From Discovery to Community: Attracting and Building Lasting Gen Z Audiences

From Discovery to Community: Attracting and Building Lasting Gen Z Audiences

Abstract

The rapid evolution of the music industry, driven by emerging platforms and technology, creates new challenges for artists to attract and retain audiences. As marketers, understanding the artist’s vision and communicating their identity is essential in fostering lasting fan bases. Reliance on massive reach, the traditional industry funnel, and large budgets is no longer the driving factor of audience attraction. The artists who succeed in the next decade will be the ones who develop a deep knowledge of their fans and build real communities. The present work aims to understand the current fan economy through Gen Z audience behavior, cultural shifts and consumption trends, and globalization driven by live music. To perform a comprehensive analysis, surveys were conducted alongside interviews with industry professionals. The goal was to uncover the driving factors that move audiences from listeners to long-term fans. According to survey results, Gen Z discovers music through social networks and algorithms combined with peer validation. Their habits are passive but abundant and demonstrate higher engagement rates and event-based spending. Fandom is rooted in identity alignment, community belonging, and character. Therefore, marketing should center around personalization, authenticity, and storytelling, as well as redefining music ownership as the experience rather than the product. This research exists as a living document that synthesizes audience behavior across genres and markets. The findings aim to provide actionable insights for music marketers to create lasting connections.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Valencia (Spain) Campus

Keywords

music; marketing; fan engagement; Gen Z; music discovery; consumer behavior; economics

Award

With Distinction

From Discovery to Community: Attracting and Building Lasting Gen Z Audiences

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