What do teen-age and young men listen to nowadays?

My son is almost 19 and listens to everything, except country. He went through the phase of current music followed by electronica and then '80s stuff. Now, his Spotify will jump from Beatles to hop-hop to disco. He told me the other day he's getting into softer rock.

 

If I were to own a radio station (it's been a serious discussion at several points).......it would be wide open.
If it's something you like, you'll hear it.

 

Springsteen
Isbell

 

Every person in radio I've ever read says that is a losing format. Tight formats are what works commercially.

 

There are quite a few Springsteen fans on the board, but as someone in his late 40s I don't qualify as a teenager or someone young

 

I don't know how Chef's would differ, but the "Jack" format sounds similar to his description. In the markets around me, stations have tried it and the format hasn't lasted longer than a few years.

And honestly, the only thing worse than a newspaper to own today is a radio station (unless you're loaded and buy a LPFM and set low expectations).

 

I'm out of the age range, but figured I'd throw a few out there ...

A couple of newer artists (first album late 90s or early 00s) in the rock format I'm into:
Josh Ritter
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers
Waco Brothers

A few (first album late 90s or early 00s) singer-songwriter / Americana format:
Rod Picott
Slaid Cleaves
Dan Bern
Tift Merritt
Jason Isbell

 

The legendary mythical days of completely free-form radio lasted about two weeks in 1971.

Actually many stations had free-form segments until the mid-to-late 1970s, but one principle held true: if the taste of the free-form DJ was close to yours, those shows were great; if not, they sucked absolute ass.

For instance, i am a super Beatlemaniac and a whiz on John Lennon. Do I think any radio listeners would want to listen to the 1960s John-Yoko albums consisting of backwards tapes, audio-verite sound effects and atonal screaming? Aw, hell no.

 

21 Pilots
Drake
Coldplay
Machine Gun Kelly
Lukas Graham
Kendrick Lamar
Skrillex
Major Lazer

 

I bet not. No fucking way you're popping a Gregorian chant CD on there for me.

 

The Bob and Jack formats would be different than mine.
Their stuff is geared more to a younger group, where mine would gear to an older group......Neil young, pink floyd, Metallica, Frank Sinatra, Neil diamond,
Cher, chili peppers, Garth brooks, luke Bryan, Alan Jackson.......