The Age Most People Discover Their Favorite Band Is . . .

If you were reminded of the music you were listening to in the SEVENTH GRADE, would you be embarrassed . . . or would it be some of the SAME MUSIC you’re listening to now?

The ticketing company TickPick conducted a survey involving over 1,000 people, and they asked when people first heard their all-time favorite band.  And the average answer was . . . 13.  Or roughly seventh grade.

Coincidentally, the average age that people said they were first exposed to EXPLICIT music was 12 and a half.

When asked what influenced their musical tastes growing up, 66% said friends . . . 59% said radio . . . 52% said movies . . . 48% said their father . . . 45% said their mother . . . 44% said TV . . . 39% said concerts and festivals . . . and 33% said a sibling contributed.

And in that last group, nearly half of them said their older sibling exposed them to music their parents wouldn’t have approved of, which is sort of a classic big brother / big sister thing.

64% of parents said they’ve tried to influence their kids’ musical tastes, and not surprisingly, parents who are fans of INDIE ROCK are the biggest offenders.  75% of indie music-loving parents try to force it on their kids.

69% of parents who are fans of hard rock try to pass it on . . . as do fans of jazz (67%), classic rock, heavy metal, country and folk (all at 64%).

Fans of punk rock and pop were tied (62%) for the LEAST likely to actively try to steer their kids’ preferences . . . probably because kids are already going to discover those genres on their own.  (There’s a reason that Hot Topic is basically the only store left at your local mall.)

Among the parents who have tried to influence their kids, 23% said that it was “important” for their kids to like their favorite acts . . . and 27% said it was important for their kids to like their favorite genres.  (#FirstWorldProblems)

(TickPick)