Now streaming: Culture Next, the podcast

In July, we launched Culture Next vol. 3, the latest installment of Spotify Advertising’s annual study of digital audio trends being shaped by millennials and Gen Zs. In our research, we unpacked how both generations are creating, curating, and experiencing culture in real-time — and what advertisers need to know to capture their attention.

Now, we’re back with the first-ever Culture Next podcast, co-hosted by Marion Boeri, Spotify’s Global Lead of Thought Leadership, and Julia Peterson, a researcher at youth culture agency Archrival. Each of the five episodes features an in-depth analysis of the audio trends outlined in this year’s report, with commentary from Spotifiers and industry experts.

Got a minute? Grab your headphones and listen to the trailer:

Got a half hour (or more)? Listen to each episode, available now on Spotify:

1. Audio: ‘The “It” Source’ for a new generation of listeners

In this episode, Gimlet Managing Director Lydia Polgreen joins our hosts to discuss why audio plays an outsized role in millennials’ and Gen Zs’ lives — as one of their most-trusted sources for news, information, entertainment, product recommendations, and more.¹

“Rather than closing you off to the world… audio really feels like it opens you up.”

– Lydia Polgreen, Managing Director of Gimlet

2. Remote Connections: New digital audio trends that emerged from the pandemic

Household listening via smart speakers. Virtual concerts. In-car streaming during road trips. Over the course of the pandemic, the listening experience shifted from an earbuds-in solo affair to a new medium for people to connect. Hear how listening behaviors will continue to evolve among millennials and Gen Zs, along with more predictions from Craig Weingarten, Global Head of Industry, Automotive & QSR at Spotify.

3. ‘Symbiotic Creation’: How Gen Z is revolutionizing fandom

While previous generations were more inclined to lean back and listen, Gen Z audiences have embraced a creator mindset and are playing an active role in amplifying new artists, co-creating songs and making tomorrow’s hits. In this episode, hear from creators who are welcoming fans into their artistic process and Salvatore Maicki, Creative Content Manager of the FADER label and co-host and associate producer of The FADER Interview podcast.

“I’m fascinated at watching fans react to artists in these niche spheres, and seeing it manifest in memes and homemade music videos and… You can have a reaction to music and encapsulate that in your own creation immediately.”

– Salvatore Maicki, Creative Content Manager of the FADER Label

4. ‘New Voices’: Meet the audio creators at the forefront of culture

Meet the millennial and Gen Z creators who are bypassing traditional gatekeepers of culture to share viewpoints and vibes that haven’t traditionally been celebrated by mainstream media. In this episode, our hosts also speak with Tye Comer, Senior Product Manager at Spotify and creator of Spotify Advertising’s Outside Voice playlist series.

5. ‘Affinity-Hoods’: Rethinking demographic segmentation

Millennials and Gen Zs have undone the neat demographic segmentation of marketing past. They can’t be defined solely by age, race, gender or geography — and it’s time for advertisers to look instead at their similarities in shared cultural passions. In this episode, Sean Kegelman, Global Head of Audience Solutions at Spotify joins our hosts to explain how “cultural affinity groups'' play out on the platform, and what this means for brands and marketers going forward.

Stream all episodes of the Culture Next podcast, and download the latest Culture Next report for even more insights.