2023 Wrapped for Advertisers: Top 10 trends and takeaways

How did your target audience listen in 2023?

1. Parents or Punk Rockers?

Parents aren’t always streaming their kids’ music; on the contrary, they like to step out of mom-and-dad mode and embrace their wilder side. In 2023, Parents were more likely to stream heavy metal and punk music than other Spotify users. They also over-indexed in Comedy podcasts.¹

2. Key demographics streamed their feelings.

In 2023, people were in their feels, and it showed in their streaming habits on Spotify. Gen Zs were +1338% more likely to stream "heartbreak" playlists (#bummersummer indeed), Millennials over-indexed in streaming content that reflected the positivity mood by +357%, and Health & Fitness Enthusiasts were 58% more likely to listen to content that reflected a high-energy mood.

3. What’s old is new again.

Streaming numbers for catalog artists (those who haven't released new material in at least a year and a half) skyrocketed by 145% among Gen Zs globally over the past year (28% more than Millennials), with older teens leading the charge with a staggering 236% surge.² This trend is likely driven by Gen Z's affinity for nostalgia and their desire to discover and explore new (to-them) artists.

4. We’re in our wellness era.

Overall, there was a +492% year-over-year (YoY) growth in the “Wellness” moment, which includes meditation, mindfulness, yoga, relaxation, and self-love playlists and podcasts, with global streaming five times higher than in 2022. The key audience driving this trend was Millennials.³

Podcasts continue to drive the cultural conversation.

5. Podcast growth climbed higher this year.

Podcasts grew in popularity among consumers, and that trend extended to advertisers. Podcast ads have accelerated by +40% YoY on Spotify, making them the fastest-growing ad product on Spotify.⁴

6. Comedy was the crowning category.

In 2023, Comedy outperformed all other podcast categories, representing 26% of total hours streamed.⁵ Users also embraced more casual and "just for fun" content, too. Celebrity buzz was a big draw, thanks to cultural phenomena like the Vanderpump Rules scandal and the Met Gala. In 2023, content in the Celebrity category grew by +60%.⁶

7. Podcasts extend the conversation.

Podcasts keep the cultural conversation flowing, and they’re reaching an engaged audience. Advertisers are having their say, too: On average, we found that first-time U.S. Podcast advertisers saw a +95% incremental lift in reach when advertising in podcasts on Spotify in 2023.⁷

Fans explored the world through sound.

8. Local sounds reached ears around the globe.

• Afrobeats topped the charts in 2023. Afropop was one of the fastest growing genres among Spotify users, with a YoY increase of +49%.⁸
• Listening of Latin music increased by +33% YoY⁹, with Latin hub users and Millennial audiences being two of the main drivers of that growth (over-indexing almost 4000% and 2000%, respectively¹⁰). Fans especially gravitated toward genres like Música Mexicana, which held three out of top five songs on the global chart this summer.

Sight met sound on Spotify for significant results.

9. Video activity grew on Spotify.

Time spent with video content on Spotify increased 48% YoY, mostly driven by video podcasts. Gen Zs are leading this growth, spending 136% more time with video on Spotify YoY.¹¹

10. In 2023, variety was the spice of life—and ad campaigns.

A multi-format approach served up success for advertisers hoping to raise awareness. In 2023, all Spotify ad formats saw a positive lift in driving brand awareness and ad recall for advertisers, led by Video Takeover, Sponsored Sessions, and Audio Ad formats.¹²