Spotify Culture Next Report chronicles the strong value of music to Millennials and Gen Z

Volumes have been written about the value of music to fans, but what about the values of music to fans?

In April of 2021 in the wake of the pandemic, Spotify used its data along with surveys and interviews in 16 countries to understand how music moves and motivates us.

Key findings

A Global Community – The study found that 44% of millennials and 48% of Gen Zs say that they feel part of a global community because of digital audio in the form of music and podcasts.

Learn About Other Cultures – 56% of Millennials and 53% of Gen Zs say that they use music as a way to learn about cultures and how others think and live.  65% of both groups say that streaming platforms has shaped how they connect with culture.

Stress Reduction – 76% of both groups asay they use audio to reduce stress levels. 75% of Millennials call audio a mental health resource and 76% of Gen Z agreeing that it is healing.

Spotify’s Culture Next 2021 report can be downloaded here. 

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Bruce Houghton is Founder and Editor of Hypebot and MusicThinkTank and serves as a Senior Advisor to Bandsintown which acquired both publications in 2019. He is Founder and President of the Skyline Artists Agency and an online professor for the Berklee College Of Music.