Report: Young People Are Spending Money On Music, But They Don't Know Where To Find Australian Artists

New research as part of Creative Australia’s Listening In series has dropped, revealing that young people are more than willing to pay for music, but they’re not so sure about where to find Australian artists.

The series, delivered by the Creative Australia research team for Music Australia in partnership with Untitled Group, The Daily Aus and The Push, examines how Australians discover, consume, and attend live music events.

Part One of the report, Listening In – Insights on Live Music Attendance, was released in March 2025.

Key findings included 92% of respondents stating that live music has a “big or very big impact on their wellbeing and happiness,” coinciding with the 72% of participants sharing that live music events help them with stress, anxiety, and depression.

It also outlined the cost-of-living crisis being the main barrier to attendance for 94% of respondents, the habit of young Australians attending live events hosted by local and international events, but more often in large venues, and 51% of respondents admitting that they wanted to see more live shows by Aussie acts, but were unsure of where to start.

The follow-ups to part one landed today (12 June). Part Two, Listening In—Insights on Music Discoverability and Engagement, is about how people discover and connect with each other through music. Meanwhile, Part Three, Listening In—A Summary and Synthesis of Insights on Music Consumption, ties all three reports together.

Part Two discovered that a whopping 98% of respondents discover music through streaming platforms, while 66% find the latest tunes through social media. However high the engagement is for both discovery methods, though, discovery tends to skew “heavily” towards international artists.

Other findings include 33% of respondents actively seeking out Aussie music, FOMO and social media trends influence attendance decisions, and limited visibility of local artists affects discovery.

Part Three caps things off, with 66% of participants wanting to discover more Australian music. It found that young Aussies are more than willing to spend money on music they enjoy, even with economic pressures, and 42% of respondents would pay for a streaming platform dedicated to Australian music.

That last figure arrives as the report found that only 8% of the 10,000 top-streamed artists in Australia are homegrown.

Untitled Group Co-Founder and Managing Partner Michael Christidis said of the report’s findings: “It’s essential that the voices of young Australians are reflected in conversations about the future of our music industry.

“Through our platforms and fan network, we were able to help ensure that this research reached the people shaping the next era of music culture. The findings confirm that live music holds real value for young people, and that access, discovery and representation matter. We’re proud to have contributed to this important body of work.”

You can explore the full Listening In research series here.