Spotify is a popular mobile app used for music streaming. The Swedish company was created by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. The app was created so users could access and share a wide variety of music and podcasts. Through Spotify, users can follow artists and other users and create and share playlists. The Spotify app allows users to listen to music and podcasts from many different artists and creators. Users can access Spotify for free or can subscribe to Spotify Premium.  

Spotify is commonly used across the world by people of many ages. Spotify is the most popularly used in Europe. It is also a popular app in the United States and Latin America. Spotify’s target demographic age group is young Millennials and Gen Z. Spotify often promotes music popular within this age group to reach a target audience. 29% of Spotify users are Millennials and 26% of Spotify users are under the age of 24. Spotify’s free services are primarily used by people under the age of 35. The Spotify app also provides music that caters to people with many music genres. While Spotify includes mainstream music, it also caters to a demographic of people who listen to alternative and indie music.  

Spotify and its publishers earn revenue in several ways. Advertisements are present in Spotify’s free streaming service. Companies can pay Spotify for their advertisements to be promoted through the streaming service. Spotify also makes profit through its subscription service. Many users pay for a subscription to Spotify to avoid listening to advertisements and to gain access to more features in the app. Spotify purchases licenses from labels and artists to stream music from the platform. It is estimated that per stream, Spotify pays the rights holder of a piece of music around $0.004. 

There are several ways that users can benefit from using the Spotify app. Many students are eligible for a student subscription plan to Spotify Premium. This allows students to access Spotify Premium for a lower cost per month. Spotify users can enhance their playlists and use Spotify’s AI backed features such as “Assisted Playlist” to add relevant songs to their playlists. Users can also create playlists with other users by using Spotify Blend. Through this feature, Spotify creates a playlist based on the listening habits of multiple users. The “Group Session” feature on Spotify also allows multiple Spotify users to listen to a session together.  

Instagram is a popular social media platform. Instagram is primarily accessed through its mobile app. Instagram was developed by Kevin Systrom and was acquired by Meta. The app allows users to share photos and videos through the forms of posts, reels, and stories. Users can follow and view the content created by other users through the Instagram app. Users can also follow hashtags and other users. Instagram also allows users to discover content through the explore page and allows users to view content from around the world. 

Instagram has a target demographic of teenagers and young adults. 31.5% of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 24. 30.1% of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 24. Additionally, around 85% of teenagers are Instagram users. Instagram is extremely popular among the Millennial and Gen Z demographic. Instagram statistics state that around 51% of users are male and 49% of users are female. Instagram is also most popular in India and the United States.  

Instagram and its publishers primarily gain revenue through advertising. Visual advertising on Instagram is promoted through photos and videos. Many brands use photo advertisements on Instagram. Brands often pay Instagram to create sponsored posts that are promoted to a target audience. Brands can also pay for the platform to promote their content through stories, videos, and carousel posts. Brands also can pay for their shop to be a part of Instagram’s “Shop” marketplace. By paying for this feature, brands can sell products to users directly through Instagram. The “Checkout” feature on Instagram also allows Instagram to make money as a transaction fee is applied to the purchase. 

Instagram users can get the most out of the app by using it to connect with others and view interesting content. Instagram users can follow friends, family, and other Instagram users to view content on the social media platform. Users can also follow hashtags and accounts that relate to specific topics and interests. This will create an in-app experience that is curated to the user. To gain an audience and connect with people of similar interests, users can post quality content regularly and use Instagram features such as “Stories” and “Reels.”  

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Ranjan, Kamlesh. “16 Secret Spotify Tips and Tricks We Bet You Didn’t Know about: Cashify Blog.” Cashify, 10 Jan. 2022, https://www.cashify.in/secret-spotify-tips-and-tricks-we-bet-you-didnt-know-about.  

Reaume, Amanda. “How Does Instagram Make Money for Facebook.” SeekingAlpha, Seeking Alpha, 23 Mar. 2022, https://seekingalpha.com/article/4472656-how-does-instagram-make-money-for-facebook.  

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“Spotify Target Market Segmentation – User Demographics & Audience Targeting Strategy for 2022.” Start.io – A Mobile Marketing and Audience Platform, 28 June 2022, https://www.start.io/blog/spotify-target-market-segmentation-user-demographics-audience-targeting-strategy/.