Less news, more chill: Spotify says users changing listening habits during pandemic
For Spotify users during the global pandemic, listening habits on the streaming service have turned away from podcasts while searches are up for more “chill” or instrumental music, the company said.
“Every day now looks like the weekend,” the company said in a new quarterly earnings statement released Wednesday.
Spotify is an audio streaming app and website that lets users play music from a wide range of bands and artists, along with more than one million podcasts, according to the company. It works with a “freemium” model, with a free service for users with advertisements and a subscription service with no ads. The quarterly statement said its user base has continued to grow through the pandemic and lockdown.
“It’s clear from our data that morning routines have changed significantly,” the company said.
People are spending less time listening to podcasts, Spotify said, probably because people are spending less time in cars and commuting as most people in areas with stay-home orders are working from home or have been laid off.
“Listening time around activities like cooking, doing chores, family time, and relaxing at home have each been up double digits over the past few weeks,” the company said.
“Audio has also taken on a greater role in managing the stress and anxiety many are feeling in today’s unprecedented environment,” according to Spotify. The company said it conducted a survey of US users and about 40% said they were using music more to help with stress.
Spotify said searches for “chill” and instrumental music have been up.
“We’ve also seen an uptick in consumption of podcasts related to wellness and meditation over the last few weeks,” the company said.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Less news, more chill: Spotify says users changing listening habits during pandemic."
