‘Blendships’ and the return of mainstream music: Spotify Culture Next report unveils Gen Z behaviours
Music is ripe with opportunities for brands looking to engage with Generation Z, with new research from Spotify’s Culture Next report highlighting just where the audience is.
Now in its sixth year, the annual report gives advertisers a look into the minds of Gen Z, aiming to help them better connect when it matters most.
Hoping to offer a more intimate understanding of the generation, Spotify broke this year’s results down into three main trends: ‘blendships’, ‘playlist diaries’, and ‘mainstreaming’.
‘Blendships’
According to Spotify, Gen Z is craving connection more than ever, with many taking to the app’s various Blend and Share features to engage with music and playlists. 65% of Gen Z believe people are more lonely today than they were ten years ago, but the same amount see Spotify as the “ultimate antidote” to doom-scrolling. The younger generation are using the app to forge connections by sharing their music choices and podcasts, with 80% interestingly saying they would prioritise music compatibility over a potential partner’s looks, and 92% agreeing that sharing similar music taste with a potential partner connects us more deeply.
Gen Z users accounted for 60% of all Blend playlists created and shared in the last two years, and made up 55% of Celebrity Blends from 2023 through to Q1 2024. They were also the majority (52%) of collaborative playlists made this year. Gen Z also made up 67% of all profile shares, having shared user profiles 32 million times. Described as not just sharing music, but actually sharing a piece of themselves, there was a 328% increase year-on-year in Gen Zs sharing album pre-releases, too.
With music and podcasts evidently acting as a catalyst for connection online, the study also found Gen Z are living their experiences out loud and in real life.
74% have attended a concert or live music show in the past year, while other a third said they have attended an in-person listening party for a new album or song. They’re also loving live podcasts, with 37% having attended a live show or taping of a podcast episode, and 36% having attended an in-person watch party for a new episode of a video podcast.
In the first five months of the year, Gen Z watched 2.9 billion minutes of video podcasts – a 58% increase compared to the same period last year.
‘Playlist Diaries’
As Gen Z come of age, they’re going through intense emotions and pivotal life experiences – first kisses, finishing school, starting their careers. And its being reflected in their music. Gen Z streamed 86 million minutes of playlists with the world ‘first’ in the title – and as they soundtrack these moments, they’re creating lasting memories and music tastes that will continue to resonate.
89% of Gen Z agreed that the music they are into at the moment will always have a cherished place in their hearts, with the age group accounting for 72% of ‘POV’ [point of view] playlists. 89% also said that hearing a song during a special or significant moment would make it an unforgettable track.
Playlists also help Gen Z feel fully present in the moment, with 90% agreeing. They’re making playlists for every moment in life, with examples including ‘babysitting’, ‘hanging out’, and ‘gym hardstyle’.
‘Mainstreaming’
Finally, while Gen Z has a taste for adventure, they’re also embracing mainstream culture across both music and podcasts. 74% would describe their generation as mainstream – a stark increase from 59% in 2021.
Mainstream culture is becoming more inclusive, more relevant, and more interesting than ever, with 84% of Gen Z agreeing that even niche and underground cultures are are increasingly becoming so. What is now described as ‘popular music’ is anywhere from pop, to EDM, to country, and beyond. In fact, the generation is responsible for catapulting more and more artists into the ‘Billions Club’.
Worldpop was Gen Z’s top genre from 2023 through to Q1 2024, proving that mainstream is, truly, becoming mainstream.
Gen Z are moving with the mass currents when engaging with podcasts too, with pop culture shows among some of the most popular. Pop culture moments – such as big box office releases or the Olympics – are amplified in Gen Z’s listening habits, as are niche memes and internet culture.
So what can brands take away from all this?
According to Adrian Bingham, head of sales at Spotify AUNZ, music is ripe with opportunities for brands looking to engage with this generation.
“Spotify transforms once-lost spaces, like doing chores or commuting to work, into moments for profound introspection or learning. Not only that, it is the #1 home screened app, and is considered the top ‘must-have’ for the average consumer according to recent Hub Entertainment Research,” he explained.
“For advertisers, this presents unique opportunities to reach highly-engaged audiences in these otherwise unreachable ‘in-between’ moments of life.”
Brands can tap into the rich online and real world communities where the younger audience is already connecting. 45% of Gen Zs said that a brand sponsoring a live music event or concert would make them more likely to buy that brand in the future.
And just like their playlists, brand preferences in Gen Zs could turn into ‘go-to’s’ throughout their lives. Placing a brand at the centre of formative moments could open up avenues to reach engaged audiences in those otherwise unreachable moments. In fact, 43% of Gen Z said they’d be more likely to engage with a brand in the future if it created personalised playlists to celebrate life milestones.
According to Spotify, brands should ‘think like a fan, act like a creator’. As Gen Z continues to embrace the mainstream, they expect brands to not only tune into, but add value to, pop culture conversations.
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