They Say Gen Z &Young Millennials Don’t Care About the Arts & Live Music. We Know Better.
You’ve probably heard it before. Another venue shuts down, another arts organization scrambles for funding, and the blame lands squarely on “lack of interest.” Arts appreciation is dying. Young generations just don’t care anymore, right?
Except… that’s not true. Like, at all.
If that were true, Off The Air wouldn’t exist. You wouldn’t be here, buying tickets, showing up for music in a literal underground venue, craving experiences that feel honest and challenging.
The truth is, this only works because you show up. So, THANK YOU for showing up. You’re not only helping keep this program alive, but you’re also proving false a narrative that upcoming generations don’t care about the arts. (You do. So flippin’ much.)
But First: What’s On Deck at Off The Air
March 21, 2025: Duff Thompson & Steph Green | Hella Swords
A night of hypnotic folk and indie grit in the underground speakeasy at Greens on Tenth. $18 / All ages.
April 18, 2025: Levi Minson | Weston Perry
Southern storytelling meets Central Valley soul. This one’s gonna hit different.
The Myth of Disengagement
We hear it all the time—arts organizations wondering why Gen Z and Milliennials aren’t showing up. But if you’ve been to an Off The Air show, you know that’s not true. So why does this narrative persist?
It’s not just a local conversation. Some reports show declining attendance at traditional arts events, but others tell a different story. A 2023 StubHub report found that 60% of Gen Z respondents would prioritize front-row concert tickets over major life events. Another study showed that Gen Z is twice as likely as millennials to call in sick to work just to attend a concert. And beyond just music, young adults are fueling an explosion of DIY spaces, independent art collectives, and experimental venues—places that offer something deep. But aren’t traditional arts centers also offering deep experiences? Yes, they are. So, why the disconnect?
Maybe the issue isn’t a lack of interest—it’s a lack of connection. Off The Air keeps working because it meets people where they are. The question isn’t whether young adults care about the arts. It’s whether the arts are speaking to them in a way that resonates by not resembling marketing noise.
Side note: studies show that indie music fans are actually THEE easiest demographic to reach when delivering the arts— they’re the most apt to try new experiences and explore new sounds. This should not come as a surprise unless you’ve bought into the old trope that indie fans are music snobs.. Why are indie music fans the most engageable when it comes to the arts and various genres of music? Read more on that here.
There’s an easy narrative that gets repeated: young generations have short attention spans, everything has to be digital, and live experiences are dying. But if you step into a packed Off The Air show, you see that’s not the case. The hunger for live music, for gathering around something visceral and meaningful, is strong.
We aren’t passive consumers—we’re hunters & gatherers of our own cultural experiences.
Our challenge? Marketing has invaded our personal spaces through our phones, and it’s overwhelming. Unfortunately, that’s where so many traditional arts organizations are misdiagnosing us as apathetic. The issue isn’t that young people don’t care—it’s that we want more than a date, time, a ticket link, and a bunch of, well, softee adjectives that feel like (*sigh*) marketing.
We need something sticky to connect with before the ticket link is tapped. We desire context, curiosity, and something that speaks to us, not at us. How do you invite us in? Tell us a story, not a sales pitch. Instead of just posting about when and where events are happening, give us something to chew on from time to time. We’re smart. We're curious and are trying to build art into our lives daily.
Tell us:
— What makes this art special?
— What’s the best way to experience it?
— Should we bring someone we want to fall in love with? Or break up with?
— Go alone and let it crack our hearts open?
—Eat a light meal beforehand, eat a gummy, close our eyes, and let the music take us somewhere new?
That’s how you make people feel included and familiar before they even show up.
Off The Air does this—not because we have a flawless strategy, but by accident. This is a volunteer-run event run by people with full-time jobs, families, college classes and other obligations. That means we don’t have time to overthink, overdesign, or overproduce our messages. So, as it turns out, that’s exactly what makes Off The Air relatable.
The only marketing-type thing we put that much polish into? The posters. They’ve always been designed to be works of art, something you’d want to frame, because that’s been part of Off The Air’s DNA since the beginning. Artists in our community—ones who don’t always get to be as weird or boundary-pushing in their professional work—bring their ideas to life in these posters. After every show, people take them home because they look like art— not marketing.
The rest? It’s loose, it’s direct, it’s unfiltered. When I need to share an update, I can't spend hours making a polished video—I just grab my phone, hit record, and try to talk to you straight, sometimes before I’ve even had a chance to do my hair. Because **you don’t care about my just-woke-up face—you care about the music, the space, the feeling of being included in something that’s honest.**Maybe it’s an accident, but isn’t there something to learn from that? That it’s better not to overthink and just speak? To shoot from the hip, say what you really mean, and not worry about being cute or poised? If people see an unscripted post and still show up to the show, that should tell us something. They don’t need a perfect marketing campaign. They just need the art, given with heart and reason.
One more bonus tip: Try this out— try not posting so many graphics, infographics, brand logos, and overproduced slides with tiny print, QR codes that we’re looking at from our phones already. Find the workarounds to avoid unclickable links on social media. Here’s why: Humans are drawn to humans, IRL and online. Social media is a personal space, soft and cozy when you want to chill. If you’re going to slide into our feed and want to slide into our DMs, live a little and show your humanity. Everyone wants the arts (especially us). This is an easy win.
What we’re saying, straight from the Off The Air heart, is we’re here. We want art and music. Just give it to us straight from your heart. We know a ticker when we hear it.
The Algorithm vs. The Deep Cut
Old-school music discovery used to be a laborious art form. Gen X and elder Millennials had to walk uphill, both ways, in the snow, to find the good stuff—dig through record bins, catch an opening act that surprised you, and get a recommendation from a friend with impeccable taste. It was…personal?
Now? Streaming platforms like Spotify push you toward what’s already popular, what’s mass-appealing, and what fits neatly into an algorithm. The result? Even if you start with the most clutch deep-cut, it eventually gets watered down into a feedback loop where the music starts blending into itself—engineered to be easy to digest, easy to playlist, and ultimately…forgettable. Next thing you know, you’re eyeball deep in TikTok land and it’s a bummer.
That’s why Off The Air exists. Because IRL discovery still matters, and you know it. Because a great song should hit you sideways, surprise you, and make you feel something unexpected. And because you shouldn’t have to rely on an algorithm to tell you what’s worth hearing.
Why Live Music is the Cure for Overproduced Sounds
Music is getting more homogenous. It’s a strange problem that could only exist in the age of mass consumerism. The industry has become so obsessed with mass appeal that it’s shaving off the edges—polishing music into something that won’t ruffle feathers, won’t stand out too much, and won’t demand too much from the listener. But why is that a problem?
First, it limits creativity. When everything is optimized for the masses, artists are discouraged from taking risks. The weirder, more experimental, more emotionally raw stuff doesn’t get the same push because it doesn’t fit neatly into a playlist.
Second, it’s built for passive consumption. Music is becoming easier to ignore, designed as background noise rather than something that stops you in your tracks. It’s created to be just interesting enough to keep playing but not so bold that it challenges or surprises you.
Third, it shrinks cultural diversity. Global music used to bring a wide range of styles and perspectives to the forefront. Rock and roll, jazz, and hip-hop sounded different depending on where they came from. Algorithms push familiarity, so we end up hearing variations of the same sounds instead of being able to travel regions through diverse sounds.
And finally, it’s a symptom of mass consumerism. Do we really need to go into this or…fine. Okay. E.g.: Limited Edition Doritos flavors— Here for a hot minute, hyped, hoarded, next stop: Ebay. And for what? But live music? That’s for keeps.
Live indie shows don’t work like fast fashion or even multi-million concerts that put you into debt. A live indie show is raw, immediate, and deeply human—you do not just hear a song; you’re experiencing its gut-rumbling in real time. A performer can read the room and shift their energy, stretch a moment, and pull the audience in. That kind of thing doesn’t happen on a playlist. It happens in spaces like Off The Air, where every show is unpredictable, and every moment is shared with your neighbor, like a golden thread running through us all and tying us together.
The Community That Makes This Possible
None of this happens in a vacuum. Off The Air is what it is because of everyone who believes in it. That includes the people who show up, the musicians who bring their whole selves to the stage, and the local partners who help make this possible.
We’re proud to have support from Downtown Modesto Partnership, Visit Modesto, Leadership Modesto (a program of Modesto Chamber of Commerce), Melodiq Agency, Greens on Tenth, and DoubleTree Hotel. These aren’t just names—they’re organizations that see the value in what’s happening here. They recognize that Off The Air isn’t just a music series—it’s a community.
And if bigger institutions are paying attention? That means they see what we already know: Young generations are engaged. The arts aren’t dying. And independent music has a future here.
What We’re Listening to Now
This is a new section we’re adding because music discovery CAN feel like a conversation, not an algorithm. In every blog, we’ll highlight what’s been on repeat for us. Got an album you think we should check out? Let us know! You could be featured.
Elizabeth Buenrostro is a Modesto native who earned her design degree in San Francisco before returning to Modesto, where she now works both as an art teacher and as a program manager for downtown Modesto, putting on artful community events like DoMo First Fridays and DoMo Walls mural festival. She also volunteers with Off The Air and has stellar taste in music. She’s the friend who sends links to albums you must put on right away:
Over the past month, I’ve had Heartache in Room 14, the latest album from The Altons, on constant rotation. This soul-rock group seamlessly channels the warmth of Motown and the charm of Chicano oldies from the 1960s, creating a sound that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The album drifts effortlessly between dreamy and bittersweet moods, wrapping each track in rich, emotive melodies. Fans of The Altons will recognize a few familiar songs added to this album, blending seamlessly with the new material. While it’s hard to pick a favorite, Where Did She Go stands out with its delicate balance of longing and a melody that lingers. Del Cielo Te Cuido is another highlight; the Spanish lyrics hit me in a way that felt deeply personal and comforting. It takes me back to my childhood, dancing with my primos in the garage to a similar tune while my tías and tíos laughed, talked, and played their favorite songs late into the night. If you haven’t already, give this album a listen—it’s the kind of music that stays with you.
Got an album you think we should check out? Let us know—we might feature your review in our next blog
Off The Air has been around for twenty years (with, *ahem*, a short hiatus that left a gap in our landscape), but it’s not going anywhere now.
Because the arts are NOT lost on young adults. You keep showing up, and we’ll keep that flame burning.
See you at the show!
Off The Air Presents