Nearly 1/5 of Gen Z admit to difficulties discovering new music, and are already less likely than other generations to dig deeper into artists they discover. [MIDiA Consumer Survey Q3, 2022] So, how can Spotify support independent artists and aid new music discovery in an already oversaturated market?

Social media is an important channel of self promotion for independent artists - it gives opportunities to reach a wider audience than many other mediums, and if it goes well, could lead to their music ‘blowing up’ - however, it involves a lot of effort from the artist and often has a negligible effect on listener numbers.

On average, people are listening to 20.7 hours of music per week. [IFPI’s Engaging with Music 2023 report]

Social media platforms are helping new artists to break into the already overcrowded industry, where a 15-second snippet posted of a song could lead to the artist gaining popularity or even entering the charts; and online streaming services have revolutionised music consumption meaning artists are now heavily reliant on streaming revenue rather than physical album sales - "The industry is transitioning from a top-down hierarchical structure to a more democratic one, where talent and authenticity take precedence over marketing budgets." [Tong, 2023]

The purpose of this project is to combine the reach and widespread popularity of Spotify with the objectives of music exposure platforms, giving opportunities to Gen Z music fans to discover previously unknown artists. It should lead to increased user engagement on the platform, as well as supporting artists by reaching new fans and helping independent venues through potential ticket sales.

The Playlist Perfectionist

The target consumer is a person in their early twenties living in an urban area in the UK. They have a low income, but prefer to spend money on experiences rather than physical purchases. They’re a big fan of indie music and regularly attend gigs and festivals, and are a dedicated supporter of their favourite artists - following them on social media, posting videos from concerts, and often purchasing albums or merch. Music is an integral part of their routine, both as a form of self-expression and as a way to connect with like-minded people; they feel most themselves when connecting with others with similar interests. They frequently discover new music through recommendations from friends or artists they follow on social media, regularly using Spotify’s discovery playlists for new recommendations. They often gravitate towards music from artists that feel more unknown or underground, and share videos taken at concerts to their story to showcase their personal tastes and to find others with similar interests.

They understand the toxicity and bias of social media, however they use it often in order to stay updated on their friends’ lives and local events; they value authenticity and individuality but are still frequently influenced by trends. They find algorithms on social media and music platforms to be too repetitive, and would love for there to be more variety across different genres, however they often feel overwhelmed by the volume of available music and would prefer a more streamlined approach to discover new artists. They value the social aspect of music discovery and want more interactive, community-driven ways to share and discuss music tastes beyond passive listening.

The Playlist Perfectionist's Preferred Forms of Content

Spotify: They regularly use personalized playlists like “Discover Weekly”, “Release Radar” and “Daylist”, as well as genre specific playlists and blend playlists with their friends.

Instagram: They use Stories to find new music, looking at what their friends and favourite artists have shared.

TikTok: They enjoy watching different styles of content, but prefer watching more natural videos to highly rehearsed ones. They prefer quick and digestible content and want to see a lot in a short span of time.

YouTube: They watch artist interviews, music videos, and live performances, using “next up” recommendations to discover new artists.

Concerts: They attend lots of live events and discover new artists they love from support acts, festivals, or posters at venues.

Creating a buzz around new music discovery by overcoming existing algorithms, inspiring Gen Z indie music fans to engage with unknown artists and support local talent.

By framing music discovery as something exciting rather than passive, the big idea aligns with The Playlist Perfectionist’s preference for interactive and community-driven experiences. Since they are already less inclined to dig deeper into artists they find, it actively inspires them to engage with unknown artists, creating feelings of excitement around discovery.

The oversaturation of the market makes it hard for artists to break through - a key difficulty when discovering new music is recommendation algorithms reinforcing familiar choices. This can be countered by seeking ways to bypass these algorithms to introduce fresh independent artists.

Consumer Survey Insights

66 people participated in the study, 92% of these are the target Gen Z consumer.

Primary and secondary research has revealed that in order to appeal to Gen Z, content must be immediately captivating, drawing on their need for instant gratification. User engagement on dating apps has shown that a good way to gain engagement is by making it feel like a game, with the potential to win but no real potential to lose.

“We always saw Tinder, the interface, as a game… It doesn’t even matter if you match because swiping is so fun.” [Sean Rad, co-founder of Tinder]

Considering potential outcomes, creating a game-like feature for music discovery within the Spotify app is the optimal way to promote new music - with over 640 million active users worldwide [Statista, 2024], it’ll have considerable impact without requiring the consumer to even leave the house. The possibility of ‘discovering the next big thing’ gives users, especially existing fans of smaller artists, an incentive to carry on ‘playing’.

By introducing this feature, Spotify would significantly boost user engagement, encouraging people to spend more time finding new music to love. Promoting this feature across other platforms could also motivate more people to switch to Spotify, increasing their brand awareness and market dominance.

Industry Feedback: An Interview With Pentire

After their Rescue Rooms headline show (20/02/2025), Jack Morgan and Jacob Beswetherick were shown the previous mockups and discussed their opinions on the visuals and overall concept. It was incredibly useful to get insights from an artist’s perspective, finding out exactly what they would like to see from the platform if their music was featured.

Beswetherick: Spotify is almost over-crowded. We all believe, in the band especially, the best way to get out there is to play live, so we try and tour as much, play as many festivals, as we can... If you’re catching what people go for the most on Spotlight, there almost be a reward, like the artist that gets the most votes in a month gets pushed by Spotify or something... One of the biggest things that we do enjoy looking at from Spotify is the cities, and even countries, seeing where people are. It’s nice to see where’s working, because it can sometimes be that no one’s interested from certain cities. But seeing numbers helps know what works, where we should tour, and maybe where doesn’t care as much.

Morgan: Our song ‘Fading Out’ - we released that in 2022, and it hit a million streams two or three weeks ago. And that’s a long time - it didn’t start gaining success until Spotify started supporting us with artist radio. And then after that, it just kinda proves it works, and then when people find new music they like, they do stop and listen, they do put it in their playlists. You know, Spotify is a fantastic platform for discovery in that sense but I do think that they could be doing more... I think that app is brilliant - it’s almost like Tinder for music - that’s fantastic. Also, as a consumer, I would use that, just to go on and find new music... It’s interesting to know your demographic as well because we have a target audience in mind that we want to hit, but we’re baffled every night. We’re on tour at the moment, we walk out on stage and there’s people we don’t expect. We get so many dads at our gigs - which I love, they’re at the back giving it their all - but I didn’t expect that, we try and make music for younger people!

Spotlight Live: A One-Night-Only, Free Music Event Across The UK

Music lovers across the UK are in for an unforgettable experience as Spotlight LIVE, a groundbreaking one-night-only music event, takes over twelve cities on the 7th June 2025. Designed to highlight undiscovered talent, this event will feature rising artists performing live at some of the country’s most iconic independent venues. For one night only, music venues in Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Southampton will simultaneously host Spotlight LIVE performances. Entry is completely free, with doors opening at participating venues across the UK on 7th June 2025.

Spotlight LIVE offers a fresh and authentic gig experience, where fans can discover their next favorite artist in an intimate venue. By eliminating a pre-announced lineup, the event ensures that audiences engage with the music itself, rather than attending for name recognition - it could be artists they love, it could be someone they’ve never heard of. It aims to celebrate the next generation of artists and reinvigorate the UK’s grassroots music scene.

“The beauty of Spotlight LIVE is in the mystery,” said Daniel Ek, CEO of Spotify. “It’s about showing up with an open mind and experiencing music the way it was meant to be - live, unexpected,and full of raw talent."

For more information, visit https://spotify.com/