As Gen Zers continue to put their stamp on the world, the conversation around these tastemakers is becoming noisier than ever. Understanding what inspires, captivates, and drives this generation is not always clear. But for many Gen Zers, Spotify is an essential companion, and we that believe the music, podcasts, and playlists that soundtrack their lives offer valuable insight into the mindset of this generation.
That's why each year we release our Culture Next report to highlight the different ways Gen Z is shaping streaming, online culture, and the world at large-and to help advertisers connect with them in meaningful ways.
For the 2024 Culture Next report, we developed our insights using a couple of approaches. First, we looked at our streaming data to establish a broad snapshot of what-and how-Gen Z streams on Spotify.
Second, we talked to Gen Zers all around the world to gain their individual perspectives on how streaming fits into their day-to-day lives. This helped us shape our three main Culture Next report insights:
Gen Z loves using Spotify to build and strengthen personal connections.
Gen Z turns to Spotify to soundtrack the milestone moments in their lives.
Gen Z tastes continue to veer toward the mainstream.
For the Record sat down with three Gen Z influencers-Eric Sede o, Jules Terpak, and Clarke Peoples-to get an even more personal glimpse into how today's rising tastemakers consume and discover content on Spotify.
What is your favorite Spotify feature to use? Eric Sede o: My favorite feature right now is Jam because I just moved in with my boyfriend and it's so fun to put on music together in our house.
Jules Terpak: I'm simple, so I tend to adore the basics, but I have to admit that I've been really impressed with DJ. Aside from Smart Shuffle, I've been tapping into DJ when I'm in the mood to discover new music. The commentary and transitions from X have great energy.
Clarke Peoples: I love daylist. It always has such fun titles and good music based on the time of day.
How do you think Spotify is creating a sense of community and connection on its platform? Eric: Through the amazing personalization features-especially Spotify Wrapped. Wrapped has become one of the biggest days for people on socials, and music feels so shareable with Spotify. It's so easy to put a song on your Instagram story that I'm always shocked when someone doesn't use it.
Jules: I think music bridges the digital and physical worlds the best out of all the industries right now. Podcasts are also starting getting into in-person events, which is beautiful to see.
I do think people online throw around the word community far too lightly, when in reality what's often being created is more of a network. I have a hard time calling anything a community until there's a physical-world component.
Luckily the world of music, podcasts, and audiobooks can translate to the physical world quite seamlessly, so I hope that'll evolve further in the future.
Clarke: I love that you can create collaborative playlists with friends! I love doing this before having people over.
What are some of the unique ways you use Spotify? Eric: I've been using the new AI Playlist feature a lot, and I don't think people really utilize that feature enough yet.
Jules: I think the fact that I use all three content offerings-music, podcasts, and audiobooks-is unique. A lot of my friends hadn't realized that audiobooks are now a perk of Premium. Not to sound salesly, but they'll be on the wave eventually.
I also post all of my YouTube videos that aren't podcasts to Spotify. It's something I don't think video creators are taking advantage of. However people want to access my work, I'm down for it.
Clarke: I live for my daylist and video podcasts. I love the uniqueness of daylist and watching my favorite podcasters!
How do you think video content is changing the streaming experience? Eric: I think that it has made it so much more fun. I love watching podcasts on Spotify. Also, outside of the app, I think video has made it way easier for people to find Spotify content that speaks to them, because so many clips and snippets from shows are shared on social media.
Jules: Video becoming such an integral part of podcasts definitely makes them inch closer to talk shows rather than radio shows. For creators, this adds more to the production process, but for viewers, I think video provides more context and stimulation.
That said, I do feel audio-only podcasts will develop a certain comforting aura around them that some fans will prefer.
Clarke: Personally, I love it. I think it is so engaging for audiences and helps viewers to get to know creators better.
Describe Gen Z in three words. Eric: Fast. Overwhelmed. Unserious.
Jules: Outspoken, malleable, and entertaining.
Clarke: Collaborative, tenacious, and open-minded.
Can you share a few of the recent playlist titles you've created? Eric: My most recent is Run Rico Run because I was training for the NYC marathon.
Jules: Jules Gems is my master playlist (and the only one I currently have public). I'm the type to have hyperfixations and be loyal to a song that catches my attention forever, so that's where they live.
The Scenario is my playlist that outlines a recent pivotal life transition. The name is so corny now that I think about it, but it was super spur-of-the-moment. I didn't give it much thought.
Otherwise, I typically name my playlists by year and dump whatever songs resonated with me during that time frame. Or I do an artist's name as the title and dump all of my favorite songs from them-again, to feed the hyperfixations.
Clarke: Girls night, Summer in Paris, Flashback Favorites.
What are you currently listening to? Eric: My favorite podcasts
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Acce...
15/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Production of Los secretos de l...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
15/07/2025
Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...
14/07/2025
The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...
14/07/2025
UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases
London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...
14/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
14/07/2025
The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...
14/07/2025
Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...
14/07/2025
Grass Valley and Daktronics today announced a strategic technology partnership that unites Grass Valley's live production expertise with Daktronics' lea...
14/07/2025
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset, and swXtch.io, provider of cloud-based multicast and reliable networking solutions, are partnering to deliver multicast...
14/07/2025
Tintri , a DDN subsidiary and leader in AI-powered data management solutions, today announces a game-changing and award-winning refresh to its global Partner P...
14/07/2025
HighField AI, the broadcast industry's first agentic and multimodal AI platform for automating graphics production, is now commercially available. Developed...
14/07/2025
Encompass Digital Media has today announced that it has been delivering a complex global services project for DAZN, the world s leading sports entertainment pla...
14/07/2025
MASV (massive.io), the fastest, most reliable large file transfer platform trusted by over 10,000 global organizations, announced today it will showcase its nex...
14/07/2025
Calrec is introducing a series of usability, customisation and system enhancements across the entire range of Argo consoles at IBC 2025, on Stand 8.C47. Look ou...
14/07/2025
Fincons Group, IT business consultancy and systems integrator company with more than 40 years of experience in the market, is proud to announce a new engagement...
14/07/2025
Intinor returns to IBC to present the latest updates to its Direkt series. A key development on show is Intinor Direkt Management (IDM), a web-based interface f...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
Trailer Out Now! Netflix and YRF Entertainment's Mandala ...
14/07/2025
Back to All News
25 Former Athletes Seek Redemption in Final Draft,' Japan...
As Gen Zers continue to put their stamp on the world, the conversation around these tastemakers is becoming noisier than ever. Understanding what inspires, captivates, and drives this generation is not always clear. But for many Gen Zers, Spotify is an essential companion, and we that believe the music, podcasts, and playlists that soundtrack their lives offer valuable insight into the mindset of this generation. 
