Gen Z and Millennials are actually making a huge impact on the country music industry. Despite historically lagging behind rap and pop on streaming services, the country music genre has caught on in a big way, even on Gen Z-loved platforms like TikTok. The popularity of cross-over collabs and fem-powered shows at events like the Country Music Awards contributed to the genre’s transcendence, with this year’s award show seeing its biggest audience yet (which may also be in part to its availability on Paramount+). Data from Luminate shows that Gen Z and Millennials make up 50% of the average listenership for country artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs, and Zach Bryan. YPulse’s Music report data shows that a quarter of Gen Z and Millennials say they enjoy listening to country music with Millennial women (36%) having the highest affinity for the genre. (Variety)