Spotify tunes up tools to keep the youth

The Future. Spotify is worried that its Gen Z reach isn’t where it should be, so it’s rolling out some new features and partnerships that cater to their interests. Well, what is it that Gen Z likes? Collaboration, interactivity, and the ability to share their tastes with their community… which may lead Spotify to become more of a social platform that caters to content creation for all of its users.

Active listening
Spotify’s new features and partnerships are squarely aimed at Gen Z.

• It launched Blend, which allows friends to create a shared playlist.
• It’s set to debut a vertical video feature that will include snippets of songs.
• It’s also expanding the capabilities of Spotify Wrapped, which Gen Z engages with more than any other generation.
• On the podcast side, it has struck deals with social influencers like Addison Rae and Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper.

And to show how serious the company is about Gen Z, Spotify published a 31-page report on the listening habits of younger listeners earlier this year, which, unfortunately for Spotify, doesn’t include as many podcasts as older listeners.

Trendsetters
So, what’s with Spotify’s obsession with Gen Z? The company doesn’t want to lose ground to TikTok (like every other social platform), which at first acted as a funnel to more Spotify but has since become a music destination itself. Additionally, TikTok has rolled out its own music streamer, Resso, in Brazil, Indonesia, and India — in direct competition with Spotify.

CEO Daniel Ek is “paranoid” that there’s a disconnect between what Gen Z is listening to on TikTok and what is popular on Spotify… and he’s not wrong. The two most popular artists on TikTok this year were Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, both of whom didn’t even crack the top five on Spotify.