In Spotify’s latest report titled “Culture Next,” the music streaming giant looks at Gen Z through the context of “music, podcasts, playlists and fandoms that form the soundtrack of their lives,” and found the latest consumer behavior trends from Generation Z.
The survey surveyed 7,700 participants in the Gen Z segment (aged 15 to 24) and Millennials (aged 25 to 40), with about 500 respondents each from Spotify’s Australia and New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, U.K. and U.S. markets.
Notably, Gen Z respondents reported they are craving connection more than ever. The report’s authors said that online activities, such as “doom-scrolling,” contribute to feelings of loneliness — with 61 percent of Gen Z said they are lonelier today than 10 years ago.
To combat this and in contrast to younger generations’ lives lived primarily online, concerts and in-person events are essential; 74 percent of Gen-Zers polled said they have attended concerts or a live show in the last year.
Notably, consumers’ rush to get coveted tickets to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour or Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in other countries has ushered in a “new paradigm for live music events where fans are willing to cross country lines.” Spotify said for those who weren’t lucky enough to snag in-person tickets, Gen Z is getting together in person by attending in-person listening parties for a new album or song.
Gen Z has also taken a deeper interest in podcast hosts, especially with the increase of video podcasts. In the first 5 months of 2024, Gen Z has watched 2.9 billion minutes of video podcasts — an increase of 58 percent compared to last year.
With this rise of stardom for many podcast hosts, 37 percent of Gen-Zers reported that they attended a live show or taping of a taping. Thirty-six percent of Gen-Zers also reported that they have been to an in-person watch party for a new episode of a video podcast.
The report’s authors also noted that Gen Z is looking for more from the brands they interact with. While concert attendance is a must for Gen Z, skyrocketing ticket prices are making the entire experience inaccessible.
Spotify believes that brands can leverage their value by hosting or sponsoring live concerts or events for Gen Z with their favorite musical artists and podcasts — 49 percent of Gen-Zers said that “a brand sponsoring live music events or concerts would make them more likely to buy that brand in the future.”
Grace Kao, head of global business marketing at Spotify, said that the increased craving of in-person experiences and a desire to embrace the power of community is reflected in how the company is rolling out features such as Blend and Jam — where Spotify users can create personalized playlists among their friends or make real-life group listening sessions.
“For brands, it’s all about being tapped into culture and working with partners like Spotify that Gen Z sees as their daily companion,” said Kao. “It goes beyond simply ‘keeping up with the trends,’ but truly embracing how different communities and subcultures are tuning in. When music sits at the center of a brand’s strategy, we’ve found that they create stronger and lasting relationships with consumers. We’ve built long-standing partnerships with brands such as FanDuel, Samsung and Coca-Cola to help strengthen their strategies in a way that keeps them at the center of culture and in the Gen Z conversation.”
