Music discovery snapshot Q3 2022 Fandom under threat

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20,000 foot view:  Despite the hyper-saturated music landscape, music discovery is generally not a problem for most consumers. Gen Z and millennials have similar music discovery habits, but gen Z struggle slightly more with discovery and are more influenced by TikTok, while millennials are perhaps the last generation to see radio as a main source of music discovery. However, not all means of discovery have equal impact. Consumers are discovering music, but not always the artists behind them, and niche discovery sources are more likely to translate to time and money spent on music than mainstream ones.

Key insights 

• YouTube is the most common new music discovery source, with        of all consumers citing it, followed by radio        and DSPs       
• There are key differences between millennials and gen Z. DSPs’ and radio’s hold on discovery is diminishing in younger generations; TikTok is on the rise
       of gen Zs discover music on TikTok and        stream songs that they hear on TikTok, although only        discover music through viral trends
• Only        of consumers strongly agree that they find it difficult to discover new music, but gen Z struggle slightly more       
• Passive listening is common —        of consumers listen to playlists as background, and        report that they often do not know the names of the artists they are listening to — but        research new artists that they discover
• Despite gen Z being more active listeners, millennials are more likely to research new artists they discover
• Discovery is not a moment but a journey with many steps, from discovering songs to researching an artist to spending money on live and merch
• Overall, consumers who cite niche discovery sources are more likely to research artists and spend above-average time and money on music than mainstream ones
       of consumers who share songs with others research new artists that they discover, but gen Zs are starting to share less than millennials
• There is a strong need to guide consumers towards discovering artists, not just songs, especially for younger generations

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Euphoria, Rolling Stone, Rosalía, Sex Education, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, YouTube Music, YouTube Shorts