The future of music in the eyes of teenagers

InPulse Digital at the Billboard Latin Music Conference

By Elisabeth Bohlmann, VP Client Services at InPulse Digital  As part of the events at the Billboard Latin Music Conference, I was invited to be a part of the Sessions1on1, sharing my experience in Social Media working for InPulse Digital Marketing Agency Miami . There, I had the chance to witness a very different event within the conference: a panel of Hispanic teens ages 14-16, who talked about how they invest in music and how they consume it. This is some of the most relevant data about the future of the industry: • They listen to music ALL day. What music? What their friends and family recommend. They listen to what everyone else listens to: the Today’s Hits playlist. According to David Huron from University of Ohio, almost 90% of the time, we seek music we have already listened to before. • The option to create custom playlists and receive updates from their favorite artists make Spotify and Pandora the favorite music platforms. By the end of 2014 Spotify had 60 million active users and Pandora 81.5 million according to PEW Research. • They enjoy apps that recommend songs and artists related to what they like. • Shazam is an app they use to discover new music, on which they look for further information online. According to an article in The Atlantic, since its creation, Shazam has recognized over 30 million songs and been downloaded 50 million times. • The influence in YouTube is with those channels with the most views and subscribers. The video allows the artist to deliver its message. However, music streaming widely surpasses watching videos. • Radio is dead among teens due to its repetitive content. According to The Atlantic, the most popular song of 2013, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, was played over 70% more than the most popular song of 2003. • When they listen to music in the car, they do it by connecting their mobile devices to the car system. • They use iTunes to buy music from their favorite artists, with whom they develop a long-term relationship, whether it is due to the musical content or the affection they have for the artist. • Beyond buying music on iTunes, they buy concert tickets and merchandising for the artist, but only if it is good quality. • They support the artist-fan bond when the artist is involved with a good cause. They will even buy merchandising just because proceeds are destined to a worthy cause. • Taylor Swift is a great example: she is admired because of the bond she builds with her fans. They feel like she is a friend. • Instagram is the network teens use to follow their favorite artist because the feel it is “real”. They even follow artists they don’t like as much. They know the difference between a personal post and a promotional post created by someone else.