Five takeaways from Spotify’s report into millennial culture

Spotify For Brands has released a new report called Culture Next, analysing millennials and their impact on culture and trends.

Data from the report was taken from countries including US, UK, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, the Philippines and Australia, and published in partnership with research agency Culture Co-OP.

Spotify surveyed 4,000 respondents aged 15-37 and discovered some fascinating information about music, culture, young people, and the way they interact with one another.

It was commissioned to better understand the relationship between young people and digital media including music, and there were a number of findings which are worth consideration and further research by the music industry

“Young people are re-evaluating their relationship with digital media and critically observing the political infrastructure that seems to have left so many of them behind,” explains the report.

Download the report in full at spotifyforbrands.com

Here are TMN’s five key takeaways from the report:

Music is still a key way in which young people connect

Millennials still see music as an intrinsic part of culture, and as a key way to transverse international boundaries between people.

According to the report, 78% of millennials and Gen Zs believe that music allows people to connect with each other and other cultures.

Young people have the most diverse listening habits

Music is an important way that young people learn about the world around them, while your listening becomes less diverse as they age.

As Spotify found, 18-to-25-year-olds listen to more international music than any other demographic. The number of artists the average fan streams per month is highest among this age group as well.

Young people turn to music to cope with general discontent about the state of the world

With mental illness permeating the world in new ways, young people are turning to music to share their feelings and relationships with an uncertain globe.

The report found that 47% of millennials and Gen Zs found camaraderie in sharing deep feelings including sadness and loneliness through music. Emo wrap is Spotify’s #1 globally rising genre in 2018.

In addition, 57% of millennials and Gen Zs said they often find themselves wanting to stay in, or sleep in, rather than go out.

Headphone and speaker ownership is high, and continuing to rise.

53% of young people say audio is something that completely surrounds their everyday life.

This finding was backed up by other statistics from the study, which found 87% of people within thet surveyed age groups own headphones, while 52% own a portable Bluetooth speaker.

Young people connect with music that aligns with their political views

Spotify found that music has taken irreversible steps, becoming more and more politically charged. It found that young people connect with musicians who share their political views.

The rise of podcasts on platforms like Spotify back these findings, with podcasts like Mamamia Out Loud, The Betoota Advocate and more portraying poltical issues in new and engaging ways.