIY learning. It would also
create growth through loyalty and the shareable nature of
online video.
• Making the festival rounds. There is also an opportunity to
stand out by being at a pop or EDM festival, collaborating with
those artists on songs.

How to Make Rock Music Cool with Generation Z

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