The statistic provides data on favorite music genres among consumers in the United States as of July 2018, sorted by age group. According to the source, 52 percent of respondents aged 16 to 19 years old stated that pop music was their favorite music genre, compared to 19 percent of respondents aged 65 or above. Country music in the United States – additional information

In 2012, country music topped the list; 27.6 percent of respondents picked it among their three favorite genres. A year earlier, the result was one percent lower, which allowed classic rock to take the lead. The figures show, however, the genre’s popularity across the United States is unshakeable and it has also been spreading abroad. This could be demonstrated by the international success of (among others) Shania Twain or the second place the Dutch country duo “The Common Linnets” received in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, singing “Calm after the storm.”

The genre is also widely popular among American teenagers, earning the second place and 15.3 percent of votes in a survey in August 2012. The first place and more than 18 percent of votes was awarded to pop music, rock scored 13.1 percent and landed in fourth place. Interestingly, Christian music made it to top five with nine percent of votes. The younger generation is also widely represented among country music performers with such prominent names as Taylor Swift (born in 1989), who was the highest paid musician in 2015, and Hunter Hayes (born in 1991).

Country music is also able to attract crowds (and large sums of money) to live performances. Luke Bryan’s tour was the most successful tour in North America in 2016 based on ticket sales as almost 1.43 million tickets were sold for his shows. Fellow country singer, Garth Brooks, came second on the list, selling 1.4 million tickets for his tour in North America in 2016.

The present study examines the prevalence, localization, frequency, and intensity of playing-related pain (PRP) in a sample of high-performing young musicians. We also address coping behavior and communication about PRP between young musicians, teachers, parents, and other people, such as friends. The aim is to provide information on PRP among high-performing musicians in childhood and adolescence, which can serve as a basis for music education, practice, and prevention in the context of instrumental teaching and musicians’ health. The study is part of a large-scale study (N = 1,143) with highly musically gifted participants (age 9–24 years; M = 15.1; SD = 2.14, female = 62%) at the national level of the “Jugend musiziert” (youth making music) contest. For data analyses, we used descriptive statistics, correlations, Chi2-tests, principal component analysis, Kruskal–Wallis H tests, and multivariate regression. About three-quarters (76%) of the surveyed participants stated that they had experienced pain during or after playing their instrument. Female musicians were significantly more frequently affected (79%) than male musicians (71%). With increasing age, the prevalence of PRP rises from 71 percent (9–13 years) to 85 percent (18–24 years). Regarding localization of pain, results are in line with many other studies with musculoskeletal problems the most common. Furthermore, data show a clear relationship between the duration of practice and the prevalence of PRP. Our study found averages of 7:18 h/week, whereas mean values of the duration of practice vary considerably between different instruments. The variance in practice duration is very large within the different instruments. Thus, when researching PRP, it is necessary to consider both the differences between different groups of instruments in the average duration of practice as well as the very large inter-individual variation in the duration of practice within a given instrument group. While just over half of the young musicians (56%) felt they had been taken seriously, 32 percent felt that their complaints were not completely taken seriously, and 12 percent did not feel taken seriously at all. Therefore, it is necessary to improve communication and information about PRP to prevent PRP and counteract existing complaints.