Boomers for Podcasting Growth?

There’s a theory out there that postulates that podcasting as an industry can supercharge its listener growth by taking a greater interest in the Baby Boomer market. The rationale is that Boomers are the last great frontier of potential podcast listeners, but they just haven’t fallen in line with podcast consumption as younger generations. Proactively targeting this generation, the theory goes, could prove beneficial to the podcast community and eventually revenue.

We all know that Podcasts have have become a legitimate form of entertainment in recent years, with millions of listeners tuning into their favorite shows every day with advertising revenues crossing the two-billion-dollar market in 2022.

While younger generations have embraced this trend with open arms, older generations, seem to be much less interested. There are reasons why baby boomers who don’t currently listen to podcasts are not likely to start, and I’ll explore some of them here.

First, let’s look at some statistics. According to a studies, only 33% of people over the age of 55 have ever listened to a podcast, and only 22% listen to them regularly. Compare that to the 49% of people aged 18-34 who listen to podcasts regularl. There are reasons why so few Boomers are attracted to this new form of communication and it becomes clear that they are not likely to be the key to building a larger podcast audience base.

And because there is low usage among those 55+ it doesn't follow that a significant number of folks in this group will suddenly be converted to podcast listeners.

In a recent study by Bridge Ratings Media Research* 65% of baby boomers who indicated they weren’t interested in podcasts cited that they have other, more comfortable and easy-to-use methods for consuming content. They grew up in an era of print media and television, which they still consume in large numbers and are still popular sources of information and entertainment for them.

Pew Research Center reports that 68% of adults over the age of 50 get their news from television, while only 2% get their news from podcasts. The potential of podcast usage for news among this age group could grow to 10% by the end of 2024. Behavior indicates that generally the majroity of older consumers prefer traditional media sources over new forms of media.

Again quoting from Bridge Ratings Podcasting Business Overview study from 2023, a third of Boomers in the study indicated they had tried listening to a podcast in the past year but it did not become a weekly or monthly habit.

Another reason why Baby Boomers are unlikely to start listening to podcasts is that they do not see the appeal of the medium. Podcasts are often long-form, unstructured conversations, which may not appeal to those who are used to the structured, scripted format of traditional media. Trust in sources and ease-of-use in traditional media among this group are also factors. Additionally, many podcasts cater to younger audiences, with topics such as pop culture, technology, and politics, which may not be of interest to baby boomers.

Those 55+ also find themselves in a digital age without the interest or desire to work through the technical aspects of learning about the technology which will help them find podcasts of interest, how to do the actual search for topical podcasts, streaming or downloading an episode of interest and finding time to spend listening to a thirty minute to hour podcast.

Generations that have grown up in the digital age find these activities second nature and thus do not present an barrier to engage.

Micro podcasts have become a trend in the business in the last year as short-form digital entertainment has captured the public's attention. We asked our Boomer sample of shorter podcast duration of twenty minutes or less podcasts would be an incentive; 49% indicated that apart from the other technical challenges, shorter podcasts would motivate some to sample.

Finally, Baby Boomers may simply not be interested in trying something new. As you get older, you become more set in your ways, and it becomes harder to break out of your routine. Baby boomers may be happy with the sources of information and entertainment they already have and see no need to try something new.

So, while podcasts have become incredibly popular in recent years, current research points to the fact that Baby Boomers who don’t currently listen to them will likely not start doing so in large numbers. They have other, better sources of content that they are already comfortable with and may simply not see the appeal of podcasts.

Podcast creators may be better served to focus on the generations that are younger and more engaged who have already demonstrated an appetite for podcasts rather than trying to convert an age group that is unlikely to change their habits. Eight podcasts are listened to per week on average (Edison Research 2022), But only 14% of US podcast listeners older than 12 listened to only one podcast in the last week. Growing this group’s weekly podcast consumption may generate more fruitful results.

*The Bridge Ratings study quoted in this article was conducted January 15 through February 14, 2023, A national sample of 3300 persons ages 55 - 74 participated in an on-line survey with a margin of error of less than 2%.

Further information or advisement is available by contacting Bridge Ratings at 323.696.0967 or Dave Van Dyke, President Bridge Ratings at dvd@bridgeratings.com

Alt Rock Radio & Coachella

Coachella is one of the world's largest and most popular music festivals. What started out as a small, indie rock festival in the desert has now evolved into a mainstream festival featuring some of the biggest pop stars in the world. Despite this shift in musical genres and fan demographics, Coachella still represents the true nature of alternative rock, while conventional alternative rock radio formats struggle to find mass appeal.

Why? It could be the lifestyle experience.

A key factor in the success of Coachella is its emphasis on the "vibes." Fans of the festival are not only there to listen to music - they're there for the entire experience. The festival has become a cultural event with a lifestyle attached to it. Coachella's emphasis on fashion and influencers has made it a destination for people to see and be seen. Attendees are eager to share pictures of themselves and their outfits on social media, and the festival's activations and art installations give attendees a sense of participation beyond just attending a concert. This gives Coachella a unique culture that reflects the true nature of alternative rock.

But what about alternative rock radio formats? Despite being a staple of the music industry for decades, the format has struggled to find mass appeal in recent years. According to a 2018 article from PopMatters, the growth of streaming services has led to a decrease in radio listenership. This decline is even more pronounced for alternative rock radio, where ratings have consistently fallen year over year. In fact, according to Nielsen's 2021 report on the US music industry, rock music as a whole only accounts for 9.1% of total music consumption.

So why has alternative rock radio struggled while Coachella thrives? It comes down to the different experiences that fans are seeking. Alternative rock radio is a passive experience - listeners tune in to hear their favorite songs and new releases. But Coachella is an active experience - attendees want to participate in the festival and everything it has to offer. They want to be a part of the culture, to dress up, and to take part in the activations. This experiential aspect of Coachella is what sets it apart from traditional radio formats.

In a Bridge Ratings’ national study of 9950 Rock and Alternative Rock partisans, lack of artist and song variety (67%) and a preference for a greater reflection of the Alternative Rock lifestyle (58%) were key responses as to why listening had decreased over the last year.

Part of the problem for Alternative Rock Radio is that it generally continues to reflect its original purpose which is out of sync with today’s potential audience. The name “Alternative Rock” is often wrongly associated with "Modern Rock". This is wrong because originally Alternative Rock was a genre and followed a specific style, Modern Rock was a radio format and simply refers recent bands.

Note: discrepancies with categorizing bands as "Alternative Rock" come from the fact that most Alternative bands used to fit easily into an Alternative Rock subgenre (Nirvana - Grunge, Modest Mouse - Indie) and could be classified as either the subgenre or "Alternative Rock" in general; if a band covered more than one style instead of sticking to one in particular, they were usually just called "Alternative Rock".

Our study suggests that today’s Alternative Rock audience is young and their taste for all things experiential dominate their relationship with all things entertainment. There are stations that infuse their programming with lifestyle content/imaging and they tend to perform better especially among the young end of their audience.

Another factor that sets Coachella apart is the festival's ability to adapt to changing musical trends. As mentioned earlier, the festival has shifted from alternative rock to mainstream pop. But instead of losing its identity, Coachella has managed to redefine itself while still maintaining the vibe that fans have come to love. This is in contrast to alternative rock radio, which has struggled to keep up with musical trends and evolving tastes. As songs from different genres become popular, alternative rock radio has failed to adapt, leading to a decline in listenership.

Coachella reflects the true nature of alternative rock by emphasizing the experiential aspect of the culture. Despite the festival's shift towards mainstream pop, it still manages to maintain the vibe that fans have come to expect. This is in contrast to alternative rock radio, which has struggled to find mass appeal in recent years. By failing to adapt to changing musical trends and the rise of streaming services, alternative rock radio has become a passive experience that fails to capture the essence of the alternative rock culture.

Dave Van Dyke Interview - The Sands Report

Richard Sands got the “radio bug” at 5 years-old, listening to his transistor radio.  After a long stint programming the iconic Live 105 in San Francisco, Richard ventured out to create “The Sands Report,” the #1 Alternative radio news weekly. It's a forum where he reports on the comings and goings of the format, while always offering up his insightful take on Alternative – and radio in general.

Richard recently interviewed Bridge Ratings CEO & Founder, Dave Van Dyke, about traditional radio’s dilemma. This interview was published in the March 15, 2023 issue of The Sands Report.

Richard: Last month you had a blog post about “Radio’s Dilemma.” What is that dilemma, Dave?

DVD: It should be a god-send, but radio has too much music to consider and expose for their listeners. When one considers all the music that has come before, there is an ever-expanding pool of possible songs. From a catalogue perspective, music discovery has increased in recent years as the internet has reminded original consumers of classic tunes to resample and discover and revive lost gems as younger generations discover that they love much of the older music as well as the new. Lots of classics. Plus, new music! Current music presents its own quagmire for radio programmers as listeners consume current and recurrent music differently than previous generations. For example, in addition to new album releases, many of today’s major artists may drop multiple new tracks from forthcoming albums in a given week. Part of radio’s dilemma is figuring out how to properly expose all this music.

RS: Streaming has made it a whole new ballgame, hasn’t it?

DVD: Exactly. Consumers have access to just about all the music ever recorded and have created self-selected libraries of favorites, interesting discoveries and classic finds. With artists dumping so much music into the marketplace, it’s a field day for music lovers, but presents a nightmare scenario for programmers. The industry generally continues to use the old-school 1980s playbook, reflecting airplay exposure based on the way labels used to release music.

RS: With so much new music constantly coming at us, how can radio sift through and figure out what is the best new music to play?

DVD: This is where it gets tricky. Radio has proven—in general—that it does very well “playing the hits” and that is what continues to bring listeners back to the dial. However, we’re at least ten years beyond when radio should’ve pivoted to systems that represent the way people actually consume music. Digital music consumption has changed the landscape and radio’s systems have not kept up. It takes courage in today’s radio business environment to do things so differently that it gives a perceived change to the listener. Considering how many wonderful tools are available to them to help sift through the avalanche of new music monthly, those tools really haven’t changed programming all that much.

RS: What is research showing?

DVD: We’ve found on-demand streaming and other forms of traditional music research provide very different listener reactions to music. One analysis revealed that traditional music testing of hooks gives false positives about the lasting benefit of a song’s true appeal. On-demand streaming analysis shows actual consumption appeal over time. We’ve seen many examples of songs radio clings to in high rotations when actual consumption of that song is fading. Part of this problem stems from programmers programming by consensus, i.e. utilizing airplay charts to make music decisions. Some songs maintain significant passion on our streaming charts for weeks or months, most, though, fade. It’s knowing which songs to jettison and how quickly.

RS: And your conclusion is...?

DVD: Move songs through the system faster. Our StreamStats streaming data allows programmers to see quickly whether a song has potential. If it doesn’t expand its reach in our research with their audience, it is advisable to drop it.

We’ve found that many songs that are major hits that do fade in consumption rank, do so not because of “burn” or building negatives, but because of a more benign reason: other newer songs are replacing the time spent with weekly music consumption.

RS: What’s the best way for radio to meet the demand for new music?

DVD: It’s going to require completely different clocks or sequence structure. We have seen stations we consult turn songs over much quicker—not necessarily rotating them faster, but rather retaining them on the list for shorter spans and as research guides you, hold on to a handful of exceptional high consumption/high passion titles and either discard or place songs that have stickiness into different categories. Programmers can measure “stickiness” with on-demand streaming data or other research tools.

RS: Thanks for your time, Dave. Last question: Is there an opportunity here to work with labels? The labels should be our partners in the ever expanding world of music.

DVD: Though we are often on opposite sides of the desk, both parties benefit from a strong relationship. Unfortunately, more often than not, the label has different goals than the programmer, but there are times when promoting the artist, the label is interested in is a benefit to the programmer/station. Our best broadcasters are already partnering with labels...It is possible to do on-air features of songs a label is working allowing a station for example to get listeners involved for their responses to new songs that show promise through streaming data.