Music vs. Gaming: Which Is Most Popular?

Iron Maiden Speed of Light Game

For decades, the music and gaming industries have been growing in popularity. However, which is most popular?

Whether you’re a music fanatic or a lover of video games, you might be interested to learn a few interesting things about the two respective hobbies. Let’s take a look.

Video Games Are More Popular Than Music and Movies Combined

It might come as a surprise, but gaming has become more popular than music. Not only that but it’s also become more popular than movies, too.

According to USA Today, the gaming industry grew by 27% in 2020, achieving $56.9 billion in revenue – a greater total sum than both music and movies combined.

There are several reasons for this. Primarily, it’s because gaming has more variety. There are sports games, adventure games, and even online pokies Australia for people to play. It’s an exciting array of choices.

People Are Now Playing Video Games Professionally

Video games have become so popular that people are now pursuing them as a full-time career.

For example, many people post gaming content to YouTube and Twitch, which then enables them to generate revenue. In comparison to the music industry, it’s seemingly much easier to make money by producing gaming content.

Not only that, but many gamers are also competing in professional tournaments (known as ‘eSports’) where they compete for real prizes. These tournaments usually attract millions of viewers, which is also helping to drive the popularity levels up.

Listening to Music Is Still Popular – and It’s Mainly Thanks to Streaming Services

The way people listen to music has changed dramatically over the past ten years.

Now, CDs are no longer popular. Instead, the average music fan has at least one subscription to a streaming service. Popular examples include:

  • Apple Music
  • Spotify
  • YouTube Music

These platforms are modern and fun, which is helping to keep music popular with both young and old demographics. Plus, they allow users to create and customize their own playlists, which is also helping to keep people engaged.

Vinyl Records Are Popular Again

Black Sabbath Vinyl Box

Unless you’ve been living on Mars for the past few years, you’ll know that vinyl records have made a comeback.

Now, millions of people are collecting vinyl records again, from the US to throughout Europe.

This is helping to keep the industry in a competitive state. Sure, it’s not as popular as gaming, but it’s certainly helping to keep it up there.

Now, if you take a quick look on Google, you will see that vinyl record stores are popular throughout most major cities. In addition to this, you’ve probably seen at least a few friends of yours post photos of their vinyl record collections to Instagram, as that’s become something of a major hobby for people again.

Conclusion – Gaming Wins, but Music Is Still Popular

Right now, gaming is one of the most popular hobbies there is. However, music isn’t going to disappear any time soon, as the industry is still generating tons of money each year. Plus, over 180 million people are subscribed to Spotify, which shows that the streaming industry still has a long way to go.