New Spotify Report: How Artists and Venues Can Hook Gen Z

Spotify has released its latest Culture Next Gen Z Report, and the data proves that this generation is far more nuanced than most headlines suggest.

Spanning a 15-year age gap, a 14-year-old high schooler and a 29-year-old young professional have vastly different habits even though they've all grown up on the same digital platforms. But because they grew up in and frequent same digital spaces, their cultural trends are homogenizing and evolving at an unprecedented pace.

For the music industry, understanding this demographic segment is essential. Gen Z represents 35% of Spotify’s total audience, making them the platform's largest and most culturally influential cohort. Even more staggering: they spend an average of two hours a day streaming on the platform.

Partnering with youth culture strategist Casey Lewis, Spotify broke down Gen Z into three distinct life stages:

• High School (14–18)

• College-Aged (19–23)

• Early Adulthood (24–29)

Here are the biggest trends from the study, takeaways and playbooks for artists, venues, and music marketers to sell more tickets and maximize streams.

Trend 1: The Rise of Video Podcasts

Forget audio-only. When Gen Z tunes into podcasts, they are increasingly choosing to watch rather than just listen. Globally, video podcast streams among Gen Z grew +90% over last year.

This embrace of long-form video media is an intentional rebellion against endless doomscrolling. Gen Z is engaging in "knowledgemaxxing"—using long-form content to reverse-engineer an intellectual community outside of school.

The Life Stage Breakdown

• High Schoolers: Watch 69% of their podcasts in video format, with 92% of those streams going to social-first influencers like The LOL Podcast. Their video podcast consumption jumped 117% YOY.
• College Kids: Pivot toward traditional podcast topics like true crime, comedy, and finance (e.g., The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett), seeing an 82% YOY increase in video streams.
• Early Adults: Dedicate 70% of their streams to established, professional media shows (e.g., Good Hang with Amy Poehler), with video streams growing 62% YOY.

Music Marketing Playbook: Stop focusing exclusively on 15-second TikTok clips. If you are promoting an album or tour, booking your artist on video podcasts is one of the most effective ways to capture Gen Z's undivided attention. For younger demographics, target social-first influencer podcasts; for older demographics, aim for established, high-production interview shows.

Trend 2: Devotion vs. Discovery in Music Fandom

Gen Z defies their "fickle" reputation. While launch fatigue has set in across internet culture, Gen Z is craving comfort, turning to "comfort creators" and ritualistic listening.

Gen Z Music Streaming Dynamics by Life Stage:
┌─────────────────┬──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────┐
│ Life Stage      │ Devotion (% Top 20)      │ Discovery (Breadth Index)│
├─────────────────┼──────────────────────────┼──────────────────────────┤
│ High School     │ 13% (1 in 8 streams)     │ 0.5 (Highest)            │
│ College-Aged    │ 12%                      │ 0.3                      │
│ Early Adulthood │ 11% (Most discerning)    │ 0.2 (Deep curation)      │
└─────────────────┴──────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────┘

The younger the fan, the more radically dual their habits are.

They are intensely loyal to their core favorites while simultaneously discovering new artists at a breakneck pace. High schoolers dedicate 13% of their streams to their top 20 artists while maintaining the highest breadth index for finding new music.

By college, listening narrows slightly as external environments change, before settling into a deeply curated, discerning mix in early adulthood.

Artist Playbook: Capitalize on the "comfort creator" cycle. Gen Z wants consistency. Instead of disappearing for two years and dropping a massive, unannounced campaign, focus on building long-term digital rituals. Consistently feed your top superfans—they are the ones driving 1 in 8 of their daily streams directly to their favorite artists.

Trend 3: The "Baile Breakthrough" & "Auramaxxing"

Move over Country and Latin—Brazilian Funk is officially the fastest-growing music genre among Gen Z globally. Driven heavily by the sub-genre Brazilian Phonk (a heavy-bass fusion with Memphis rap and lo-fi), streams are accelerating between +21% to +26% YOY across all Gen Z cohorts.

This musical explosion is directly tied to two massive Gen Z cultural movements:

1. Gym Culture as the New "Third Place": Gen Z is drinking less and prioritizing wellness. In fact, 47% of all new gym memberships came from Gen Z, and 18-to-24-year-olds have the highest gym penetration at 35.5%. Because of this, Brazilian Phonk appears 2x more often in workout playlists.
2. Gaming & Aura Culture: Brazilian Phonk also appears 6x more often in gaming playlists. It heavily dominates Gen Z's "aura" playlists (titles like Auramaxxing or Aurafarming), which are designed to soundtrack confidence and self-presentation. U.S. streams of aura playlists grew a mind-boggling 284% YOY among the youngest Gen Z listeners.

Additionally, the "slowed + reverb" remix trend is a primary catalyst. Producers are reworking tracks into hypnotic, slowed-down versions that bypass language barriers and double a song's algorithmic real estate on playlists.

Actionable Strategies to Sell More Tickets & Music

1. For Touring Artists

• Lean Into Remix Ecosystems: Don't just release an official single. Drop a "slowed + reverb" remix immediately. The youngest Gen Z listeners favor heavily remixed tracks, and the data shows it effectively doubles your presence in their top 100 song rotations.
• Play to the Anxieties and Passions: True crime and horror listening grew 13% YOY because Gen Z uses dark themes and coping humor to handle real-world economic and relationship anxieties. If your brand or visual aesthetic incorporates these moody, surreal, or "spooky" elements, lean into it—high schoolers over-index on criminal psychology content at a rate 2x higher than Millennials.

2. For Venues Trying to Sell Tickets

• Rethink the "Third Place" Promotion: If Gen Z is hanging out at the gym instead of the bar, your physical marketing needs to move. Partner with local independent gyms, run clubs, or fitness communities for ticket giveaways and event awareness.
• Target the "Viral-Curious" College Segment: College-aged Zs are the most prone to "viral spikes," with 1 in 5 podcast streams going to buzzy, one-off episodes outside their usual rotation. They love cultural FOMO. Frame your venue’s marketing campaigns around "one-night-only" viral spectacles, celebrity pop-ins, or hyper-buzzy theme nights to capture this demographic's impulse habits.

3. For Music Marketers

• Infiltrate Non-Traditional Playlists: Stop fighting solely for New Music Friday. Target user-generated and editorial workout, gaming, and "aura" playlists. If your track has heavy bass, a hypnotic build, or high energy, optimize its metadata to slide into fitness and gaming verticals where Gen Z consumption is peaking.
• Segment Campaigns by Life Stage: High schoolers want influencer-led content and comforting repetition. College students are navigating newfound real-world risks (relationship dynamics, first credit cards, and financial exploitation content spikes 40x in this bracket). Early adults want deep personal growth and dark comedy. Tailor your ad creative to match these exact psychological life stages.

Hypebot's Bottom Line

Gen Z doesn't just passively consume music. They playlist, watch, remix, and convert their fandom into a core part of their identity.

If you give them the right sonic ritual, they will reward you with unparalleled loyalty.

Read and download the full Spotify Culture Next Gen Z Report free here.