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Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Indian Express
Spotify study shows morning-hour music streaming a popular trend among Gen Z, millennials
Music has become a central part of daily life for India's Gen Z and millennials, with weekday mornings between 8-10 a.m. and weekend mornings between 10 am-12 pm emerging as the most active times for streaming, according to a new study by Spotify. The research, conducted on 2,000 respondents across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Lucknow – provides insights into how young adults consume music throughout the day. The study examined 19 different music listening moments and identified six of those that were the most popular: unwinding, commuting, working out, jogging or walking, casual hangouts, and socialising. These moments, Spotify found, fulfilled 'distinct emotional needs', where music served to elevate mood, reduce stress, enhance focus or energise social interactions. According to the study, millennials led music consumption in most moments, especially with outdoor or socially connected ones like commuting or jogging. Gen Z, in contrast, were the main consumers of music during home workouts, suggesting more emphasis on self-care and wellness trends. Gender-based patterns were also prominent: men were found to prefer more 'solitary, goal-driven' moments such as working out or commuting, while women preferred shared experiences like group workouts and casual hangouts at home. The study also found that there was a growing demand for personalised, moment-specific playlists. Whether upbeat Bollywood tracks during a commute or mellow instrumentals or lo-fi beats to decompress after work, listeners preferred music that reflected their emotional and situational state. This highlights a shift away from generic playlists towards hyper-personalised, mood-based soundtracks. Cultural identity also plays a key role. Genres such as Bollywood, I-Pop, and Punjabi rap were found to act as 'emotional anchors' that helped listeners feel grounded in their cultural experiences and identities, indicating a wider shift amongst young Indian listeners away from popular international tracks. On Spotify, users reflect these trends through curated 'mood and moment' mixes like Energy Workout Mix during exercise, Chill Mix during periods of relaxation, and Bollywood Mix in moments of socializing. Features on the Spotify app like ' Jams', a feature that allows multiple people to listen to a playlist together, supported shared listening experiences during casual hangouts and social settings. (This article has been curated by Arfan Jeelany, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Indian music is a soft power with potential to woo global audiences'
Mumbai: Indian Pop—or I-Pop—isn't just having a moment but may be on the verge of going global in a big way. That was the big takeaway from a panel on 'How Music Can Amplify India's Global Identity' on Day Three of the first-ever World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES). Artistes and music industry voices said Indian music is increasingly being seen as a soft power force with real potential to connect with international audiences. The panel featured singer Amruta Fadnavis, Tips Industries' Kumar Taurani, playback singer Asees Kaur, music industry veteran Ralph Simon, and Spotify India MD Amarjit Batra. The group discussed how music can act as soft power and why Indian pop is well placed to catch the ears and hearts of global listeners. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Backing that up with numbers, Batra shared findings from Spotify's Loud & Clear report, released last March. In 2024 alone, Indian artists were discovered over 11.2 billion times by first-time listeners across the world—a 13% rise from the previous year. "This shows that there is a lot of interest in Indian artistes, even in other countries," he said, adding that even within India, the focus has largely shifted to homegrown music. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Amruta Fadnavis made a strong case for Indian pop's global potential. "The success of K-Pop and J-Pop shows how a country's music can serve as soft power and spark international interest in its culture," she said. "Indian Pop has the same potential," she said pointing to Nattu Nattu and Jai Ho as examples of Indian songs that have already made waves internationally. Singer Asees Kaur shared how her performance at London's O2 Arena hit home. "The love and energy from the crowd felt just like it does here," she said. "Indians as well as foreigners, you could see everyone connecting with the songs in their own way." Her experience points at a bigger shift. Between 2019 and 2023, streams of Indian artistes in global markets shot up by over 2,000%, according to Spotify. Ralph Simon, a pioneer of mobile music and fondly known as 'the father of the ringtone', credited this rise to the distinct voice and rootedness of Indian artistes. He namechecked talents like Hanumankind, Shankar Mahadevan, and Arijit Singh for creating music that stays true to Indian culture while still sounding global. "India is right on the cusp of the golden era of music," he said.
