Photo Credit: Luminate Data
A study conducted by Luminate (and commissioned by Meta) finds that Instagram is the de facto home for music superfans—not TikTok or YouTube.
TikTok may claim to be the biggest driver of music culture across social media platforms, but Instagram’s unique relationship with fans—and a study conducted by Luminate and Meta—hints at a deeper connection. Thanks to a combination of dedicated content consumption and disposable income, Instagram harbors a powerful audience.
According to Luminate’s study, superfans are defined as consumers who “pull five of 13 different engagement levers with an artist.” These include concert attendance, support on Patreon, and word-of-mouth ambassadorship. Unsurprisingly, the study finds that the highest concentration of these superfans can be found on Instagram.
Out of a base audience of consumers who use social media and listen to music, Instagram boasts a 38% engagement rate. However, when only the superfan data is taken into account, that amount jumps to 58%—the largest percentage increase among all measured platforms.
Not only are Instagram’s music fans dedicated consumers, they’re also more likely to spend freely on concerts and other live events. Of the platform’s “daily music engagers,” 45% attended at least one live event over the past year, while 25% of that group attended three or more shows. Both numbers were higher than the comparable figures on TikTok and YouTube.
But this data hasn’t occurred in a bubble; Instagram’s marketing tactics have played a major role. Meta has long been at the forefront of promoting new ad formats that center brands, and popular tours or album releases are exactly the kind of “big cultural moments” that position Instagram as a go-to platform for that form of engagement.
While a study conducted at Meta’s behest might not seem convincing to marketers looking to focus their budgets, the most effective marketing campaigns have been shown to span multiple platforms. The study shows that 18% of the base audience engages with music content on Instagram but not TikTok, while 13% engage with this content on TikTok but not Instagram. So casting a wide net is still king in the social media landscape.
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