A Jazz is an American icon and one of the real cultural treasures that originated in the United States. Indeed, it is widely considered to be the only truly original American art form. Now listened to all over the world, jazz music has become a symbol of liberation. Yet there is a widespread, and growing, notion that the genre of jazz is so far in decline that it will soon be dead, at least from an economic perspective.

B In a 2002 National Endowment for the Arts survey, just over 10 percent of American adults had attended a jazz concert that year, and this figure had fallen by a full 3 percent by 2008. The demographics also presented a grim view: the average age of attendees in 2008 was 46, whereas if you go back to 1982, it was 29 years of age. These days, the median age for those attending jazz concerts is akin to those who go to hear classical music. This suggests that the cutting-edge and counter-culture past of jazz as a revolutionary musical genre has been absorbed into the mainstream, but fading, establishment of an ageing culture. 

C There is certainly compelling evidence that jazz albums are far less marketable than other musical options. According to Business Week, there was a total of 5.4 million jazz albums sold in the entire year that a single best-selling pop artist sold 3.7 million albums in a mere two months! The same paltry sales were realized whether the format was hard copy or digital. Combined, all jazz album forms, including CDs, cassettes, vinyl, and digital files, amounted to less than 3 percent of all music consumed. And despite the massive growth of online media stores and apps, jazz amounted to well under 1 percent of all digital sales. Astoundingly, it is the sole genre to have ever experienced negative growth from one calendar year to another during the digital age.

D Jazz aficionados are also forced to face the reality that jazz has been cast aside by the major media corporations. This is evident in the genre’s almost total absence on FM radio, which is now mostly run by giants like iHeartCommunications, Inc. The disregard can also be seen in the lack of an institution to promote jazz through a fancy awards show. The top genres of hip-hop/R&B, pop, and country each have their own televised awards programmes. Media moguls have even turned their backs on jazz in a more general music setting, the Grammys. The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, which was first issued in 2001, was awarded for only a decade. Presumably, it was eliminated to accommodate genres that would generate greater viewership during the annual awards show.

E Frankly, though, there is nothing novel about the notion that jazz is in dire peril of disappearing. In 1965, journalist Thomas Horne wrote in The Harvard Crimson, “If there is any sure sign of the decline of American civilization, it is its musical taste. While radio stations and night clubs overflow with hillbillies and rock-and-roll singers, jazz musicians—who are making America's first significant contribution to serious music—are too often without jobs. In virtually every city, a general decline has been evident.” He points to the closing of presumably bankrupt jazz clubs in large American cities like New York and Boston as a sign that the days of jazz were numbered. He argued that jazz fans should be more ‘aggressive’ about their desire to hear jazz, while at the same time maligned the more marketable folk songwriters whom these businesses found more profitable.

F And yet the market for jazz survived, and decades later a seemingly healthy jazz industry was described in a 2000 conversation between musicians Gary Burton and Michael Bandler, who pointed out that jazz was still the most popular American music genre worldwide, though American pop was on its heels at the time. When asked whether jazz was on the decline, Bandler answered a clear and concise, “No.” What could explain this glaring difference in opinion? Well, it simply depends on which aspect of the jazz music market one wants to focus on.

G Truth be told, focusing solely on sales data and media coverage does not give the full picture, as jazz is clearly flourishing in some economic sectors. In the education industry, the National Association of Schools and Music have confirmed that enrollment in university courses in jazz has risen dramatically in recent years. Moreover, producers and publicists continue to invest tremendous effort and resources in the promotion of local jazz-related events, particularly live performances. And it is clear that many such events have continued to grow in popularity since their inception. The North Sea Jazz Festival, for example, was initiated in the Netherlands in 1975 with very few visitors and just a few hundred musicians. However, 25 years later the event boasted approximately 150,000 ticket sales and 1,200 jazz performers. Originally, the goal was to introduce the festival to an area with an unexploited jazz market and then grow over time, and this end was achieved. Given such great success and economic sustainability, it is highly likely that the numerous similar untapped markets around the world could also lead to a greater demand for live jazz music, and thus, perpetuate appreciation for this American icon.