We may have touched on this subject in the past but working at a college and speaking to so many young people as well as adults here, I'm often told that today's music fans are simply NOT, as they say, "into" instrumental music. We even have younger professors who do radio programs on our college station who play strictly "vocal" cuts. We're a non-commercial station using a variety of student DJ's who aren't bound by any playlist requirements, aside from limiting the number of tracks that they can play by an artist during a particular hour. Yet even on our station it appears to be vocal-vocal-vocal.

Since most posting on this site appear to have a preference for instrumental music, what do you believe is the reason for this phenomena?

I have two basic thoughts on this:
1 - Most young people, including non-commercial radio deejays, are used to hearing vocals in everything they and their peers listen to. So anything that doesn't have words is a challenge - uncharted territory - for them. They just don't get it and have a hard time understanding why anybody else would like it (notwithstanding some familiar TV/movie themes, Christmas songs and perhaps some old pop/rock/soul hits like Classical Gas, Love's Theme, The Horse, Green Onions, etc.
2 - Short attention spans. A person can hear a vocal song without really paying attention, and through repetition, can learn some or all of the words. With instrumental music, you actually have to listen. People's tendency to multitask limits the amount of focus the brain can give toward music.
Does anybody ever sit quietly and listen to music? It seems we're always doing something: reading, talking, writing, household chores, talking, washing the car, texting, driving, talking. Even at concerts, there are chatterboxes who can't seem to part with their cell phones.

Yep, one has to listen to instrumental tunes to "get' them. My wife likes no instrumental music at all. She will go to a concert with me and like it, but she does not care for anything instrumental, even after hanging around with me for twenty years. Peace and goodwill.

Haha, Mark. I feel ya.
My wife doesn't care for it as a rule, although she has attended one Spyro Gyra concert and a Chris Botti concert with me. She didn't like Botti at all, but she did enjoy SG. There was a time when she liked some of this music, but generally, she won't sit still and listen to it.
But every once in a while, I'll catch her humming along to Morning Dance or some other song she's heard me play hundreds of times.

Music without lyrics takes more effort and attentive listening to understand the motional message/connection to the song.

This Friday on my radio show (6:00-8:00 AM EDT) I am going to pose this question to the College and local community requesting e-mail responses at jazz@wdcv.com or phone calls during the time slot to 717-245-1444.

Interesting to read any responses.

Phil,

It would be nice if you could share some of those responses with us. I'd be interested in hearing them.

I think Woody nailed it perfectly why most people prefer vocals to instrumentals.

Younger people don't listen to instrumental music because humming is not part of the American Idol style!

I'm into instrumental music. In fact, it's all I listen to.

For my part, I like to think about words. Even when I'm passively listening (which seems to be all the listening I do these days), a phrase will turn in my head and make me think while I do whatever it is I'm doing. I just really love lyrics, generally, and the use of language by others.

For instrumental music, well, my favorites are in storage. :p I find that I need to be in the right mood to hear anything new, and like I said, I don't get that much active listening time.

my husband incidentally only listens to film soundtracks.