Spotify has released its Culture Next Report 2021 exploring the impact of audio in the Philippines, and how millennials and Gen Zs are shaping culture locally and globally through their listening habits.
Millennials and Gen Zs leverage on digital audio to seek comfort and connection
Sound has become a form of escape for millennials and Gen Zs. In the Philippines, 87% of millennials and 85% of Gen Zs agree that they use audio to reduce their stress levels. With more years behind them, Pinoy millennials have leaned on nostalgic playlists. In fact, on Spotify, millennials have streamed 70s love songs 59% more over the past year, while 80s hits saw 40% more streams.
For Gen Zs, music is their instant way to reach Zen, with 82% of Pinoy Gen Z’s feeling more centered and generally happier when listening to their favorite music daily. In Southeast Asia alone, there were 76% more ‘Gen Z’ playlists (such as idk.) than ‘millennial’ playlists streamed in May 2021 on Spotify.
Podcasts: A New Kind of School
The audio habits of these generations go beyond music, too, with podcast consumption in the Philippines doubling over the past year (March 2020 to March 2021). Filipinos are more open to diverse voices than ever before, with 62% of Pinoy millennials and 58% of Gen Zs saying they’ve sought content from more diverse creators and podcasts in the last year.
Quoted in Spotify’s Culture Next initiative is Wil Dasovich, Creator of SUPERHUMAN with Wil Dasovich, a Spotify Original, who says, “There’s a higher level of trust with podcast audiences because as a creator, you can go deeper and build a connection. It’s kind of like hanging out and seeing this side of someone that’s as personal as it can get. People feel like I’m right there talking to them. With podcasts, it allows me to elaborate further on various issues that my audience actually cares about.”
Driving Culture Through Curation and Connection
Streaming platforms at large, including audio, have significantly shaped how they discover and connect with the broader culture. Over 70% of Pinoy millennials and Gen Zs use music to learn about cultures and experiences that differ from their own. Also, 65% of Filipino millennials and 61% of Gen Zs have become part of a global community because of either music or podcasts.
Be it gaming or K-pop, the discovery of music and content among Filipinos leads to a connection to a wider fandom and community. Gamers in the Philippines and around the world are soundtracking their gaming with Spotify. Time spent streaming Spotify via gaming consoles also increased 35% around the globe between the first quarter of 2021 vs 2020.
Culture Next is designed to give advertisers an inside look into what inspires and motivates millennials and Gen Z, the differences and commonalities in how they’re engaging with and driving culture.
Read more about the Spotify Culture Next Report here.
