'80s Music Wants to Rule the World

I’ve been noticing this a LOT more lately.

I’m having lunch at a local restaurant— there’s Huey Lewis.

Stopping for groceries on the way home — there are the Talking Heads.

Catching some streaming shows in the evening — there are the Beastie Boys. And Bananarama. And the Ramones!

In almost any situation where music plays at least a background role, be it out in the world or in your very own home, the ambient music being played, more often than not, is 1980s and 1990s Rock and Pop.

Now, anyone who grew up in those decades (myself included) already knows that era's music is the best ever in the history of recorded sound.

But, ask anyone of any age, and they’ll say the same thing about the music of their formative years.

So why is it, then, that we’re hearing 30- and 40-year-old music almost everywhere we go anymore?

MUSIC = $$$

Nothing is done by accident in a commercial environment. Every single customer touchpoint — product placement, color scheme, traffic flow, signage, etc. — is analyzed to within an inch of its life to get customers to do only one thing.

Spend. More. Money.

Music, of course, is a HUGE part of the experience. According to polls from Mood Music and MRC Data:

• 80% of customers enjoy hearing music while shopping,
• 40% linger in a store longer if they like the music,
• maybe most importantly, 77% are more tolerant of long wait situations if the music is engaging.

But why ’80s and ’90s music, specifically?

I’ll get more into the dynamics later, but according to SoundMachine, Classic Rock and ‘90s Pop have just the right mix of familiarity, tempo, and believe it or not, hipness to appeal to the widest audience. It gives retail spaces more personality than canned background music.

THE “STRANGER THINGS” EFFECT

Perhaps no media channel has had a more profound effect on the resurgence of Gen X music than streaming platforms.

“Stranger Things,” in particular, has become a cultural phenomenon. The show has shattered every Netflix viewing record, 1.2 BILLION views and counting. While it’s true the fact that the show takes place in the ‘80s makes a period soundtrack pretty much mandatory, the effect it’s had on popular music is astounding.

Much has already been written about the resurgence of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which hit the US Top Ten 37 years after it was first released. More recently, Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” from 1986 re-charted and hit #35 in the US.

[Before you say anything, yes, I know this isn’t a new phenomenon. “Ferris Bueller” propelled the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” back into the charts in the mid-‘80s, and “Wayne’s World” did the same for Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the early 1990s. But for streaming content to have this same effect is relatively new.]

And if you think Gen Xers are behind this resurgence, think again. Amazingly, 70% of those 55 and up, and nearly half of the 35-54 demographic (according to a survey by Civic Science) have NEVER watched the show. 

However, the same survey showed that, when asked what era they were most nostalgic for, only 4% of Gen Z respondents said the ‘80s, compared to 39% for Gen X.

It doesn’t stop there. Per Spotify, during Season 5, “Upside Down” by Diana Ross saw a 1250% increase in streams by Gen Z listeners, and “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany shot up 880%.

So it’s not us old fogies pining for the good ol’ days. The kids are doing this.

THE GEN X “SWEET SPOT”

As I mentioned earlier, none of this is random. Per research firm New Neuro Marketing, music tempo can affect consumer perceptions of everything from the taste of food to the appearance of color. Nothing is left to chance.

Studies have shown that the slower the tempo, the longer customers will linger in a given setting. Which of course translates to higher sales, specifically 38% higher in grocery stores (from $12 to $17 per customer on average).

The difference is even more pronounced in restaurants, specifically in drink orders. The same study shows a 40% increase in drink revenue (about 3 drinks) per table. Similar to retail, diners spend more time at their tables and finish their meals more slowly with slower-tempo music.

And this is where Gen X music shines. Think moody Modern Rock and Hair Metal ballads.

But aside from economic factors, something else propels the sounds of Duran Duran and Tears for Fears drifting through cafés and clothing stores.

THE WORLD’S JUKEBOX

Everyone knows social media has obliterated the music industry as we used to know it.

Music used to be something you had to go seek. If you heard something you loved on the radio, you took a trip to the music store to purchase a physical item. And, most stores of course emphasized the newest releases. If you wanted something older, you had to go digging for it.

Now, all music from all genres is instantly available anywhere 24/7. Generations coming of age in the digital era are used to this and can sample what they want, when they want.

This infinite access of music translates to seemingly infinite amounts of DATA. Consumer listening habits can be sliced and diced into any number of permutations. And big business is cashing in.

Private equity firms have so much faith in the staying power of this music they are pouring billions of dollars into buying entire catalogs of artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and Bruce Springsteen.

Which, in turn, creates a symbiotic relationship. “Vintage” tunes have viral moments on social media as older music gets “rediscovered.” Equity firms pay big bucks for the rights to these songs. To improve their return on investment, they will pitch their catalogs more aggressively to media and advertising companies, ensuring the songs live on in film, television, and ad campaigns.

“LISTENING AGE” IS RELATIVE

If there’s such a thing as data having a “viral moment,” it was Spotify’s inclusion of what they called “Listening Age” in their yearly Wrapped package.

Along with giving users a year-end wrap-up of what they listened to and how long, Spotify calculated a user’s Listening Age based on the release dates of the music they listened to most frequently. Simply put, the older the average release date of their most listened-to songs, the higher the “Listening Age” for each listener.

The results were complete chaos, with average listening ages skewing everywhere. For some users their Listening Age was much, much higher than their actual age. For some, much, much lower. Hilarity ensued, and memes immediately went up everywhere. Some notable examples:

Pop star Charli xcx’s Listening Age was 75 (actual age 33), due to a heavily ‘60s-influenced playlist. Actor Louis Partridge, all of 22, had a Listening Age per Spotify of 100.

But the overall Listening Age concept was based on the belief that Gen Z and younger users are much more likely than older users to listen to music spanning many genres and decades.

Which brings us back full-circle.

Gen X music has staying power. It makes people spend, it makes people watch, it makes people go viral. Which is the formula for success in today’s economy.

Plus, and you have to agree, it just kicks ass.