How does Europe discover music? Boost your plays
Image credit: Jackson Simmer
Surprising new data reveals how countries in Europe are discovering music and artists can use that to get discovered.
For a long time, radio was the number one source of hearing new music for listeners around the world. The internet has changed that. With music streaming services, personalised playlists, music video sites, music channels, and social media; how do people find new music now?
Understanding how audiences find music is essential knowledge for artists. You can tap into specific audiences when you know how to reach them, and Luminate’s new data takes us inside Europe’s biggest music markets.
Luminate have revealed the trends for music discovery in Europe in their Global Music 360 survey for Q1 2025. The results show dominance from short-form video apps like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, however the results show different forms of discovery for different countries.
In the United Kingdom, short form video reigns supreme as listeners’ source of new music. Apps like TikTok have a strong relationship with music, both in encouraging creator content to use songs from their library and more recently working with artists to promote their music from their own profiles on the app.
The second most popular platform for music discovery in the U.K. is on social media, shortly followed by hearing it in public. Surprisingly, recommendations and personalised playlists on music streaming services doesn’t crack the top three. These results, representing Q1 2025, show growth of 5 points in the popularity of short form video for music discovery in the U.K..
Italy has similarly seen a jump in the use of short form video for music discovery, which has grown 3 points to become their most favoured discovery platform as well. Interestingly, their similarity with the U.K. ends there as livestreaming takes the second spot. In third place, Italy’s most popular discovery method is simply finding music through artists they already listen to.
Germany reveals the overall diversity in how Europe is discovering new music; short form video doesn’t crack the top three. Instead, browsing online music stores like Amazon and Rhapsody is their number one route to find new music. Twitch and social media follow, respectively.
In France, it’s different again as the report reveals that live music events are their primary form of discovering new music. The report doesn’t go into further detail as to how French music consumers are discovering new music through live events; whether it is going to see artists they don’t know or through unknown support acts or festivals with multiple artist billings.
In second place, France discovers music via social media. Then in third place, interestingly, France finds new music the most through exclusive TV shows from streaming services like Netflix.
The results show a clear shift towards the power of social media and short form video as hegemonic cultural communities as well as social ones. However, Luminate’s data also reveals the diversity of habits that persists across different nations and how artists can think more broadly about their strategy to reach wider audiences.
How artists can boost their music from Europe’s top music discovery methods
Knowing your audience and their habits is a vital part of music promotion. Once you know where the people you want to reach gravitate towards, you can focus your efforts into that platform or channel.
Using the data above, you can gain an entryway into a number of European countries using their favoured methods of music discovery to your advantage. For example, a strong presence on short form platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels will increase your chances of getting discovered in the U.K. and Italy.
Your social media presence is already important as an artist, ensuring that fans and new listeners alike have a hub to explore and discover more about you. Building a strong social media presence with regular, engaging content will clearly boost your visibility across Europe with the U.K., Germany, and France all ranking high for music discovery on social media.
If you are looking at breaking into specific markets like Italy or Germany, they clearly favour live content streamers with Livestreaming 2nd for Italy and speifically Twitch 2nd for Germany. This could mean encouraging live streamers to use your music in their streams for discovery, or even streaming yourself to reach new audiences and push them towards your music.
There is no one-best way to reach audiences, but knowing which audiences you want to reach and where to reach them allows you to focus your efforts. Here are some tips to help you define your audience and reach them:
- Genre: Where do popular artists within your genre gravitate and what content do they make that has impact? Follow the leaders for inspiration before going your own way.
- Statistics: The more music you release and content you post, the more you can analyse your performance. Notice which platforms you’re gaving the most traction on, the content getting the best results, and check audience demographic statistics to recognise who you are reaching the most. Capitalise on this information to direct your efforts.
- Content: What sort of content do you want to create to bolster your brand and image? It will help you to produce better content regularly if you are producing that which you actually want to make, rather than simply to reach more people. For example, if you really like creating funny, short videos then focus on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
- Collaborate: Reach out to other artists and influencers to team up on projects or for sharing opportunites, send your music to local channels or creators to see if they will play your songs. Working with other people will open up your opportunities and reveal what sorts of people are interested in using and playing your music, revealing their audiences to your music.
- Distribute: Making your music available for listeners around the world on the top platforms is essential to building a fanbase. Choose RouteNote for free music distribution to the world’s top platforms, gaining global visibility and earning money every time your music played.
In conclusion, it is important to know who you want to reach. You can then define the best channels that allow you access to those audiences and you can channel your efforts into the best places for advancing your music.
Music promotion is a journey of discovery, and it is not always easy. You have to make efforts and accept that they may lead nowhere, but will teach you what does and doesn’t work so that you can eventually focus on the places you find work best for your music.
Patience is key. With time, your understanding will develop and so will your strategies, allowing you to grow and expand.