Sound on! How “Millennial Z” is Using Audio To Deal With 2020’s Stress!
By: KJ Wade
It goes without saying that 2020 has stressed us TF out! We’re in between a pandemic, a race revolution, a collapsing economy, and an election year; (not to mention whatever personal crisis we may be going through). Studies have shown that “Millennial Zs” (Millennials and Gen Z’s) are the most stressed, but we’re learning to deal and heal through our devices.
We are using streaming and audio to find our way to wellness. In Complex’s Generation Stressed study, 53% of Millennial Zs surveyed say they use content as a way to cope with stress, 91% say they listen to music, and 49% are listening to podcasts.
Music therapy is not a new idea. After WWI, it was first introduced to help returning soldiers deal with PTSD. Doctors saw a profound effect on their emotional and physical trauma. According to music therapist Katie Down, “I started to understand what music can do for traumatized populations—it can help create a sense of normalcy, joy, expression,” she shares with Pitchfork. She says “our bodies react to sound. We connect readily to music and sound because we are, in our essence, music—made of vibration, which is movement, which is life.” After dealing with trauma or depression, music has the ability to breathe life into the dead areas inside us.
This is just scratching the surface. In Spotify’s Culture Next study, research showed that American Millennial Zs see music as a personal, powerful, and therapeutic tool that evokes emotions. 73% of U.S. Millennial Zs said they use audio to cope with stress, while 79% believe it can unite people in these culturally fraught times. We are using audio to tune in to wellness and tune out the voices of anxiety. Spotify claims in their July survey, “85% [of American Millennial Zs] reported that the mood of their music had changed to match the times, while 77% said music helped keep them sane. As Vancouver’s Makayla said, ‘Chilled-out, soulful music has been getting me through these hectic times.”
According to The Verge, lo-fi music channels on YouTube have boomed during the pandemic, as well. A personal favorite, ChilledCow channel, best known for its “beats to relax/study to,” has seen a 100% increase in subscribers, adding over half a million global listeners to its online radio station between January and March. They’re not the only ones; other lo-fi channels and online music stations, like Nickolaas and College Music, have also seen a considerable bump in listeners and their overall engagement. Nick Stafford, the Nickolaas channel creator, shared with The Verge, “I think this is a fairly obvious correlation though. Folks have nothing to do, and that leaves them open to exploring the furthest corners of YouTube. I think lo-fi streams are a great way to kill time.”
It’s not just listening to music that’s helping us deal with this unsettling year. It’s podcasts too, and the community we find through common genres. The Culture Next study reported that “1 in 4 [Millennials and Zs] say they listen to mental-health-related podcasts.” Personally, podcasts like The Friend Zone and Therapy For Black Girls have given me useful tips and relief that I’m not alone in the ways I feel. As a podcast that’s centered around “mental health, wellness, and hygiene,” the hosts of The Friend Zone have shared many tips, resources, and insights into mental health all while building a strong community. “75% of U.S. podcast listeners we surveyed said the medium allows people to connect with each other,” claimed Spotify, The Friend Zone proof of that. And it’s not just with podcasts but in Youtube Live chat rooms, Reddit threads, Twitch streams, and even hashtags on Twitter - there’s a community for any peculiar interests all over the internet. Co-creator of the lo-fi music channel College Music, Jonny Laxton shared with The Verge, “It’s like a little College Music family. We try to get onto the chat each day and speak with whoever is on at the time. I think it adds value having the channel interact directly and personally with its listeners. Entering a live stream at any given moment, you’ll find people sharing their thoughts, ideas, knowledge, and/or just comforting their digital family.” Cazzy, in Vancouver, expressed to Spotify, “I have found a very supportive and friendly community, often someone to talk to in the late hours about niche topics or when I just want to complain about something.” Late night conversations about the universe over lo-fi beats sounds like the perfect formula for a BFF to me or the cure for separation anxiety during a pandemic.
This is a grand opportunity for your B2C communication. Put more effort into the audio ads you run and content you create. In Edison Research’s 2016 study, 65% of podcast listeners said they are more willing to consider a product or service after learning about it on a podcast. 60% said they prefer to buy products from companies that advise on podcasts they regularly listen to. What’s most interesting is that only 44% said the products or services they hear about on podcasts are ones they already use, which means your brand is discovering an untapped audience. In Edison’s 2019 study with Triton Digital, researchers showed that online audio is at an all-time high, attain 50% reach of survey takers. Shifting more of your marketing budget from social media to audio ads can be a game-changer for your brand. ASMR videos are huge on TikTok and YouTube; find those velvet-voiced influencers and use them for your audio content. Like TikTok Tia @mxrcedxs, who has half a million followers on TikTok - or smooth-talking @amonta_jones, whose baritone voice could sell salt to a snail; or personify your ad through a podcast host.
Businesses like Squarespace, CurlMix, and Bevel are reaching new audiences everyday because they regularly advise on podcasts. For music ads, instead of killing the vibe mid playlist, create an ad that adds to it. Something that sounds like it belongs in there. Otherwise, it’s just going to be skipped or ignored. Any study done by any company will tell you, us Millennials are emotional buyers. How a company makes us feel is just as important as its quality, and Gen Z is following in our footsteps. Tap into the channels where we go to be vulnerable, and give us something to feel.
KJ Wade is a marketing strategist based in Brooklyn, NYC. Learn more about her at YouCanCallMeKJ.com
Quick How-To for Twitch (Twitch for Beginners)
TWITCH IS NOT JUST FOR GAMERS! Here’s a quick how to start streaming on Twitch that anyone can use. Comedians, painters, singers, chefs, trivia freaks, and more can share their passion with a growing community on Twitch. Here’s a quick how-to for beginners to go live on Twitch now!
Step 1: Sign Up & Customize
Sign-Up: Go to Twitch.tv, “Sign Up” (upper right). Usernames = 4-25 chars. Be consistent across platforms.
Customize your profile photo, header photo, bio information, links, and screens for your livestreams.
Step 2: Get the Right Tools:
Basic: Twitch app + phone, tablet, or computer with a camera and mic.
Upgrade:
Hardware: Mic, mobile tripod, lighting, mobile audio interface
Software: Twitch Studio, OBS, Streamlabs
Step 3: Categories and Tags
Choose the right category and tags for discovery.
Categories: Just Chatting, Games, Music & Performance, Talk Show, Sports, Travel & Outdoors, Food & Drink, Special Events.
Tags help users find you in the directory or front page. Tag types: Stream Tags, Category Tags, Automatic Tags
Step 4: Going Live!
Title your stream properly! Be relevant, creative, and brief.
Be Consistent: Set a recurring day/time of when you’ll go live.
Multiple Devices: Have a second device to stay active in your chat.
Step 5: Engagement Tips and Tools
Tools to interact with your existing audience:
Chat Room & Moderators
Emotes: Enhanced emojis/emoticons (partners and affiliates)
Discord Chat
Zoom
Step 6: To Raid or Host?
Twitch Raids: Raids enable a streamer to send their viewers from their live to another live channel. Most likely of the same genre, industry, or category.
Host a Channel: A way to share your favorite channel’s live channels while you’re offline.
Step 7: Getting Paid on Twitch
Subscriptions
Bits & cheers
Donations
Brand Partnerships
Merchandise
Ad Sales (partner)
Step 8: Enjoy!
10 DJs to Follow on Twitch
10 DJs to follow on Twitch today
There's always a party on Twitch. Check out some of our favorite DJs to stream to keep it live in your living room. This list is by no means in order or an exhaustive list. For more of our favorite streamers, visit our Twitch follow list with 70+ and growing streamers to add to your list.
Twitch is That Bitch
10 Reasons Why You Need to Download Twitch NOW!
For those who have considered going outside when the pandemic is too much. Cure your loneliness and feed your FOMO with Twitch!
Stay your @$$ in the house: It's much easier when you're entertained and engaged.
Twitch is super easy to use: Access via URL (no account required) or on Firestick, Chromecast, or AppleTV (Sorry Roku). “Background Play” on mobile allows you to stream and do other things online (Sorry IG Live).
Support your favorite creators and find new ones: Every day artists are getting on Twitch, artists from Lil Jon to Logic to Soulection.
There’s always a party in your living room: Put Twitch on your TV to listen to DJ sets for the maximum music experience.
There’s someone sharing your passion online: If you’re not into music, there is drag, cooking, comedy, fashion, and (of course) gaming content streaming all day on Twitch!
Twitch is Raw and REAL: It's live entertainment! That means what happens in real time, is what you see in real time.
Find your Tribe: Twitch has an engaging and interactive chat room, but creators have made Zoom dancefloors and created communities via Discord servers
Twitch is still saturated and yet under-discovered: Twitch is known for gaming, so there’s still room for other passion points to grow and build a community..
Amazon Prime = “Prime Gaming”: This gives you access to lots of free “loot” and can subscribe to one channel for free per month.
Twitch is FREE: It’s free to download, but you can buy subscriptions and “bits” to support your favorite creators and make sure they get PAID. The payout is good!
While we wait out the rest of this pandemic, you might as well upgrade your entertainment. Download Twitch app now to your phone or desktop or browse at https://www.twitch.tv/
Story Time!
Story time!
Very early in my career, I remember calling my mom at 3am in hysterics.
“Is everything okay, baby?” She asked worriedly.
“IT'S ALL GONE!” I exclaimed through tears.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been working on this big presentation for my new job and my presentation is gone. It didn’t autosave. IT couldn’t help! What am I going to do?”
I could hear her sigh in between my sobs. At the moment, I didn’t care. I was as good as fired.
“I thought you were assaulted.” she said annoyed.
*dramatic pause*
“NO! MY PRESENTATION IS GONE,” I cried.
I continue to sob. Pushing past her annoyance.
“Okay,” she said, putting on her mom jeans. “You’ve already written it. It’s in that brain, so you can write it again. You can do this.”
With that, I got back to work. I pulled out my trusty outline that I had used to craft my original presentation and slowly but surely I put it all back together.
When I got to work that day, I explained my episode (and subsequent meltdown with IT [I didn’t dare mention my meltdown with mommy] to get it back.
Thank God for empathy in leadership because my amazing boss echoed the same sentiment as my mom and helped me build and refine the deck in time for the deadline.
The gag is, they bought the idea, but it was a complete revamp of the original idea. I learned three lessons that day that I keep in mind when creating presentations:
Always have an outline for your deck
“Save As” and Autosave (BOTH). Autosave is a liar.
Don’t get married to your ideas for clients because they will always change.
For Mommy: Think before you dial your mom for non-life threatening things at 3am.
Have you had any presentation horror stories? When have decks done you dirty? What do you wish you knew about presentations to save you time? If you're interested in learning from my mistakes, join our newsletter so you’re the first to know about any resources or classes we make to help you upgrade your presentations.