New parents, GenZ and millennials turned to Spotify in 2021, as they strived to shorten distances, get away from the screen and get into the groove

The uncertainty of COVID-19 has taken a toll on people, but as always, music has come to the rescue. People turned to Spotify — the world’s biggest music platform with 381 million plus active users — to get them in the mood, away from the screen, closer to friends, and take on parenting amid the uncertainty of the pandemic.

A new report by the music giant highlights not only how listening patterns have changed over the past rollercoaster of a year, but also how advertisers and creators are finding new ways to forge connections with the users — like the fact that podcasts are gaining momentum across age groups.

The total time spent listening to podcasts by moms, dads and new parents grew by 83%. Meanwhile, among those between the ages of 15 to 44 years, there was a 34% jump in users. 61% of Gen Zs and millennials globally said they feel empowered to build a “better” normal.

Here are the top five trends that Spotify saw jump this year with listeners opening up to new experiences, new gadgets, and new environments:

1. Music helps us combat too much screen time

Looking to rebuild and rebalance, audiences sought ways to rise above the digital clutter. Many turned to sound, with 79% of global audiences agreeing that they embraced digital audio as a tool to combat screen fatigue.²

Spotify was a haven for consumers as they leaned into (and on) sound, with overall minutes played on the platform increasing by +22% from 2020 to 2021 for users aged 15 to 44³. And 69% of Gen Z and millennial Spotify users agreed that audio acted as a soundtrack to their daily lives.⁴

2. Music helps us bridge the distance

In the face of challenging circumstances to stay connected to loved ones, listeners increasingly used sound to bridge the gap by sharing moments and culture, maintaining their digital connections over the distance. For example, 59% of Gen Z and millennial Spotify users globally said they’ve shared more content with friends as a way of staying in touch.⁶ More than 2.1 billion tracks, shows, albums, and artists were shared via Spotify in 2021, and there were more than 22 million collaborative Spotify playlists created in the last year.⁷

3. Music helped us maintain calm at home

As the pace of our households slowed, audio brought us together through communal listening. Smart speakers — which served as the centerpiece, serving up everything from dance party mixes to songs from “Cocomelon” — rose in popularity among Spotify users globally in 2021, with total listening time through smart speakers growing by 29% YoY.⁸

Speaking of “Cocomelon,” we saw this trend growing specifically among parents, with 63% saying they’ve been listening to music and podcasts through smart speakers.⁹

4. It’s not just about the music…

While audiences' worlds remained in flux, sound allowed them to embrace new experiences: 68% of Gen Z and millennial Spotify users said that they discovered more content that they like than ever before.¹¹

They turned to podcasts, in particular, with the number of distinct podcast users aged 15-44 on Spotify growing by +34% YoY - largely in part to an influx of audience segments like Moms, Dads, and New Parents.

5. Spotify helped listeners get into the groove

There’s no denying it: 2021 was a roller-coaster year, and sound was a powerful tool for creating the right vibe for the moment. Top Playlists on Spotify covered a wide range of moods, with relaxing (Deep Sleep, Peaceful Piano), energetic (Mood Booster, Top Hits), nostalgic (All Out 80), and vibey (lo-fi beats, Soft Pop Hits) playlists all rounding out the Top 20 most-streamed playlists on Spotify in 2021.¹⁴



To work with Spotify and leverage more such insights and trends, reach out to us at spotify-advertising-india@spotify.com.

Explore all of the 5 trends uncovered in Spotify Wrapped for Advertisers by downloading the guide here.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Spotify.

Sources:
¹Spotify Culture Next Global Survey, among 9,000 respondents 15-40, Apr’21
²Spotify x IPG, Digital Audio Expansiveness,’21
³Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
⁴Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
⁵Spotify Culture Next Global survey, among 9,000 respondents, 15-40, Apr’21
⁶Spotify First Party Data, India, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
⁷Spotify First Party Data, India, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
⁸Spotify Culture Next Global Survey, among 9,000 respondents, 15-40, Apr’21
⁹Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21
¹⁰Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
¹¹Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20
¹²Spotify Culture Next Global Survey, among 9,000 respondents, 15-40, Apr’21
¹³Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21
¹⁴Spotify First Party Global Data, Jan-Oct’21 vs. Jan-Oct’20


SEE ALSO:
Grofers puts on a new name, Blinkit, to show how the focus of its business is changing
TRAI’s push to make mobile banking services via USSD free faces stiff opposition from Airtel, Vodafone Idea