Young people may know more old music than one might expect, according to a study conducted by researchers at New York University. The study focused on the recognition of songs from different periods, with particular emphasis on the 1960s to the 1990s. The researchers found that young participants had a stable recognition of songs from this time period, even though it was before their own generation. This suggests that the music from the 1960s to the 1990s has a lasting impact and is still popular among millennials.
The study included 643 participants, mainly young individuals with a median age of 20. The participants were presented with a random selection of seven out of 152 songs, all of which had reached number one on the Billboard charts from 1940 to 2015. They were asked to recognize each song after listening to 5-, 10-, or 15-second excerpts. The recognition proportions for each song were then plotted against the year of their peak popularity.
The results of the study revealed three distinct phases in collective memory. Music from the 1960s to the 1990s maintained a stable plateau in recognition, without any notable decline. On the other hand, recognition for music from this millennium steadily declined from 2015 to 2000, showing a linear drop-off. The 1940s and 1950s also witnessed a gradual drop-off in recognition, similar to the first phase observed.
The researchers suggest that the high number of popular songs in the latter part of the 20th century may explain why they are still recognizable decades later. Furthermore, there was a correlation between song recognition and play count on Spotify, indicating that millennials are aware of and choose to listen to music that preceded their lives.
Overall, this study highlights that young people have a strong collective musical memory for songs from the 1960s to the 1990s. This suggests that music from this time period continues to resonate with younger generations and remains popular.
Source: Stony Brook University
