Grab your corded headphones: People are snapping up Apple's retired MP3 players.

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 — 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.

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.

• "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.
• And iPods can evoke memories of slower, less chaotic times.

Between the lines: ​​The 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.

The intrigue: Some students are even using iPods to get around phone bans at school, the New York Times reports.

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.

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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" — temporary singing sessions that don't require auditions — 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.
• Case in point: Rice Vice in Algiers Point.

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Taylor Swift's "The Life of a Showgirl" — the biggest album release in music history — sold 1.6 million vinyl copies in the U.S. last year, representing over 3% of all units sold, per industry data firm Luminate.

Why it matters: Swift helped as U.S. vinyl sales rose for the 19th straight year in 2025.

• Sales climbed 9% to nearly 48 million units, according to Luminate's Year-End Music Report.

State of play: As vinyl becomes more mainstream, helped by younger listeners leaning into offline activities and physical media, its audience is diversifying, per the report.

• Black, Asian, Hispanic and other nonwhite consumers made up roughly half of all vinyl buyers, up 18 percentage points from the previous year.

Follow the money: Around 2 in 5 vinyl records were sold at indie stores, per the report.

• Millennials posted the biggest increase in vinyl purchases over the past year.

What's next: Record Store Day returns tomorrow, bringing special releases to indie shops.

• Louisiana Music Factory, Euclid, Peaches, The Mushroom and NOLA Mix are some of the local participating shops.

🚧 It's French Quarter Fest, and the construction barricades are still up on Decatur. The project is expected to be finished in October. (Fox 8)

• Organizers are planning for nearly 1 million attendees this weekend.

⚓️ Textron Systems Corp. is investing $5.8 million to expand operations in Orleans and St. Tammany parishes. The company makes advanced military vehicles and naval systems. (Press release)

🏗️ Omni's planned 27-story hotel near the Convention Center cleared a key hurdle this week. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

📺 City Council meetings will stream on Facebook until tech issues are fixed with YouTube and Granicus. (Press release)

When Apple launched the iPod in 2001, its pitch was simple: "1,000 songs in your pocket."

• It cost $399. (That's around $725 today.)