Gen Z on Track to Stream Over 1 Trillion Songs on Spotify This Year

Gen Z has grown up with music streaming as their primary listening format, and new data from Spotify suggests they can’t get enough. Their report shows Gen Z users streamed a staggering 560 billion tracks just in the first half of 2023 – putting them on pace to surpass 1 trillion streams this year.

After over a decade of growth, it’s incredible that music streaming still has so much room left to run. But for Gen Z, who have never known a world without Spotify, Apple Music and the like, streaming is ingrained as their go-to for all music listening.

Spotify in particular has seen Gen Z’s listening jump 76% compared to the first half of 2022. They are absolutely devouring music and podcasts on the platform.

In the last 20 years, streaming has completely displaced physical music sales and terrestrial radio for younger generations. While every demographic has embraced streaming, Gen Z has grown up with it as their primary music source. For them, it’s not just the new thing – it’s the default.

Despite concerns over a “monoculture” amongst Gen Z, Spotify found 81% don’t see themselves as subscribing to the same overarching youth culture. However, when asked about the biggest cultural event of the past year, they were twice as likely to name an album or song release over major news events.

Gen Z sees music and streaming platforms like Spotify as driving culture and connecting them to it. As one 18-year old user told Spotify: “Spotify takes you deep. You play one song, then the next one comes on – you like the song, the artist, and end up listening to all their music.”

Spotify found 79% of Gen Z users in the UK feel the platform brings them “deeper into culture” by way of its personalized recommendations and social features.

Even AI is playing a role in shaping Gen Z’s listening habits. Since launching their AI-powered DJ mode earlier this year, Gen Z has already streamed over 1.5 billion minutes through the new feature. AI gives them endless personalized playlists and radio stations based on their tastes.

As discussions continue around AI’s impact on the music industry, Spotify sees it as an opportunity to enhance discovery rather than replace artists. Clearly Gen Z has embraced AI-guided listening experiences as part of their streaming obsession.

Between the growth in listening time and new innovations like AI-DJs, Spotify still has plenty of room to engage young audiences. The 1 trillion track milestone is only the latest indicator of how indispensable music streaming has become to Gen Z. Their relationship with streaming will continue shaping the music industry for years to come.