Marketing to Millennials on Spotify: Key streaming moments

There’s no doubt about it — millennials are passionate about music. Three in four millennials say music is part of how they define who they are. As the #1 music platform for music discovery and recommendations among millennials, Spotify is at the center of their lives, with multi-device users streaming for 2+ hours a day.

Unlike generations past, millennials aren’t loyal to any specific music genre. Instead, they pride themselves on being open-minded and constantly discovering the new, with 84% stating that their music tastes span multiple genres.

This reluctance to tie themselves to any one genre also extends to multiple parts of their lives—74% believe in gender fluidity, one-third juggle several different careers simultaneously, and 64% believe that labeling people unnecessarily divides them.

When you couple this with the fact that millennials represent the largest and most diverse audience in history, this throws a wrench in marketers’ neat audience segmentations.

Streaming & the breakdown of genre
Pre-internet, music genres often came out of specific scenes married to geography—think D.C. hardcore, the sounds of Madchester, Australian pub rock, North England’s Northern Soul or early hip hop and the South Bronx. As digital natives, millennials are the first generation to have the world’s entire library and geography of music at their fingertips.

The ability to stream music anywhere and any time has made their tastes more diverse and it has influenced artists and curators to mix and match genres as well. Take Rihanna’s cover of Tame Impala, the popularity of playlists like ¡Viva Latino! that give everyone immediate access to a cultural genre or playlists like “All the Feels,” which riff off of mood.

Streaming isn’t just a utility—it’s a companion
The ubiquity of audio streaming has also shaped the relationship millennials have with their music. Genre still matters, but it no longer defines them. Instead, it is viewed as a shortcut to selecting music to enhance and improve every mood and occasion.

This is important because our research shows that millennials are literally soundtracking every moment of their lives. They actively stream music to help them get through the less desirable moments in their day, improve the more positive ones and even discover new things about their personality. 46% even stream audio as they go in and out of other social media apps.

How to reach millennials
So what does this all mean for marketers? Music’s central, always-on role in millennials lives offers a number of opportunities.

First, millennials intentionally use music streaming to escape daily pressures or to enhance moments they enjoy. Their relationship to audio streaming contrasts to social media, which 48% of millennials worry brings them negative effects—and the news, which 3 in 5 millennials say they need to take breaks from reading or watching. For marketers, this is a chance to reach millennials through a medium they trust and see as a positive enhancer or tool.

Second, while millennials’ resistance to defining themselves by geography, sexuality, career choice and music genre has made marketing a challenge, this shift to always-on audio streaming also presents new opportunities to get your message heard through personalized experiences that match the mood and occasion.

We’ve identified seven key audio streaming moments for marketers to tap into. Dive into the moments below for tips to follow on how to reach millennials with effective creative strategies and media plans.

Download our full guide to marketing to millennials on Spotify.

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Working

Whether it’s hitting the books or heading into the office for a long day on the computer, the work moment calls for focus, but can also bring stress. Learn the best way to be there for consumers in this moment.

Chilling

Chilling can be a personal moment or even a family hang. But whatever the occasion, it’s a good moment to help your audience relax and put them in a positive mood.

Chores

While keeping the house so fresh and so clean, music helps break up monotony. Chores mark a great time to introduce information and say something interesting about your product or business.

Gaming

Millennials use Spotify to replace the regular game soundtrack with their own chosen music. To reach gamers, be conversational and keep it quick — they’ll want to get back to chasing that high score ASAP. 

Working Out

47% of millennials stream while they work out — often to keep them pumped and distract them from the pain. To connect with fitness enthusiasts, it’s important to keep the energy moving and match your content to the beat.

Partying

While partying, or even pre-partying, millennials get the group amped up with music to drink and hang out to. If you want to get in on the fun, keep the energy moving and match the beat.

Driving

If you’re speaking to millennials while they are driving or on their commute, this is a great time to present new information and keep them entertained.