Launched in October 2010, Instagram has become one of the most popular social media sites. Celebrities, cultural elites and everyday folk share photos and videos of their daily routines and biggest life events. In all, Instagram touted some 400 million users as of September 2015. As a result, the platform has a lot of influence when it comes to trends. And with that influence comes a surge of companies using the network to sell products. The likes of Coca-Cola, Frooti, ASOS, Lorna Jane, Staples, and FedEx all have built a brand on Instagram in the hope of bolstering sales. Now, Instagram could be used as a platform to sell yet another huge product: music.
The sweet sound of success
Tons of artists already connect with their fans via Instagram. However, a recent report from Nielsen has shown just how much music matters in the lives of the over 3,000 Instagram users surveyed, who spend far more money on music compared to non-users. (This is based off the responses of some 3,000-plus Instagram users.) So just how much more? Try 42 percent, and that includes not just album and track downloads but also merchandise and live ticket sales. Whereas the average person spends $152 on music-related purchases, Instagram users spend an average of $269. This same group also spends way more time listening music - some 30.5 hours compared to the average person's 23.5 hours. Those aren't the only relevant data points either. The Nielsen report also found that:
- Instagram users are twice as likely to pay for a music streaming subscription.
- 49 percent of that group turn to YouTube as their primary streaming service.
- Music permeates their lives. Some 54 percent said they use their favorite music to "connect with friends and family."
- 41 percent of said their favorite music is Top 40. That's followed by rap (39 percent), R&B (33 percent), rock (30 percent), country (23 percent), and EDM (13 percent).
Lauren Wirtzer-Seawood is the head of music partnerships at Instagram. In an accompanying essay, she explained that this report, the first of its kind, proves the powerful connection shared between Instagram users and music.
"All in all, Nielsen's study found that Instagram users have a strong appetite for music content, and they are often music's savviest trendsetters," she said. "We have just scratched the surface in looking more closely at how the music industry, brands, and fans can leverage our platform."
Humming a new tune
Already a number of artists, labels and other outfits have begun to leverage Instagram's cultural impact. For one, a slew of artists, from Selena Gomez to ScHoolboy Q, have used Instagram to preview new music, and the prevalence of those sneak peaks has only increased in 2016. A reason could be that in late March 2016, the company lengthened video previews from 15 to 60 seconds, letting fans have an even bigger sample of a new song or album. Still other artists have used Instagram much more effectively.
In 2014, Beyonce used the platform to announce her self-titled fifth album. While there's no definitive way to link album sales to Instagram users, Noisey argued that you could make an exception in the case of Queen Bey. The album was unveiled and made available for sale in one fell swoop. So, in a way, Instagram helped convert some fans into buyers by having that sense of immediacy. Still, Noisey warned that this strategy won't work for all artists. Though Beyonce did have sales in excess of 1 million, that only translates to 12.5 percent of her astounding 8 million Instagram followers.