According to internal sources, Spotify users are listening to more music, and the diversity of the music they’re listening to is increasing as well. In a release earlier this month, the streaming giant revealed that in addition to gaining 20 million new users in the last year, their users are listening more per week, expanding their tastes, and doing so on a regular basis.
Averaging 40 unique artists per week, Spotify users are utilizing the service’s programmed playlists to enjoy more artists than ever before. The increase in artist diversity is up from 31 unique artists per week in 2014.
There are many potential factors in this increase, from a growing library of artists to the growth of streaming itself, but Spotify says their playlists are playing the biggest role. Editors and algorithms both curate programmed playlists, and account for around 40% of the service’s growth in artist diversity according to internal sources.
Credit: Spotify
Spotify has released several programmed playlists since 2014, with the intention of encouraging users to listen to artists they otherwise wouldn’t. Whether it’s a time issue, or one of effort, Spotify is playing the role of Soundcloud-scrounger for their users with their vast and growing library of tunes. Coinciding with increasing user counts and growth in average weekly listening hours per user, the work is paying off when it comes to showcasing the difference between Spotify and other streaming services.
In short, Spotify is continuing to succeed. There are many factors to consider as we see the massive shift to streaming happen before our eyes, but these stats are easy to understand.
More people are using Spotify to listen to more music, by more unique artists. The growth in these important areas likely have a connection, and quality programmed playlists are having a significant impact on the amount of artists the average user listens to in a week.
Credit: Spotify
Spotify shows the effectiveness of these playlists by comparing the differences in a users artist diversity between programmed and not-programmed content. People utilizing the programmed content are listening to a greater range of artists, which correlates to the company’s increase in their user’s average listening hours per week.
In short, users are enjoying the programmed playlists and wider diversity of artists selected for them by Spotify, and showing that by listening to music for longer periods of time.
Working toward spreading diversity in music is a good thing, and it seems to be turning results for the company as well. The ability to showcase an average of 40 artists per week to their users is something that they apparently like, and we can get behind as well. What that means for the future of streaming and the music industry remains unseen. But, having the ability to listen to more music by an increasing variety of artists sounds like a good place to start.
Are the streaming giants latest statistics impressing? Let us know what you think of Spotify curating playlists; comment below, on Facebook, or reply on Twitter!
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
