Pre-COVID-19, music was the #1 interest for Australians. We even love music more than sport, and by some distance;

 Eventbrite – The Australian Music Consumer Report 2016, Statista Global Consumer Survey 2019

However, what we have seen during this COVID-19 pandemic is that Australians are relying on music more than they ever have to get through it. As consumers around the country and across the globe face a type of home detention few of us have ever experienced, connectivity and content are a lifeline.

Australians are deepening their connection with music right now. Streams of albums have increased across Australia since the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak, according to sources with access to ARIA trade data, as consumers stay home and fill their extra time with digital media. We see this first hand at The Brag Media with a huge uplift in our music content across all our channels during working hours;

Google Analytics, March 2020

Music matters, more than ever.

A recent study by AEG & Momentum Worldwide found that 83% of millennials develop a greater trust for brands that support a music experience.

Music is a growing business, the Australian recorded music industry was worth more than $500 million in 2018 and the live music sector is worth an estimated $4 billion. 

And during COVID-19? Well, the live revenue at least has gone from $4 billion to zero, and Australian’s are turning to music media to fill the void. 

Across almost every sector in Australia, COVID-19 has left this country in dark unprecedented times, so now more than ever, brands need to actually add value to the lives of Australians and provide meaningful connection. If brands stick to the old ways of doing things through and beyond this crisis, they will be left behind.

We live in a time where it’s never been easier to reach people, but doing so in the right way, at the right moment with the right message remains the challenge.

Research conducted by Deloitte shows that Australians won’t hesitate to end a relationship with a brand if they disagree with their marketing or business practises. Mess it up, you’ve lost a customer. On the flip side, consumers are loyal to their favourite artists and that loyalty runs across the brands associated with their heroes.

Deloitte Media Consumer Survey (2018)

In Live Nation’s 2018 study, they revealed that Gen Z, Y and X said that music says more about their identity than their hometown, race or even religion. 

Live Nation 2018 live music study

Music is king, technology is in everyone’s hands and Australians are in self isolation turning to music for support. If done right, this COVID-19 crisis will provide a huge opportunity for brands to truly add value to the lives of Australian’s and not just hammer them with reach based advertising. 

It’s time now, more than ever, to connect with Australians with the thing they love most. Music.