Does Instagram drive deeper connections between artists and fans?
New Luminate report explores Instagram’s role in fueling music superfandom.
Instagram has thrown its hat in the ring as a home for music superfans. A new report from Luminate, commissioned by Instagram, dives into Instagram’s role as enabling superfandom. For artists and those in the industry, it’s worth paying attention to.
It also mirrors a similar report last year when TikTok commissioned a Luminate report that shared the platform’s influence on the music industry. It’s a wider trend that shows social platforms are an essential part of an artist’s toolkit, whether it be for discovery or developing fan relationships.
Superfans live on Instagram
Superfans aren’t your average listener. They’re the ones who stick around. They follow your journey. They show up to gigs, buy your merch, and tell their friends about you.
And according to Luminate’s data, there’s loads of superfans on Instagram. Around 32% of daily music users on Instagram qualify as superfans. That’s nearly double the rate of the general level (18%). Among Gen Z and younger, that number climbs even higher to 38%.
That’s a big deal. High-value fans are the kind of fans that help support an artist’s career, and artists can connect with them on Instagram.
Engagement that goes beyond Instagram
What makes this interesting is how those fans behave on the platform, with the report showing that Instagram’s music audience is more active, more engaged, and more likely to take meaningful action.
Artists using Instagram see stronger results across the board:
- Streaming growth: Artists on Instagram see streaming growth 7x faster than average.
- Follower growth: 51% of Instagram’s music audience follow artists and/or fan pages, more than the 31% general average.
- Follow up discovery: Nearly half (48%) of users go on to search for music on streaming platforms straight after finding it.
Fans show up in other ways too:
- Attend live events: 45% of Instagram’s daily music users attended a live music event in the past year, compared to just 32% of the general audience.
- Purchase vinyls: 21% bought vinyl in the last 12 months, nearly double the average audience (12%).
- Listen to music more: Instagram users average 81 hours of music per month, significantly above the 53-hour average.
Why this matters for artists
The takeaway here is simple: connection with fans matters more than ever. In an era where millions of tracks are uploaded every day, attention is fragmented. Artists need to build connections with fans who actually care.
Whether it’s through Stories, Reels, or posts, Instagram gives artists multiple ways to build and develop a relationship with their fans. And according to this report, that engagement leads to real benefits for artists.
Of course, it’s worth noting that this is a commissioned report, so there’s always going to be some bias. But even with that in mind, the data is hard to ignore and firmly positions Instagram as a platform that enables music superfandom.
Get your music on Instagram with RouteNote
If superfans are already spending time on Instagram, you want to meet them there. The first step? Making sure your music is accessible across the platform.
At RouteNote, we help artists distribute their music to Instagram, streaming services, and social media platforms worldwide. Start for free today!