As college students, music can become an important part of our everyday lives. Music can be used to help you study, to get you hyped on a game day, or just be something you listen to as you walk around SNU’s campus. With all the affordable streaming platforms out there, it’s not surprising that most college students have their own preferred platform and preferred genre/artist they listen to. However, these platforms have also diversified further than just being music platforms; students are now using these platforms to listen to other types of audio as well.
After talking to several SNU students, it has become clear that what students are listening to is of a high variety and goes even further than just music. There were several students who spoke on listening to popular podcasts, whether it was true crime, conversational, or interview podcasts. Podcasts have been making a huge comeback these past couple of years, especially with the variety of different genres of podcast to listen to, you are sure to find one to suit your needs as a listener.
SNU student, Jeremy Alcorn, would consider himself a huge music fan, but he doesn’t listen to the typical mainstream music. Instead, he loves to explore smaller and lesser-known artists in order to broaden his music horizons. “The artists I’m listening to right now are Mk.gee, and Dijon,” Alcorn shares. Mk.gee is an American alternative singer-songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Dijon is an American R&B and soul musician and producer, who is not as well-known as other R&B artists but is at the top of Jeremy’s most listened-to artists at the moment.
On the other spectrum, SNU student, Jillian Crawford, is a fan of all mainstream songs. She mentioned artists like Drake, Morgan Wallen, and Rihanna being artists who always put out music that she enjoys listening to while walking around campus, working out, or just being in the car while on a drive. While enjoying a multitude of genres and artists, her favorite genre is country. “I love listening to artists like Megan Moroney and Zach Bryan. But, I love a lot of country music, so it’s hard to choose which ones are my favorite.”
As an SNU student, my preference for music falls in between mainstream and unknown artists. My favorite genres are all over the place; I listen to R&B, Rap, and Christian music on a daily basis. The music I listen to definitely follows what is trending in popular culture, but I also try to find new artists and music to listen to in order to broaden my horizons.
SNU’s taste in music varies widely, but it also goes further than just music as podcasts have also become a popular option, showing the evolution of streaming platforms offering more than just music for today’s listeners. Overall, the wide range of genres and formats students are enjoying reflects the versatility of music and audio content in their daily routines.
Photo by Kimalee Cook