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The focus of Arpeggio is to provide fresh, curated music as well as data & analysis of the music biz. Curated music is important because, in a world increasingly dominated by streaming companies, there are artists who deserve the spotlight. In this curated series, Friday Roundup, I’m sharing one single, one album, and one behind the scenes (BTS) look into a recording artist's creative process to listen to at your leisure over the weekend. The behind the scenes of an artist’s creative process is storytelling with both artists and music enthusiasts in mind.

“Hard Life” and “Running” by Pip Millett

Sling by Clairo

BTS with Clairo on her new album release

Spotify Culture Next 2021 Report

• MILLENNIALS — WITH MORE YEARS BEHIND THEM — HAVE ESPECIALLY LEANED ON NOSTALGIC PLAYLISTS FOR RELIEF DURING THE PANDEMIC: THEY STREAMED ‘80S HITS 70% MORE, ‘80S ROCK ANTHEMS 57% MORE, AND ‘70S LOVE SONGS 44% MORE BETWEEN MARCH 2021 AND THE YEAR PRIOR

• 77% OF AMERICAN MILLENNIALS SEE AUDIO AS A MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE

• 69% OF AMERICAN GEN ZS FEEL “MORE CENTERED AND GENERALLY HAPPIER” WHEN LISTENING TO THEIR FAVORITE MUSIC ON A DAILY BASIS.

• 42% OFGENZ SPOTIFY USERS IN THE U.S. SAID THEY’VE HEARD A SONG ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN SEARCHED FOR IT ON SPOTIFY

• 76% OF AMERICAN MILLENNIALS BELIEVE THE ACTUAL VOICES OF PODCAST HOSTS CAN MAKE OR BREAK A PODCAST

• 63% OF AMERICAN GEN ZS BELIEVE THEY HAVE MORE FREEDOM TO BE THEIR AUTHENTIC SELVES THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS

• 68% OF MILLENNIALS AND 50% OFGEN ZS IN THE U.S. SAID THEY’VE SOUGHT MORE CONTENT FROM MORE DIVERSE CREATORS AND PODCASTS IN THE LAST YEAR

• 64% OF GLOBAL GEN Z CREATORS FEEL THAT DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY MAKES IT EASIER THAN EVER TO BE A CULTURAL CURATOR

• 67% OF GLOBAL MILLENNIAL CREATORS SAID THEY FEEL MORE PRESSURE THAN EVER TO BE A CULTURAL CURATOR.

• AUDIO IS A RICH SPACE FOR REACHING AUDIENCES THROUGH THE CULTURE THEY LOVE: 73% OF MILLENNIALS AND 57% OF GEN ZS IN THE U.S. BELIEVE THAT STREAMING PLATFORMS AT-LARGE, INCLUDING AUDIO, HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY SHAPED HOW THEY DISCOVER AND CONNECT WITH BROADER CULTURE.

• 58% OF MILLENNIALS AND 32% OF GEN ZS IN THE U.S. BELIEVE LISTENING TO MUSIC WITHOUT THE BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE CULTURE IT CAME FROM IS PROBLEMATIC.

• CONNECTED COMMUNITY: At a time when 68% of American millennials say their community or social outlet has grown smaller due to the pandemic (compared with 56% of American Gen Zs), connected devices are helping people feel more, well, connected. That’s true of their brand connections too. Audio ads, which reach listeners wherever they are, have become an innovative way to reach homebound consumers.

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