Axios Austin

March 20, 2026
๐ Happy Friday! Austin-based Axios reporter Sami Sparber here, exploring why younger generations are returning to iPods and vinyl records.
โ๏ธ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high in the low-90s.
๐ง Sounds like: "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.
๐ Happy birthday to our Axios Austin member Jennifer Margolis-Husted and happy early birthday to members Caroline Traylor, Mike Clark-Madison, Kathy McCarthy, and Amy Bieberdorf!
๐ Situational awareness: The Texas Longhorns defeated BYU 79-71 last night in the round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. They next play Gonzaga tomorrow in the second round of the West Regional.
Today's newsletter is 851 words, a 3-minute read.
1 big thing: โฎ๏ธ Why people are buying iPods again
Grab your corded headphones: People are snapping up Apple's retired MP3 players for nostalgia and a break from smartphones.
The big picture: For younger generations especially, the comeback is part of a broader return to offline devices and hobbies, driven by digital burnout.
By the numbers: Search interest for the original iPod and the iPod Nano spiked last year โ even though Apple discontinued the product line in 2022, according to Google Trends data.
- eBay searches jumped for the iPod Classic (+25%) and iPod Nano (+20%) between January and October 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, per internal data shared with Axios.
- Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
How it works: Older tech tends to be "single-purpose," says Cal Newport, a computer science professor and author of "Digital Minimalism." "All you can do with an iPod, for example, is listen to music."
- Smartphones, by contrast, bundle music, messages, social feeds, news and more, making it "nearly impossible to control your technology use with any consistency," Newport says.
What they're saying: Katherine Esters, who "grew up with the rise and fall of iPods," recently purchased a Classic model for $100 on Facebook Marketplace.
- She listens to it when she's "trying to cleanse myself of being on my phone."
- "Sometimes, I just want to go out, take a walk, and I want to listen to music, but I don't necessarily want 20 notifications," Esters tells Axios.
Between the lines: โโThe MP3 revival also taps into so-called "friction-maxxing," as younger people embrace more hands-on experiences over algorithmic ease, says Libby Rodney, chief strategy officer at The Harris Poll.
- Think: Manually loading a set number of songs onto an iPod instead of letting a streaming app curate a playlist for you.
- "We're moving away from total, seamless, convenience culture and back to finding meaning in friction," Rodney tells Axios.
Reality check: Music streaming isn't fading anytime soon.
- U.S. on-demand audio streaming reached 1.4 trillion song streams in 2025, up from 1.3 trillion the year before, according to Luminate, an industry data firm.
The bottom line: What goes around comes back around, click wheel and all.
2. ๐ง How younger generations are jamming
A music-centered night out doesn't have to mean a concert: Expect more vinyl nights, pop-up choirs and music bingo this year.
Why it matters: Gen Zers and millennials are seeking "uncurated, unfiltered experiences," according to Eventbrite's new trends report.
By the numbers: Nationwide, there were 36% more vinyl night events from August 2024 to July 2025 than the year before, feeding a growing demand for analog music. Attendance jumped 95%.
- "One-day choirs" โ temporary singing sessions that don't require auditions โ also saw a surge in events (+87%) and turnout (+149%).
The big picture: Polished production is out.
- Nearly 60% of Gen Z and millennial respondents across the U.S. and U.K. say they want events to feel one-of-a-kind, while roughly half say they wish events felt "less curated and more real," Eventbrite's survey finds.
- Around 80% say spontaneity is important at events.
"Soft socializing" is in. Some 60% of respondents say socializing matters, but they don't want it to be the focus of a gathering.
- U.S. music bingo attendance is up 149%, per the report. The twist on classic bingo swaps in songs and artist names, giving people something low-pressure to do while they connect.
- And Japanese-style listening bars, where patrons sip and tune in to curated tracks, are gaining ground over nightclubs, Smithsonian magazine reports.
The bottom line: "Live events are becoming more human, authentic, and alive than ever," according to Eventbrite's report.
3. ๐ค The Roundup: Wrangling the news
๐ Waymo self-driving taxis have been involved in 60 crashes in Austin since last June, the company reported to federal regulators. (Austin American-Statesman)
๐ง Northbound Interstate 35 main lanes in South Austin are set to close midnight to 9am tomorrow as part of ongoing I-35 construction. (FOX 7)
๐ฝ๏ธ Hoover's Cooking, an East Austin soul food staple, is closing after nearly 30 years in business, as owner Hoover Alexander retires. (KVUE)
๐ป The city of Austin launched a new website yesterday that officials say is easier to use. The $2.52 million overhaul is the first major refresh to the site since 2012. (KUT)
4. ๐ 1 fun thing: The original iPod slogan
When Apple launched the iPod in 2001, its pitch was simple: "1,000 songs in your pocket."
- It cost $399. (That's around $725 in today's dollars.)
Here's what Apple's homepage looked like that day, captured via the Wayback Machine.
Thanks to our editor Carly Mallenbaum.
๐โโ๏ธ Sami thinks a clip-on iPod Shuffle would be great to use on runs.
๐ Nicole and Asher will be back in your inbox Monday!
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