Pixels to playlists Music preferences and behaviours of gamers

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The global games industry is a $236.9 billion behemoth. It now rivals film, television, and music combined in terms of revenues and is a cultural driver. Yet, for music companies, labels, and platforms, gaming represents more than a parallel market: it is a gateway to the world’s most engaged, tech-savvy, and monetisable audience. Gamers are not merely players – they are “super listeners”, a group where digital discovery, fandom, and spending are core to their lives. This report dissects how gamers’ unique consumption habits, platform-specific preferences, and emotional ties to soundtracks create opportunities for growth, innovation, and cross-industry collaboration.
Key data and insights in this report:
- Weekly average hours spent per segment, by gamer type, Q4 2024, global
- Monthly music behaviour, by gamers and consumer average, Q4 2024, global
- Penetration of monthly game soundtrack listening by consumer segment, Q4 2024, global
- Non-subscribers’ likelihood of paying for a music subscription in the next three years, Q4 2024, global
- Music services used weekly, by gamers and consumer average, Q4 2024, global
- Main places consumers discover music (ranked in top three), by consumer average and gamers, Q4 2024, global
- What consumers do after listening to a song, Q4 2024, global
- Favourite music genres, by gamer type and game player type, Q4 2024, global
This report sources data from:
- MIDiA Research Consumer Survey Q4 2024, Total: 9,019 (US: 1,002, UK: 1,000, Australia: 1,001, Canada: 1,000, Germany: 1,006, France: 1,008, Sweden: 1,000, South Korea: 1,001, Brazil: 1,001)
Words: 4950 Pages: 27 Infographics: 10
Companies and brands mentioned: Amazon Prime Music, Anitta, Apex Legends, Apple Music, Avenged Sevenfold, Bad Bunny, Battlefield 2042, Beat Saber, Billie Eilish, Borderlands, Brian Eno, Bring Me the Horizon, Call of Duty, Celeste, CHVRCHES, Civilization, Deezer, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Distant Worlds, Dolby Atmos, EA Sports FC 24, Elden Ring, Fallout, Fall Out Boy, FIFA, Final Fantasy, Forza Horizon, Fortnite, Game Pass (Xbox), Gears of War, Genshin Impact, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), Guitar Hero, Hades, Halo, J Balvin, Kendrick Lamar, League of Legends, Lil Nas X, Low Roar, Ludwig, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Minecraft, MrBeast, NewJeans, Olivia Rodrigo, PlayStation, PlayStation Plus (PS Plus), Reactional, Resident Evil, Roblox, Rocket League, Shazam, SoundCloud, Sony, Sony Music, Spotify, Symphony of the Goddesses, The Elder Scrolls, The Legend of Zelda, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Weeknd, The Witcher 3, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Total War, Travis Scott, Turnstile, Twitch, Watch Dogs: Legion, Universal Music’s Republic Records, Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, and YouTube Music.