BPI, the UK record labels association, has just released data detailing how the 2020 national lockdowns impacted the listening habits of the British population. The data is based upon a survey commissioned by AudienceNet in November 2020 and will be included in the BPI’s annual yearbook ‘All About The Music 2021’, which will be published on April 14th.
As described on their website, the BPI yearbook is “the definitive guide to the UK recorded music industry in numbers”, highlighting both the music consumption and trends of the past year. For instance, one of the many musical developments articulated in the 2020 yearbook was the rise of UK rap: “Through Stormzy, Dave, AJ Tracey and others, UK rap is at a new critical and commercial peak”.
Regarding the newly released data for 2021, 28% of people who took the AudienceNet survey said that their music listening increased compared to pre-lockdown; an immediate indicator of the crucial role that music played for a large portion of the population during the pandemic. This was particularly pronounced among the 16- to 24-year-olds survey group, of which 45% said that they listened to more music since the first national lockdown.
In the qualitative section of the survey, respondents were asked to consider why music was so important to them. 50% of the participants said that they listened to music to raise their spirits; 40% claimed that music helped to alleviate boredom; 27% said they used it to boost concentration whilst working or studying; and 25% viewed it as a perfect accompaniment to exercise.
However, arguably the survey’s most important discovery was the role that music played in helping people cope with stress and anxiety. One fifth of respondents reported having feelings of daily anxiety throughout the 2020 lockdowns, whilst this rose to 60% as a weekly figure. Out of all those experiencing stress and anxiety, 55% said that music helped to relieve these feelings. More impressively, almost everyone that experienced such feelings (94%) said that music helped to lift their mood, with 91% similarly citing music as a way to escape their problems.
Discussing the new data in a press release, BPI’s chief executive, Geoff Taylor, said, “Music has many intrinsic additional benefits, not least in raising spirits and promoting wellbeing, but this new research underscores just how much of a lifeline it’s been for people since lockdown – inspiring and reassuring us and also helping many of us to work, study and exercise to greater effect. The transformational power of music to improve lives has rarely been more pronounced.”
The survey demonstrated that the role music played over the course of 2020 was both extensive and multi-faceted, providing the population with tools for escapism, relief, and productivity.
The comprehensive summary of the results of the survey can be found on the BPI website.
