As podcast ad spend continues to surge, music is quietly being sidelined in the audio strategy conversation. But marketers ignoring music aren’t just overlooking a channel—they’re missing culture’s frontline.
Music is still where new ideas, movements, and culture begins.
From emerging scenes and entirely new sounds to underground remixes and genre-defying mashups, it remains the testing ground for tomorrow’s mainstream.
And in a world where advertisers are flocking around the $200 billion creator economy, independent artists are driving that momentum—but often are being left out.
Podcasts talk about culture—music makes it
It’s easy to see why brands have flocked to podcasts: They offer long-form storytelling, host-driven credibility, and built-in audiences. But the podcast advertising landscape is increasingly competitive for brands trying to make an impression.
Music—especially on platforms like SoundCloud—is raw, emergent, and often years ahead of the mainstream.
It’s where underrepresented voices break through, where niche subcultures become movements, and where communities rally around something real.
There’s a better way to engage and measure impact
Despite this cultural capital, ad-supported music streaming has seen flat growth. Not because music is less impactful, but because many marketers don’t yet know how to show up creatively or measure success beyond standard media buys.
Here’s the truth: 74% of audio listening is music—not podcasts.
If your audio strategy prioritizes talk over tracks, you’re likely missing reach, especially among Gen Z.
