Gen Z No Longer Passively Listens to Music! Z-SOZOKEN (Gen Z Creativity Research Institute) Reveals Different Reasons for Support for #1 Spotify (39%) and #2 TOHO Cinemas (22%) in its 7th Insight Summary.
Z-SOZOKEN (Gen Z Creativity Research Institute) has released its 7th insight summary, analyzing the music and theater industry trends from its latest survey report, 'Brands with Soaring Image among Gen Z.' The report, based on a survey of 300 Gen Z individuals (18-24 years old), highlights that Gen Z's values for music and theater brands are bifurcating into 'AI-personalized encounters with the unknown' and 'unskippable premium offline experiences,' with Spotify ranking 1st and TOHO Cinemas 2nd.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 1, 2026 at 02:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 1, 2026 at 01:06
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 06:46 (509h 40m after Collected)
Fiom LLC (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Employee: Yohei Takeshita), a creative company for Gen Z, operates the "Z-SOZOKEN (Gen Z Creativity Research Institute)," a think tank where Gen Z members analyze their own realities and values. Z-SOZOKEN has independently released its seventh insight summary, which deeply examines trends in the music and theater industry from its latest survey report, "Brands with Soaring Image among Gen Z," covering 19 categories including food, cosmetics, apparel, and entertainment, conducted among 300 Gen Z individuals (18-24 years old) nationwide.
In recent years, with the widespread availability of free viewing environments like YouTube and video subscriptions like Netflix, marketing professionals in the music and entertainment industry are constantly grappling with "how to make Gen Z choose paid music subscriptions, or how to get them to specifically visit offline theaters."
However, traditional promotions that merely emphasize "a large number of songs available" or simply advertise "you can watch on a big screen" often fail to resonate with Gen Z, who prioritize "Taipa" (time performance) and can easily consume entertainment with just a smartphone. Cases where these promotions do not lead to actual payments or store visits are frequently observed.
Against this backdrop, Z-SOZOKEN, a research institution specializing in Gen Z, has selected the "music and theater industry," which forms the foundation of Gen Z's cultural consumption, from the overall ranking results across all 19 categories.
In an era where content can be consumed anytime, anywhere, this analysis reveals that what modern Gen Z seeks from music and theater brands has clearly bifurcated and evolved into "AI-personalized encounters with the unknown" and "unskippable premium offline experiences," and presents the underlying psychology from a novel and unique perspective.
Download the full survey report.
## Unraveling Unique Insights into "Gen Z's Music and Theater Brand Evaluation"
From the music and theater industry section of this survey, it became clear that Gen Z finds completely different values in each brand: "digital serendipity (chance encounters)" and "offline spatial value."
**- Spotify, the champion of personalized music experiences, proudly takes 1st place (Image improved: 39%)**
Spotify was the brand whose image improved the most, ranking 1st. Beyond being a mere music player, it has solidified its position as a music discovery infrastructure that uses highly accurate AI-powered recommendation features to help users find "songs they love but don't know yet."
**- TOHO Cinemas, offering supreme offline spaces, follows in 2nd place (Image improved: 22%)**
TOHO Cinemas ranked 2nd. In an era where movies can be watched on smartphones, the reasons for deliberately going to a movie theater are found in the premium experiential value of the entire space, such as "clean facilities" and "delicious food."
**- Apple Music, with its overwhelming UI and ecosystem, ranks 3rd (Image improved: 16%)**
In recent years, with the widespread availability of free viewing environments like YouTube and video subscriptions like Netflix, marketing professionals in the music and entertainment industry are constantly grappling with "how to make Gen Z choose paid music subscriptions, or how to get them to specifically visit offline theaters."
However, traditional promotions that merely emphasize "a large number of songs available" or simply advertise "you can watch on a big screen" often fail to resonate with Gen Z, who prioritize "Taipa" (time performance) and can easily consume entertainment with just a smartphone. Cases where these promotions do not lead to actual payments or store visits are frequently observed.
Against this backdrop, Z-SOZOKEN, a research institution specializing in Gen Z, has selected the "music and theater industry," which forms the foundation of Gen Z's cultural consumption, from the overall ranking results across all 19 categories.
In an era where content can be consumed anytime, anywhere, this analysis reveals that what modern Gen Z seeks from music and theater brands has clearly bifurcated and evolved into "AI-personalized encounters with the unknown" and "unskippable premium offline experiences," and presents the underlying psychology from a novel and unique perspective.
Download the full survey report.
## Unraveling Unique Insights into "Gen Z's Music and Theater Brand Evaluation"
From the music and theater industry section of this survey, it became clear that Gen Z finds completely different values in each brand: "digital serendipity (chance encounters)" and "offline spatial value."
**- Spotify, the champion of personalized music experiences, proudly takes 1st place (Image improved: 39%)**
Spotify was the brand whose image improved the most, ranking 1st. Beyond being a mere music player, it has solidified its position as a music discovery infrastructure that uses highly accurate AI-powered recommendation features to help users find "songs they love but don't know yet."
**- TOHO Cinemas, offering supreme offline spaces, follows in 2nd place (Image improved: 22%)**
TOHO Cinemas ranked 2nd. In an era where movies can be watched on smartphones, the reasons for deliberately going to a movie theater are found in the premium experiential value of the entire space, such as "clean facilities" and "delicious food."
**- Apple Music, with its overwhelming UI and ecosystem, ranks 3rd (Image improved: 16%)**