More young people stream classical music

During lockdown, classical music experienced a boom, and not just among the older set.

Research during the Covid pandemic identified a surge in Millennials and Gen Z-ers streaming classical music.

In recent years, both modern and traditional classical artists have attracted younger listeners.

A 2020 joint report by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, streaming service Deezer and British Phonographic Industry found that with the rise of streaming services, young people were listening to the likes of Beethoven and Bach more they did 10 years ago.

34 percent of those streaming classical music were in the 18 to 25 age bracket.

In March this year, Apple launched a new classical-focused music streaming app.

Apple Music Classical is separate from the company’s flagship platform Apple Music.

Luminate research analyst Noah Elwell says what makes this app unique is its use of music metadata.

“As any classical music fan can tell you, it can be notoriously difficult to find precisely what you’re looking for on streaming platforms because there are a lot of factors to consider when searching for a piece of music including: composer; ensemble; soloists; conductor; and more.”

Despite those challenges, recent US data shows the classical music genre has been growing in weekly streams.

“The conventional wisdom is that classical music fans tend to be older, but what might be less apparent is that classical music fans are adept streamers,” says Elwell.