JBL 75TH ANNIVERSARY STUDY INTO THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of audio brand JBL and Make Music Day, Harman International has conducted a study in collaboration with OnePoll that takes a closer look at the role of music in the moments that have contributed to pop culture and left a lasting impression on listeners everywhere.

WALL OF SOUND

With a legacy of powering many of the world’s most epic events, including Tomorrowland, Coachella, Woodstock, and the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound, the JBL brand is intrinsically linked with music’s immersive power.

Neil Diamond powered by JBL in 1985

Participants in the study agreed overwhelmingly that music has the ability to sweep them away to a specific moment: 74% of US and UK respondents said they felt that music is a time machine able to instantly transport them to a specific time. When asked what concert they would choose if they could travel back in time, 32% of US respondents cited Whitney Houston singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl, followed by Elton John’s performance of “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana’s funeral (31%) and The Beatles’ rooftop concert in London (28%).

MUSIC IN THE PANDEMIC

Music’s ability to take the listener to another time and place was underscored this past year, as millions of people around the world turned to music as a means of lifting their spirits and finding solace during the Covid-19 health crisis. Survey respondents agreed that music offers them a means of escape when facing difficult situations, echoing a previous OnePoll/HARMAN study in which 81.5% of respondents said that music had helped them cope with self-isolation during the pandemic. As listeners reached for the comfort of music over the past year, 30% of US respondents preferred “Lady Gaga’s One World: Together at Home” concert, followed by Shakira and J. Lo’s Super Bowl Halftime performance (28%) and John Legend’s “A Night for Bigger Love” performance (27%).

Music also has the marvellous ability to immerse the listener in an entirely different culture—an attribute that was particularly appreciated during months of home quarantine. Survey respondents largely agreed that music helps broaden their horizons: 67% of Americans and 57% of UK respondents said that international music can act as a stepping stone toward appreciating other cultures.

MUSICAL TASTE OVER TIME

Few people, if any, never change their minds about music; while nearly half of American respondents discovered their first favourite musical artist between the ages of 11 and 24, 66% said that their musical taste had significantly changed over the years, partly due to such outside influences as their friends (32%), music TV (28%), and their parents (27%). In the UK, 55% said that their musical taste had significantly changed over the years, partly due to outside influences such as their friends (31%), pop culture (29%), and their parents (22%).

But despite listeners’ evolving musical tastes, most expressed a marked degree of loyalty to their favourite artists, with 64% of Americans saying that their favourite artist had not changed over the past decade. Transmission is important to most music lovers as well: 65% of Americans hope to pass down their taste for music to their children.

LIVE CONCERTS

There is no experience to match the emotion and thrill of a live concert, and over its history, the JBL brand has become synonymous with live music amplification. JBL products have powered countless concerts and collaborated with major artists over the past several decades, including most recently Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha. The memories related to concerts, especially one’s first concert, are especially strong: 31% of US respondents attended their first concert between the ages of 11 and 17, and 63% said they remembered every second of it. The emotional aspect was especially strong during that first concert; among those surveyed, 56% of US respondents mentioned feeling happy, while 50% said they felt energized and 40% said they felt emotional. 39% of UK respondents attended their first concert between the ages of 11 and 17, and the emotional aspect was especially strong during that first concert; with 42% of UK respondents feeling happy, while 42% said they felt energized and 22% said they felt emotional.

JBL at Tomorrowland 2019

SOUND QUALITY DRIVES THE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

If listeners are to reap the full rewards of music, quality is essential. In the US, 72%  and in the UK 70% of respondents said that sound quality is an important factor in their enjoyment of music, reflecting one of the key trends to emerge during the pandemic, which is the growing demand for high-quality audio equipment. The need to work, study, and exercise from home, combined with the desire to enjoy live concerts and other musical content via streaming have all boosted demand. So too has the growing interest in online gaming. Aware of the role that high-quality audio equipment plays in sound quality, 45% of Americans cited speakers as being their most important electronic device.

SAVE OUR STAGES

As live music returns to the scene, JBL has pledged to support live venues, partnering with NIVA, the National Independent Venue Association, to support NIVA Save Our Stages, with a percentage of sales and products donated to the value of $100,000.

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