Future Lions 2024

The Back Story

The Back Story: Spotify has revolutionised the way the world listens. As the globe’s most popular audio streaming service, our platform is working towards our goal of unlocking the potential of human creativity by giving a million creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. And since launching in 2008, we’ve consistently innovated at the edge of technology to push many aspects of our business forward.

We are obsessed with the idea of using the latest technology to create moments of magic for our users, more opportunities for our creators to be heard, and greater ef ciencies for our brand partners. For example: arti cial intelligence, combined with our rst-party data, is the fuel that powers content discovery on the platform, allowing us to recommend new music, podcasts and audiobooks to users based on past listening behaviours. It’s crucial that we stay at the forefront of technology so we can innovate new ways to introduce our users to the content, creators and communities they love and connect our brand partners to the consumers they want to reach

The Challenge: Today, more listeners than ever (602 million and counting) can discover and enjoy over 100 million music tracks, 5 million podcasts titles, and 350,000 audiobooks on our platform. But the relationship we have with our listeners is about more than providing entertainment.

Our research indicates that most of our Gen Z and Millennial listeners view audio as a mental health resource. The moods of listeners are enhanced when they listen to Spotify, which helps them feel seen and face the challenges of daily life — even when they’re streaming sad songs. Additionally, the majority of Gen Z listeners say that podcasts help connect them to their communities and culture better than any other form of media. In an increasingly more chaotic and divided world, Spotify is a companion that helps our global listeners keep calm and carry on. We want you to help us bring the positive, connecting power of our platform to more listeners across the globe.

The Audience: Global Spotify listener

Things to Think About

• The innovation of your idea will be crucial to its impact. How might developing technologies (like artificial intelligence) be used to power your concept.
• The majority of global Spotify listeners are on the free tier, meaning they hear advertisements during their music listening. (All Spotify users receive ads while listening to podcasts). How might your idea open up a new opportunity for an advertiser to connect with their core audiences on the platform?
• We want our platform to have a positive impact on the world. How might your concept bring more joy to the lives of our listeners.
• Sustainability is important to us. How might your idea include elements that support the health of the planet.
• Spotify is a safe space for everyone. How might your idea help to empower people from underrepresented communities.
• Throughout the day, Spotify listeners move between music and podcasts. The idea you develop could center around one or both of the formats. (Be clear and intentional about the audience and content type your idea will impact.
• Our Sonic Science research study explains how audio affects the mood, memories and physiologies of our listeners. Our series of Culture Next trend reports focus on the habits, behaviors and opinions of Gen Zs and Millennial listeners who drive culture on Spotify. These studies are full of insights that could serve as inspiration for your idea.

The Important Stuff

• Your idea must be accessible to all Spotify users, including those on our free tier
• Adhere to data protection rules relevant for your country
• Be focused around audience and content, and not be tied to a speci c creator (musician, podcaster or author)
• Ladder back to Spotify’s core brand mission