MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Music success in Asia thrives on deep artist-fan connections, and Spotify is leading the charge. The global platform has become the go-to destination for fans to get closer to their favorite artists through its on-and-off platform exclusive experiences and its playlist ecosystem. Taking an approach of directly engaging fandoms, Spotify’s growth in the region drives positive impact for artists.
K-Pop ON! Hub: Bringing fans closer to their favourite K-Pop stars
Launched last year, Spotify’s K-Pop ON! Hub brings fans closer than ever to the pulse of the genre. Through a curation of genre playlists, artist content, and exclusive fan features and experiences, listeners can now easily discover the best of K-Pop — all in one place. Following its launch in Indonesia in 2024, the K-Pop ON! Hub has since expanded to more K-Pop fans in the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and the U.S.
A third of Gen Zs said they had attended an in-person listening party to celebrate a music release*. One of the popular features of the K-Pop ON! Hub is its Listening Parties, which provide artists an avenue to engage their loyal fans and bring them into their release moments. These exclusive audio events, which have been hosted by K-Pop artists – from superstars like SEVENTEEN and LE SSERRAFIM, to emerging artists such as BOYNEXTDOOR – have given fans the opportunity to engage with their ults in real time as they personally introduce and play their latest drops.
Immersing fans into their favorite artist’s world
Fans crave a deeper connection with global superstars, even at the height of their fame. Taylor Swift’s music has shaped culture, sparked connections, and set numerous worldwide records on Spotify. To celebrate her fandom, Spotify’s ‘This is Taylor Swift: A Playlist Experience’ delighted Swifties with interactive installations of her 11 iconic musical eras. Through immersive experiences like The Enchanted Hallway, This is Me Writing, and The Great Collection, fans were taken on an authentic, behind-the-scenes journey into Taylor Swift’s craft and sound. The experience** attracted millions of social and on-platform interactions, alongside the 16,000 attendees in Jakarta, Manila, and Seoul.
Spotify’s “This is …” is one of Spotify’s official artist playlist ecosystems, designed to drive long-term love and connection with an artist’s music through curated collections of their top performing tracks. “This is Taylor Swift” saw a significant boost in streams, with more than 70% increase in the playlist alone shortly after the campaign.
Reimagining the concert experience
From planning outfits to memorising lyrics — the fans’ concert experience now begins well before the show. Spotify has reimagined the pre-concert window for artists as a chance to supercharge connections with their most loyal fans. To boost excitement for SEVENTEEN’s 2024/2025 World Tour, Spotify partnered with the group to bring its fandom the CARAT Station experience. The pop-up, which shines a spotlight on SEVENTEEN’s tour playlist, followed the group along their stops in Seoul, Tokyo, New York, Manila, and Jakarta. In addition to drawing tens of thousands of fans to the events, SEVENTEEN also saw a 40% average increase in their Spotify streams across the five markets over the campaign period.
“Asia is home to some of the world’s most passionate music fans, and success for artists lies in strengthening artist-fan connections, which is core to what we do at Spotify,” says Gautam Talwar, General Manager for Spotify Asia Pacific. “Spotify is the best place to be a fan, as we continuously innovate to create better experiences for fans to engage with artists in deeper and more meaningful ways. These meaningful fan connections help artists grow and thrive, and we are committed to expanding their global reach.”
80% of Pinoy users said that “supporting artists” is one of their top reasons to be on Spotify.*** “Fans play an integral role in the success of artists across Asia. On Spotify, we’ve witnessed their incredible support, and thrilled to get behind a meaningful connection between an artist and a fan.” said Talwar.
