Gen Z is finding new music the old-school way: college radio. 

Gen Z is finding new music the old-school way: college radio. Gen Z is reviving college radio across campuses, with a wave of students opting for human-curated, analog experiences over algorithm-driven listening. The surge marks a reaction to algorithm fatigue, as research shows Gen Z now discovers fewer new artists than Millennials. And that’s even with social media pushing them music content: 69% of students under-25-years-old named “friends/word of mouth” as their favorite way to discover music, while only 21% said TikTok. For Gen Z, this revival of radio word of mouth reflects a desire for experiences built around participation, ownership, and intentionality—and one station leader says it’s “the most exponential growth seen in 37 years.” (emwhitenoise)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Young Men and Women are Discovering New Music Differently