Tag: infographic

How Millennials and Gen Zs Are Redefining Digital Audio

July 12, 2021

Every year, Spotify embarks on a journey to learn more about some of our most influential listeners and creators: Gen Zs and millennials. The result is Culture Next, Spotify Advertising’s annual study into the listening habits and preferences of these groups, aged 15-25 and 26-40, respectively. 

This year, we learned that Gen Z and millennial creators and listeners are as obsessed with digital audio (and Spotify, of course) . . . as we are with them. And while these generations’ differences have launched a million memes (middle part vs. side part, anyone?), their similarities speak volumes as they navigate a common challenge: rebuilding culture from the ground up.

Check it out:

To create this issue of Culture Next, Spotify conducted a combination of qualitative, quantitative, and first-party data analysis. We surveyed 9,000 Gen Z and millennial respondents in April 2021 across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, the U.K, India, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, the U.A.E., Thailand, and Malaysia. 

We also partnered with youth culture agency Archrival to conduct Zoom focus groups featuring 40 in-depth interviews and a dozen ethnographies with more than four dozen respondents in 16 markets. We combined these with conversations with artists, podcasters, and advertising industry thought leaders, as well as with Spotify’s own unique Streaming Intelligence and first-party data. 

To read the report in full and dive into more findings—including recommendations for marketers looking to connect with Gen Z and millennial listeners—visit ads.spotify.com.

Spotify Singles, 5 Billion Streams Later

May 12, 2021

Spotify Singles has been home to music you love from creators you adore—recorded in ways you’ve never heard—since 2016. To date, there have been more than 630 recordings from more than 300 artists across all genres. And now Spotify Singles has collectively hit over 5 billion streams. 

The Spotify Singles program was created to provide artists with the opportunity to re-record one of their existing songs in a fresh new way, as well as cover a song of their choice by one of their own musical heroes. It’s been an outlet for artists to express themselves, engage their fans with new content, and connect with new listeners.

‘Wakhra Swag’ – Tracing the Global Rise of Punjabi Pop

April 6, 2021

From the pind (village) to pan-India, and from there the world, Punjabi music has seen a meteoric rise, capturing the imagination—and dance moves—of millions. From swagger-filled lyrics and globally-inspired sound production, to banging beats and mega-budget music videos, Punjabi Pop has grown into a larger-than-life celebration of cultural moments that is driving a whole new generation of fans and artists.

Global growth

The essence of Punjabi Pop can be traced back to its humble beginnings as an independent genre in the late 1950s. It has since grown from classical folk Punjabi songs, where poets and singers composed ballads, to a multi-million dollar industry. In fact, by 2018, it was almost five times the size of India’s Telugu music industry, the second-largest in the country’s regional music market.

It was in the 1990s that Punjabi Pop garnered mainstream prominence as iconic artists like Daler Mehndi, Gurdas Maan, Bally Sagoo, and Malkit Singh ruled music charts, producing singles and albums that have gained cult status today. 

Then, in the 2000s, the genre’s talent truly took center stage. These years saw the rise of Punjabi Pop artists Jay Sean, Dr Zeus, Miss Pooja, Panjabi MC, Juggy D, Jazzy B, and more.  The global contribution of Punjabi Pop is exemplified in the mash-up of “Mundian To Bach Ke” by Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z. The original track, produced in the late ’90s, shot to global fame when it caught Jay-Z’s eye and was later re-released as a remixed single in 2003.

The 2010s saw the true globalization of Punjabi Pop, taking the Indian music industry into overdrive. By the end of the decade, a reported 20 songs were written, composed, recorded, and released, every day. From household names to global stars, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Diljit Dosanjh, Guru Randhawa, Hard Kaur, B Praak, Jassie Gill, Garry Sandhu, and Jasmine Sandlas, among many others, defined this decade.

Punjabi music has continued to grow in popularity among global listeners, and there are now several emerging Punjabi artists across the UK, the U.S., and Canada. Fusion music, remixed classics, and crossovers have gained immense popularity and great response internationally. 

Punjabi Pop is currently the highest performing genre for Punjabi music on Spotify, and in 2020, Punjabi Pop was the sixth-most consumed genre on the platform in India. Even the top 10 most-streamed Punjabi tracks featured Punjabi Pop—in addition to Punjabi Hip Hop and Bhangra.

Discover more

Since its launch two years ago, the Punjabi 101 editorial playlist on Spotify helps listeners discover the best Punjabi songs to stream. It’s grown significantly in this short time, with more than 300,000 followers to-date.

Want to learn more? To celebrate the genre’s vibrant journey and the artists who made it happen, Spotify recently launched a microsite where you can discover even more playlists and delve deeper into the genre’s artists. You can visit it here.

Spotify Reports Third Quarter 2020 Earnings

October 29, 2020

Today, Spotify announced our third quarter 2020 financial performance. Click here to review the full earnings release, and take a look at the highlights below:

Interested in hearing more? You can listen to the webcast Q&A on the IR site here. 

Click below to check out a sizzle reel of audio trailers from a few of our recent original and exclusive podcasts. 

Gen Z Is Taking the Reins to Rebuild Society

September 23, 2020

Every year, Spotify conducts a study called Culture Next to better get to know the world’s most influential generations. This year, we found that Gen Zs (those between the ages of 15 and 25) are rewriting the playbook older generations left behind and taking the reins to rebuild society.

We, alongside partner research agencies Culture Co-op, b3 Intelligence, and Lucid, talked to respondents at the top of the year and again in late summer, taking into account this year’s global pandemic and social movements. Take a look at what we found:

The music Gen Zs stream on Spotify also reflects a can-do, independent mindset. The top three playlists among Gen Zs globally are Today’s Top Hits, followed by RapCaviar and our Sleep playlist. They’re staying on top of culture (and sometimes reflecting it, thanks to Gen Z talent) as well as taking care of themselves.  

The top five podcasts among Gen Zs globally are Call Her Daddy, TED Talks Daily, From the Wizarding World: Journeys to Hogwarts and Harry Potter At Home: Readings, The Daily, and Indonesia’s Rintik Sedu, which tells personal stories with larger meaning. 

Dive into the full trends report here. 

Celebrate Six Months of RADAR Around the World

September 17, 2020

In March, we announced RADAR, our emerging-artist program spotlighting rising talent from around the globe—from Brazil to Japan to Germany to New Zealand and beyond. Now, six months and more than 2 billion streams later, we’re excited to share the debut of our on-platform RADAR hub, home to extensive, original, and exclusive RADAR content.

The launch of this emerging-artist program has propelled the growth of RADAR artists around the world—and fans are listening. Take a look at how much they’ve streamed these rising artists:

Celebrating One Year of Spotify Lite

September 8, 2020

A year ago, we unveiled Spotify Lite, a small, fast, and simplified version of our app. It was built from the ground up based on user feedback from around the world, and has allowed millions of listeners in areas with limited bandwidth and phone storage to enjoy audio wherever they are. And as our users globally have found, though the app is lite, it’s just as loud.

In the 12 months since launch, listeners around the world have enjoyed and discovered thousands of new artists and podcasts—while easily controlling their data and storage. But where have fans been streaming from Spotify Lite the most, and what have they been streaming?

Since July 2019, we found that our listeners in Brazil have listened to the most music using Lite, out of all 37 markets with the app.* They’re followed by Mexico, India, Indonesia, and Argentina.

Even though some Lite users are on opposite sides of the world, they share some interesting listening patterns. For one, Mondays and Sundays are the top days for streaming, and lunch is the most common time to listen to music and podcasts.

Take a look at what they’re listening to:

Top Tracks

  1. “Señorita” – Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes
  2. “Dance Monkey” – Tones And I
  3. “Tusa” – KAROL G, Nicki Minaj
  4. “China” – Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, KAROL G, Ozuna
  5. “LA CANCIÓN” – Bad Bunny, J Balvin

Top Podcasts

  1. PODKESMAS (PODCAST KESEHATAN MASYARAKAT)
  2. Rintik Sedu
  3. Do You See What I See?
  4. NerdCast
  5. Kajian Hanan Attaki

Indonesia clearly had a great year for podcasts, with the market’s PODKESMAS, Rintik Sedu, and Do You See What I See all in the top five of the most streamed.

Plus, with a new year comes new growth—or rather, a reduction. Although the app was already small—only 10 MB when it came out of beta in 2019—we’ve been able to reduce the Lite app download size by an additional 15%.** This saves even more space on listeners’ phones while offering more than 60 million tracks and 1.5 million podcasts, regardless of network connectivity, data plan, and whether or not they have the latest phone.

The Spotify Lite app can be downloaded separately from the main Spotify app, and is available for both Free and Spotify Premium users. Use it alongside or independently from the main Spotify app on all Android phones running version 4.3 or higher.

*Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India.

**App download size can vary depending on phone types.

Legend of French Singer-Songwriter Serge Gainsbourg Looms Large on Spotify

June 24, 2019

Name just about any modern French or international superstar—Phoenix, Sebastien Tellier, Benjamin Biolay, David Bowie, Beck, Arctic Monkeys, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker—and they can probably trace their sound back to Serge Gainsbourg. The singer-songwriter was a trailblazer of multiple genres (pop, rock, funk, disco, chanson, and reggae among them) whose lyrical playfulness, innovative sounds, and overall influence echo through today’s music. Starting June 24 and continuing for several weeks, Spotify is celebrating his incredible legacy with several new Gainsbourg-inspired playlists.

Some of the playlists of his songs are organized into the genres he advanced, with the tracks curated in an order to suit the moment or mood of the day. Other playlists are compilations of songs by artists Gainsbourg influenced across those genres, including chanson, pop, indie, and hip-hop. Listeners can also use a new Which Gainsbourg Are You? tool to generate a customized Gainsbourg playlist.

Gainsbourg didn’t just influence French music. He wrote more than 500 songs that have been covered more than 1,000 times by other artists. He even is responsible for the 1965 hit “Poupée de cire, poupée de son,” performed by France Gall, which won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg that year.

Among Gainsbourg’s biggest hits was “Je t’aime moi non plus,” which he once called “the ultimate love song.” It was also perhaps an allegory for Gainsbourg’s personal life. He first recorded “Je t’aime moi non plus” with his lover at the time, Brigitte Bardot. They parted ways, and the song was re-recorded and released with Jane Birkin, with whom he had a daughter—the singer-actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. Her father wrote her 1986 album, Charlotte for Ever.

He also wrote songs for Petula Clark, Viktor Lazlo, Alain Chamfort, and dozens more.

Though he passed nearly three decades ago, Gainsbourg still has more than 700,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and his songs have been streamed more than 170 million times.

Check out the infographic below to further explore Serge Gainsbourg’s enduring popularity.

Listen to Initiales S.G, the new podcast exploring Gainsbourg’s life and work, narrated by French actor Melvil Poupaud, which includes a theme song by French pianist Chassol and interludes by singer Clara Luciani.

A Day In the Life, Based on The Playlists You Listen To

May 30, 2019

When you wake up, do you need a solid hour of coffee and chill? Or are you at the gym listening to pump-up music well before sunrise? Either way, Spotify has a playlist to match your mood—not only in the morning, but at every moment of your day.

Not surprisingly, the music people listen to often tells a story. What we didn’t know until we explored aggregate listening habits, though, is how that story plays out differently around the world. Specifically, we uncovered the general sentiments countries experience throughout the day based on the most popular mood playlists per hour.

For example, listeners in the UK go for their gym sessions in the morning before 10 AM, while in Sweden, users listen to workout playlists like Beast Mode and Träning in the afternoons between 4 and 8 PM.

Canadians seem to skip the gym first thing, and instead start their day with cozy playlists like Your Favorite Coffeehouse, then head into Happy Hits! Similarly, South Africans start off with a chill morning of Peaceful Piano, then move into a lit afternoon of RapCaviar around 2pm.

It’s Dutch listeners who stay happy the longest and latest compared to their global counterparts, with playlists like ¡La Vida Loca! streaming from 5 to 10 PM. They’re also the biggest night owls—they don’t start winding down with meditation, lullabies, and Deep Sleep playlists until around 11pm.

For a quick look into a full “day in the life” in the US, check out the infographic below.

Not sure if there’s a playlist that’s perfect for you? Take this quiz to help find it.

On Spotify, there’s a playlist for every mood. Why not start out in a good one?

Everything You Wanted to Know about Podcasts But Were Afraid to Ask

May 28, 2019

Have you ever raved to a friend or family member about a podcast you’re bingeing (say, Stay Free: The Story of the Clash) only to have them ask, “Wait, what’s a podcast?” or even, “How do I listen to it?”

On the other hand, maybe you can talk all day about Game of Thrones finale theories or your feelings about the latest album drop, and you want to share your thoughts with the world. Good news: It’s easier than ever to get the word out.

Whether you’re a podcast aficionado looking to share your passion, or just looking to stay up on the latest trends, this straightforward and shareable Podcast 101 infographic is your one-stop shop for any podcasting questions.

Now that you can safely explain podcasts, why not find a new favorite? Or easily start your own by using Anchor or Soundtrap for Storytellers.

References:

  1. Edison Infinite Dial 2019
  2. Edison Infinite Dial 2019
  3. Nielson Podcast Insights: A Marketer’s Guide to Podcasting. Q1 2018
  4. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2018
  5. Edison Infinite Dial 2019

Sir Elton John Shines on Spotify and in New “Rocketman” Biopic

May 28, 2019

Photo credit: Sam Emerson

Listeners from all corners of the world know (and can surely sing along to) Sir Elton John’s many piano ballads, from “Tiny Dancer” to “Bennie and the Jets.” But what they may not realize is how he came to be a beloved global superstar. That’s why Rocketman, the new Elton John biopic out this week, is shedding a [spot]light on the singer’s sensational journey.

The singer-songwriter has staged numerous world tours and claimed several number-one hits across the decades thanks to a large and unfailingly loyal listening base. On Spotify, Elton John has been streamed more than 2 billion times and appears in more than 39 million playlists streamed worldwide.

Elton John attracts listeners, young and old(er) alike, with a steady stream of new releases, such as the number-one collaboration on Spotify, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)” and a live performance of “Young Dumb and Broke” with Khalid.

So as you count down to the Rocketman release, celebrate the singular sensation with a sparkling, shiny infographic of Sir Elton’s massive listening base, below.

Find “Your Song” on the Rocketman soundtrack.