The power of nostalgia: Age and preference for popular music

Abstract

Marketers need evidence to help them select music to promote their products. Ethnicity, social class and/or personality type can distinguish individual music tastes, but age and nostalgia may be the largest determinant of all (North, American Journal of Psychology,123, 199–208, 2010). Research into listener preference for music from different eras has found conflicting results. Papers generally agree that it takes an inverse U shape, but disagree on the era for which people are most nostalgic. The seminal paper found a peak for music released when listeners were 23 years of age (Holbrook & Schindler, Journal of Consumer Research,16, 119–124, 1989), a follow-up 9 years of age (Hemming, Musicae Scientiae,17, 293–304, 2013), and 19 years of age (Holbrook & Schindler, Musicae Scientiae,17, 305–308, 2013). This paper attempts to correct the issues raised by Holbrook & Schindler (Musicae Scientiae,17, 305–308, 2013) by improving the representativeness of the sample and introducing a new analysis technique, the two-lines test. This paper finds support for Holbrook & Schindler, but with a slightly younger age peak of roughly 17 years. Additionally, the larger sample allows investigation of differences by generation, which reveals differences that may be caused by their different current age, and so the relationship with, and interplay of nostalgia and music. The central conclusion of the paper is that people do exhibit a preference for music released during their late adolescence/early adulthood. When targeting consumers of a narrow age demographic, music released during this time is more likely to be preferred than any other.