Music is undoubtedly embedded in the day-to-day life of the consumer class, and we’ve got the research to prove it.
The world is prioritising music consumption right now, and that’s a beautiful thing! According to the 2025 Global Music Report, worldwide recorded music revenues grew for the tenth consecutive year in 2024. Despite a severe cost-of-living crisis that has triggered household cost-cutting across most countries in the world, music revenue still rose by 4.8% — reaching US$29.6 billion.
According to BrandMapp, South Africa’s largest survey of the country’s tax paying base, 58% of respondents cite music as their top pastime, ahead of the appeals of travel, watching movies, cooking, reading and dining out.
“What is interesting is that when we apply filters such as generations, ethnic groups or gender, music still tops the charts. Music seems to be one of those unifying forces in society, even though different demographics inevitably have different preferences,” says Brandon De Kock, Director of Storytelling at BrandMapp.
“I think it’s just part of our DNA,” he continues. “No matter what else is happening, South Africa’s consumer class will always need to feed the soul, and music remains our favourite way of doing this.”
BrandMapp shows that live music events even rank higher on our wish-lists than live sports events.
“While the younger generations are obviously more likely to go for live music over sports, there are still substantial percentages of the older generations who don’t want to miss out on their favourite artists, or the camaraderie of a stadium experience,” says De Kock.
According to Ticketmaster South Africa, in 2024 they sold well over half a million tickets for live music events, a growth of over 50% from 2023, at an average of R1100, and they expect continued growth this year.
The draw of music is not just about big, memorable experiences. BrandMapp highlights a myriad of ways that music is playing out in everyday life. After the weather and the news, music is the third most commonly internet-searched content on a weekly basis. The country’s consumer class searches for music more often than for directions or recipes.
Listening to music is also the top single online activity. 60% of South African adults in the consumer class are listening to music ahead of watching movies, watching TV and even searching for jobs (lol).
Streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Music, as well as YouTube Premium, are all significantly on the rise, with 33% of Gen Z using Apple Music and 40% using Spotify.
“The bottom line here is that the impact of music on the consumer class is absolutely massive. It’s just an essential part of being human and therefore a priority in people’s lives and a significant driver of consumer behaviour,” says De Kock.
Even in ongoing tough economic times, we are finding ways to fit music-related costs into our household budgets, because there’s no question of living without it. It’s as simple as that.
