Gen Z audio consumption in the U.S. - statistics and facts
Their audio consumption habits can reveal a lot about Generation Z – both to others, as well as to themselves. Globally, four in five individuals in this generation, born between 1997 and 2012, consider their audio listening habits to be a way to either express or explore their personalities. Indeed, Gen Zers were the generation that spends more daily time with consuming media than their older counterparts in the United States. On top of that, they are also the generation with the highest share of audio listening time compared to other generations.
Now, mere days away from the moment, when we will welcome the age of a new generation (Generation Beta), Generation Z will become the third-youngest generation to walk this planet and a lot of them will stand on the brink of adulthood and working life. Whenever humans enter a new phase of their lives, their habits are subject to change. Current figures suggest that the upcoming years for the audio industry remain promising, but it remains to be seen if Generation Z will continue to be the leading generation, when it comes to audio consumption, or if they will pass the torch to a younger generation.
Gen Z’s passion for music
The impact of streaming for the music industry can just as well be observed in the listening behavior of Generation Z in the United States. Gen Z spent almost two thirds of their audio listening time with streaming music or music videos in 2024. While U.S. teenagers and young adults rely on music streaming services, with Spotify being the clear favorite, the recommendations of these services are only of secondary importance for Gen Z, when it comes to discovering new music. Although elder Gen Z’s being the last age-group who might remember a life before the omnipresence of social media, four in five Americans within Gen Z discovered new music on the socials . Yet, those who think that the love for music of these digital natives confines itself exclusively to that very one digital world should stand corrected. Gen Z is not only the generation that is most willing to support their favorite artists by attending their concerts regularly, they are also the generation with the highest monthly spending for live performances and the generation that is most ready to go into debt in order to do so.Gen Z loves consuming podcasts
Nevertheless, it is not all music for Generation Z. While they might not be the most frequent podcast listeners, young Americans have indeed the highest share of podcast listeners in general. While Spotify was clearly in the lead among U.S. teenagers, when it came to overall audio consumption, the Swedish streaming service might get serious competition in the podcast market of the future. In late 2023, far more young Americans between the age of three to 12 years (the so-called Generation Alpha) were listening or watching podcasts on YouTube, rather than on Spotify. That year, the video streaming platform was also the top source for podcast discovery for Gen Z, having the lead over TikTok and other social media platforms.Now, mere days away from the moment, when we will welcome the age of a new generation (Generation Beta), Generation Z will become the third-youngest generation to walk this planet and a lot of them will stand on the brink of adulthood and working life. Whenever humans enter a new phase of their lives, their habits are subject to change. Current figures suggest that the upcoming years for the audio industry remain promising, but it remains to be seen if Generation Z will continue to be the leading generation, when it comes to audio consumption, or if they will pass the torch to a younger generation.
