The Missing Puzzle Piece to Your Ad Strategy? Diverse Music

In every music library, there’s a time and place for each song. There are the tracks that get us excited for a night out, songs that help us focus, and tunes that help us unwind after a long day. And then there are the songs that remind listeners of their culture and identity—from the beats that bring back memories to the melodies that help one better understand a country that’s oceans away. Music isn’t just entertainment, but a powerful key to unlocking culture and pride—and it’s paramount to reaching multicultural listeners. 

While media continues to diversify, it’s still a long road ahead. Teaming up with diverse creators, gathering an in-house team of multicultural creatives, and coming up with a top-tier strategy is a lot of work. But luckily, you don’t have to tackle everything in one day. To start, home in on one area, like incorporating diverse music and creators into your strategy and campaigns. As we head into a new year, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your multicultural advertising goals and start anew. For a step-by-step guide and insights from our experts, get your copy of the Multicultural Advertising Playbook. 

Music Reaffirms Identities and Promotes Pride 

To know someone is to get acquainted with their playlist (or however that saying goes). Not surprisingly, music and culture are intertwined. In fact, 81% of multicultural listeners agree that music connects them to their culture. From lyrics that improve one’s language skills, to music subgenres that shed a global spotlight on specific countries, music is a unifier. There’s a feeling of pride when diverse music or artists gain traction or become mainstream—making history and receiving coveted accolades. 

So what is your target audience listening to? Our in-house experts did some digging and found that trending genres among diverse listeners include: 

• K-pop

• Punjabi

• Afrobeats 

• Country 

• Baile funk 

• Reggaeton 

Don’t just take our word for it. On Pandora, reggaeton singer Feid has received 8M spins since the spring of 2024. Meanwhile, country artist Shaboozey has seen an explosive growth of 150x since April 2024. And Punjabi rapper Diljit Dosanjh has accumulated a 36% listening growth in the same time period.  

It goes to show, diverse genres aren’t an occasional listen that’s reserved for heritage months. With more and more diverse artists getting a share of the spotlight, they’re a part of daily soundtracks. Brands, this is the part to write down: Make representation routine and show up in everyday moments—and not just during cultural tentpoles. 

To hear the artists and tracks that diverse listeners are loading, press play on our playlist here and let it (auditorily) transport you across the globe. 

Consumers Want to See Brands Walk the Walk 

Fake it till you make it doesn’t work when it comes to multicultural marketing. Consumers can spot inauthenticity from a mile away and their expectations for brands have only gotten higher. Listeners aren’t solely impressed by brand pledges, public statements, or social media posts (aka, talking the talk). Brands also have to walk the walk. It’s not enough to publicly declare your support for Black History Month, especially if there’s no long-term campaigns or planned influence post-February. 

Get rid of the guesswork and hear straight from your target audience: 

• 58% of Asian Americans want brands to feature music artists from various cultural backgrounds in ads

• 65% of Black listeners want brands to incorporate diverse music genres and styles in music-related advertising (110 index)  

• 55% of Latino listeners want brands to incorporate diverse music genres in music-related advertising  

Find Diverse Listeners Here (Where Else?)  

We have the largest, ad-supported multicultural digital audio scale, including 4M Asian Americans, 12M Black Americans, and 12M Latino Americans, so you know exactly who, and how much, you’re reaching. We have the platforms and partners that are built on discovery. Standing on the ground floor of culture. Placing artists at the forefront. And more. Our portfolio includes: 

Pandora: The music discovery platform that offers personalized listening to millions of ad-supported listeners. Customizing reigns supreme here; 63% of multicultural Pandora listeners enjoy personalizing content on the platform.

SoundCloud: This music community is powered by deep connections between artists and fans and its audience is characterized by being youthful and diverse. In fact, 57% of SoundCloud’s listeners are multicultural.

Audiomack: Known as youth-driven and artist-first, this streaming platform has a 94% multicultural listener base, and it's the place to be to reach hip hop and Afrobeats lovers. 

The Spanish Broadcast System (SBS): Holding the crown as the minority-owned leader in Hispanic audio, SBS is recognized for having the most popular radio stations across the top Hispanic markets. 

With millions of diverse listeners at the tips of our fingers, we have what’s new, what’s next, and what keeps consumers coming back. 

Connect with Diverse Music Fans IRL

Don’t forget about the unlimited potential of sponsoring live concerts and events. With event sponsorships, brands can meet fans face-to-face with us by your side. Our calendar highlights include celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by jet-setting to Miami for a night out with reggaeton artist Ozuna. And for Black Music Month, we toasted to decades of jazz, blues, and hip-hop history with R&B artist Coco Jones. Along with celebrating culture and listening to the hottest music, attendees got up close and personal with sponsors like Corona Extra, Verizon, and Delta. Each event is a dream come true for our fans, who go from streaming SoundCloud to sponsorship booths and playing Pandora to partying IRL with their favorite artists. 

With our finger on the pulse of culture, we ensure brands are equally up-to-speed on the latest cultural moments and trending artists. The proof of the payoff is in the numbers: 91% of attendees saved something they received in one of the sponsor areas while 87% of attendees purchased a product from one of our sponsors.  

Elevate your Campaign Strategy with Diverse Music 

Keep this recipe for reaching diverse audiences in mind. Develop culturally specific campaigns designed to resonate with multicultural communities. Consider partnering with the artists fans love and featuring the songs they have played over and over. Then combine with our networks and audiences. Whisk it all together, and we can help you scale your campaigns.

To recap, when it comes to your ad strategy, remember this checklist:

• Incorporate diverse music genres in advertising 

• Be genuine in your efforts 

• Be transparent about investing in diverse communities 

• Celebrate the heritage of diverse consumers 

• Represent the full spectrum of multicultural audiences 

As for the rest of the magic formula? Find it in our playbook. 

Ready to elevate your multicultural advertising campaigns this upcoming year (and beyond)? We’ve been waiting, let’s chat.