The millennials are refusing to go out to nightclubs! Generation Z types aren’t interested in getting off their heads on drugs! Oh, the scandal – or at least, that’s what the very narrow minded dance music press would have you believe.
Yes, they’re once again losing their minds at a survey by Keep Hush asking the two groups about their experiences of going out after coronavirus restrictions were lifted. And the results are interesting – they’re less interested in going out clubbing than their predecessors, they’re not buying tickets as far in advance as they used to and they’re not as interested in alcohol or drugs.
Here are the survey’s conclusions straight from the horse’s mouth…
For what it’s worth, Ears To The House praises the younger generations for their eminent sense – and wonders if the dance music press have turned into what they used to hate. There was a time when they claimed to speak for the young – but now this young generation are speaking a different message, the press has no idea how to respond.
So they don’t see clubbing as much of a priority as they used to. But why should they? Perhaps they too, have noticed the same lineups at the same venues in the same cities – maybe it’s the club scene which actually needs to up their game? Then again, blaming millennials is easier, even if it does nothing to fix the problem.
They’re not buying tickets for events as far in advance? This seems fair enough to us. Not only do you require tickets, you’ll also probably require accommodation and transport to and from the venue. And as we all know, hotels jack up their prices whenever events are happening in the nearby vicinity. An advance ticket for just £40 or £50 can still become hundreds of pounds of expense before you even turn up.
Also, Ears To The House has repeatedly pointed out just how similar festival lineups are these days – the big ones all seem to follow a McDonald’s franchise style model, with the same offerings no matter where you go. Now, we’re fans of Carl Cox just as much as the next person – but who can seriously justify going to see him at several different festivals in quick succession?
And as for not being as interested in drink and drugs, the younger generations are not to blame for being forced to grow up quicker than past ones. It wasn’t their generation who hoisted up the ladder of free university education in the likes of Britain, forcing students to start their adult lives with over £20,000 of debt hanging around their necks.
They’re growing up in a world where you have to get serious from the start – something which those in the higher echelons of the dance music press will never understand. The truth is that reports like this should set alarm bells ringing in dance music – just like a survey last year which found 26% of those polled by Ipsos MORI would be happy for nightclubs to disappear forever.
But instead of soul searching, they prefer to simply blame the young. Then again, asking difficult questions won’t endear them to the advertisers funding them…
