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. Now is 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. 

Why multicultural marketing matters more than ever

Multicultural audiences drive significant business growth—currently representing $7T in buying power—and brands that want to stay competitive need to reflect that reality in their advertising. Here’s a breakdown: 1

• $2.8T in Hispanic buying power, up 320% since 2000

• $2.1T in Black buying power, up 183% since 2000

• $1.9T in Asian American buying power, up 367% since 2000

And the opportunity keeps growing. Multicultural consumers account for 65% of US spending growth. 2 And when it comes to reaching these audiences in meaningful ways, music plays an outsized role.

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 deeply intertwined. In fact, 81% of multicultural listeners agree that music connects them to their culture. 3 From lyrics that strengthen language skills to music subgenres that shine a global spotlight on specific countries and communities, music is a unifier. 

There’s also a strong emotional connection at play. Over six in 10 (62%) multicultural listeners say audio helps them keep up with what’s happening in culture, and 79% of them turn to music or podcasts to reduce stress during difficult times. 3 Music is part of how listeners celebrate, cope, connect, and stay grounded in who they are. There’s a feeling of pride when diverse music or artists gain traction or become mainstream—making history, shifting culture, and receiving coveted accolades.

So what is your target audience listening to? Our in-house experts found that trending artists among diverse listeners include:

• Bad Bunny 

• Karol G

• Carin Leon 

• Kendrick Lamar 

• Rod Wave 

• Glorilla

With more and more diverse artists getting a share of the spotlight, they’re increasingly a part of daily soundtracks. 

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. 

Big cultural moments create big listening surges

The connection between culture and music becomes even clearer when artists break through in major pop culture moments. 4

• Latin: Bad Bunny drove 969K Pandora spins in the first 24 hours after making history at the Grammy Awards, with the first Spanish-language album to ever win Album of the Year

• Rap: After Kendrick Lamar became the most Grammy Award-winning rapper in history, Pandora saw a +154K

  increase in spins in the following 24 hours

• R&B: Following an emotional tribute from Lauryn Hill and fellow R&B greats, Pandora saw a +1895% increase in Roberta Flack station adds in the following 24 hours 

• K-pop: When BTS announced their return after a hiatus with a new album, Arirang, there was a +127% increase in station adds since the release

It goes to show, diverse genres aren’t occasional listens reserved for heritage months. They’re part of daily routines, emotional touchpoints, and culture-defining moments.

Consumers want brands to walk the walk

Faking it till you make it doesn’t work in multicultural marketing. Consumers can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. And their expectations 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. For instance, it’s not enough to publicly declare your support for Black History Month—instead, it should be a part of a larger, ongoing strategy to build connections with Black consumers. 

Consumers are letting their values guide their decisions accordingly: 5

• 77% of multicultural consumers are willing to spend money to support an authentic brand over one that’s not

• 55% of them changed the types of events, organizations, or brands they support based on their personal values

• 55% of them are seeking out communities and spaces that reflect their personal values

That gap between what consumers want and what they see in-market is still very real. Brands that want to close it need to do more than nod to diversity. They need to build it into ad creative, media, and audience targeting strategies from the start.

Find diverse listeners here (where else?)

We have the scale, the platforms, and the advanced targeting solutions to help brands reach multicultural listeners with confidence. Our streaming audio audience includes: 6

• 11M Hispanic listeners

• 10M Black listeners

• 2M Asian American listeners

Pandora

The streaming audio platform that offers personalized listening to millions of ad-supported listeners. Pandora delivers 21% multicultural reach, giving brands a powerful way to connect with audiences through culturally relevant music experiences. 7

SoundCloud

Powered by deep artist-fan connections and founded on discovery, SoundCloud features an engaged audience that is 52% Gen Z, 8 55% multicultural, 9 and 91% addressable. 10

Audiomack

Known as a youth-driven hub for hip hop and Afrobeats music, Audiomack boasts a highly engaged, diverse audience where 76% of listeners are under age 34, and 75% of the audience is African American. With users spending an average of an hour and 54 minutes listening, brands have a meaningful opportunity to connect with young, multicultural music fans. 11

With millions of diverse listeners at our fingertips, we have what’s now, what’s next, and what keeps consumers coming back.

Connect with diverse music fans IRL

Don’t forget the power of live events. Sponsoring concerts and cultural experiences gives brands the chance to meet fans face-to-face with us by your side. Our event calendar has included everything from celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in Miami with reggaeton artist Ozuna, to honoring Black Music Month with R&B artist Coco Jones, to getting hyped for the FIFA World Cup 2026 with the Latin Fútbol Concert. These moments bring fans closer to the artists they love while giving sponsors the chance to create memorable, in-person experiences.

Each event creates a direct line from streaming audio to real life, connecting fandom, culture, and brand engagement in one place.

Elevate your campaign strategy with diverse music

Brands, this is the part to write down: Make diverse representation routine and show up in everyday moments—not just during cultural tentpoles. 

Keep this recipe for reaching diverse audiences in mind. Start by developing culturally specific campaigns designed to resonate with multicultural communities. Then, consider partnering with the artists fans love and featuring the songs they have on repeat. Finally, combine that with our networks, platforms, and audience targeting solutions. Whisk it all together, and we can help you scale your campaigns.

Ready to elevate your multicultural advertising campaigns? Let’s chat.

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