Your skepticism is something I hear a lot, and something I make it a rule not to argue with. A lot of people look at The Public Radio with disdain, and at least as many look at it without any emotional reaction at all (which is arguably worse). This was never meant to be a mass market product, and it's okay that not everyone likes it.
I will say, however, that our customer base might not be as young, bearded, and IPA-drinking as you might expect. We do sell a lot to Brooklyn (I live in Brooklyn; Kickstarter is in Brooklyn; etc) but one of our biggest customers to date is KUER, which is Utah's NPR affiliate. We've also sold large orders to a pop station in Singapore, an Orthodox Jewish community radio station in New Jersey, and to someone's grandma in rural Nebraska who makes mason jars into light fixtures that look like fireflies (one of our first customers, back in ~early 2014).
As to whether the market's going away: As I mentioned in another comment, I'm continuously surprised when I see The Public Radio in the wild and can say without reservation that we have sold way more of these things than I ever expected. And if it were someone else's creation, there's a good chance that I'd look at it with furrowed brows as well.
This is not a throwback to the safety-razor hipster era of yesterday, this is a manifestation of the artisan-chic post hipster/hipster-yuppie/yupster reality of today.
Alternate take: in an increasingly complicated world, people are coming to value simplicity and aesthetics, and will pay for these things.
The double-edge safety razor can either be something that's cost saving compared to Gillette or an expensive hobby. I personally know people that spent $750 in shaving equipment, only to go back to an electric Phillips within five years.
But if you're the type that is going to spend huge amounts on fancy soaps and multiple brushes etc.. Then yeah you won't save money but you'll probably be spending it on other stuff anyway if you're that type.
Badger hair brushes should really be replaced more frequently than once every seven years. The soaps/creams build up over time, and bristles get damaged during use, and it's something that frequently gets wet with hot water which can cause bacteria buildup.
In this case the "job to be done" is probably not really to listen to news/music (there's a million better things for this).
Likely it's emotional.. decoration, nostalgia, "toy"
Therefore alternatives to this product are not other radios but other fun decorations, throw back items, or simple electronic devices.
--
For modeling I think this is similar to "the light phone" that also did well on crowd funding. So I think there is a trend here.
I think it's about the overall experience: tactile, "old fashioned", and functional.
Pressing play on an iPhone is a thoughtless experience. Lifting the needle or grabbing a knob is more engaging.
I think it's meaningful to surround yourself with objects that remind you who you are, and your ability to shape your world. I do not get this sense with Spotify or Apple Music or Youtube. I still use those services but there's a sense of detachment, like listening to an song in a store.
Another aspect might be just being different than his dad. I got my first hi-fi system in the early 80s. Today, my "home stereo" is an old cell phone and a bluetooth audio adapter board that powers a pair of bookshelf speakers.
For many years I listened effectively to just one radio station, and something like this would have indeed been delightful.
I could see using this to rekindle my love for public radio.
This idea that non-cartridge shaving is an expensive hipster pursuit is probably FUD promulgated by the companies trying to sell you razor cartridges. Everything I currently own for shaving cost me less that a single pack of replacement cartridges.
That being said, there are still a lot of people out there in a certain age bracket with a certain life style for whom $60 isn't a big deal and they would be be more than happy to pay that much for something that 'brings them joy'. The Farmers Market set is still out there and living large, even if it isn't quite as rampant as it was a few years ago.
Now if it was $25, I would probably get one in a heartbeat, because that's my 'this isn't going to hurt me and if I enjoy it, why not' price.
For what it's worth, we would have loved to sell The Public Radio for $25 and tried for many years at $40/45. I think that our experience is a testament to the idea that at least sometimes, it's okay to raise your prices above what you personally would be willing to pay. But yes, it's a very expensive member of its category (battery powered FM radios) even without the UI limitations.
A time when we rebelled against over-advertised, and over-priced Gillette Fusion cartridges. Not by growing beards (that would come in the 2010's). But rather by shaving with $100 German double-edge razors, badger hair brushes, and artisial shaving soaps instead.
This here is a cheap pocket radio, like you could find at Walmart for $5. Except that it is built to tune into only one frequency, it has no headphone jack, and its form-factor is a old-timey mason jar. It's "artisanal", and "locally-sourced" and all that, and it does look like a pretty conversation piece. But do people still gravitate to stuff like this?
I'm asking from genuine curiosity, because I'm not sure whether the "hipster" era faded away, or if it's still there and I just grew a little too old?