Plugging in podcasts and 90s tunes: the new sounds of lockdown

Pandemic listening is all about the feelgood factor 
Hear this: record audience numbers have been reported for the BBC Sounds app in lockdown. Urbanears Luma earphones, £79.99 (urbanears.com)
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Amelia Heathman14 May 2020

During the long weeks of lockdown, swapping pub trips for Zoom hangouts, and ditching jeans for sweatpants, our listening habits shifted too. And with many of us still WFH or furloughed, the shift may be here to stay.

According to Acast, the largest global podcasting company, the biggest change in the podcast world is that people are tuning in consistently throughout the day instead of the usual peak times during the commute. Demand for comedy is up 24 per cent, while education is riding high with a 20 per cent increase. Sport is the only category to have fallen.

“It’s very fortunate that a lot of podcasters already record from home — they already have their own equipment so we’ve been able to see podcasters continue to release and in some cases increase the number of episodes,” says Susie Warhurst, Acast’s senior vice-president of global content.

The way people listen is changing too: Acast says that listens through Alexa devices are up 26 per cent, while people are tuning in via Chromecast devices, such as on smart TVs or Google Home speakers.

Not only that but people are starting their own shows too. Acast’s Open platform allows anyone to sign up and start distributing their podcast, and usage has increased by 74 per cent in April, compared with February. “Maybe people have had ideas for a long time and the lockdown has given them the moment to do it,” adds Warhurst.

It’s not just Acast that is seeing growth. Audience numbers reached a record 3.5 million on the BBC Sounds app during the first weeks of lockdown. The app’s most popular podcast so far in 2020? The Peter Crouch Podcast, while the Gemma Collins Podcast had the biggest proportion of under-35 listeners. A new music programme called Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton has proved popular too, coming second in the app’s music top 10.

Former football Peter Crouch's podcast has proved popular on the BBC Sounds app
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When it comes to music, Spotify started seeing changes in the way that people used the platform in late February. “Usage patterns show users have settled into listening behaviours we would typically expect on Sundays, with a rise in midday consumption and weekday use of home-connected devices on par with weekend use,” says Spotify’s UK and Ireland MD, Tom Connaughton.

Health and wellness is a priority on the platform now, with people creating and following more workout playlists than they were a month ago, and running, yoga and meditation playlists on the up.

To capitalise on this, Spotify introduced a Daily Wellness playlist in the UK and US which features a personalised mix of motivational podcasts and feelgood music to keep people going throughout the day. “Every morning, the playlist greets listeners with motivational content to kick start their day,” says Connaughton. The list features more relaxing music in the evening as people start to wind down.

A new podcast from Irish musician and mental health campaigner Niall Breslin, called Wake Up/Wind Down, has become one of Spotify’s top plays worldwide, while over at Acast, Jay Rayner’s revamped In For Lunch show, which sees him chat to a celebrity over a now digital lunch, is doing well too.

Given that many of us are going to be at home for the foreseeable, these new listening habits may become the norm. “People are starting to think about how they want the pace of their lives to be and podcasting is one of those brilliant mediums where people can listen when they want. To a certain extent, we have a new normal,” Warhurst adds.

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