Streaming is accelerating how audiences uncover and revisit nostalgic content material, in line with a brand new examine from Vevo.
Vevo‘s report finds that music movies set off nostalgia greater than every other music format.
It additionally finds that 65% of Gen Z really feel nostalgic for eras they have been by no means alive to expertise, one thing Vevo calls “borrowed nostalgia.”
Titled Then is Now, the examine surveyed greater than 1,800 Gen Z, Millennial and Gen X shoppers throughout the US, UK and Australia, and was introduced on Thursday (July 9).
JP Evangelista, EVP, Content material, Programming & Advertising and marketing at Vevo, stated: “The convenience and accessibility of streaming is accelerating the invention and use of nostalgic content material greater than ever earlier than, from fueling catalog engagement with legacy artists to actively shaping the newest premieres.”
“Nevertheless, it’s not nearly revisiting what you really liked years in the past; individuals are craving shared moments and experiences, a distinction to the fragmentation pushed by customized algorithms.
“The convenience and accessibility of streaming is accelerating the invention and use of nostalgic content material greater than ever earlier than, from fueling catalog engagement with legacy artists to actively shaping the newest premieres.”
JP Evangelista, Vevo
“That’s why nostalgia has turn out to be a strong type of cultural foreign money. The leisure business at massive – from artists and their groups to manufacturing studios – are assembly this need and have been incorporating nostalgia into music, vogue, TV and past.”
Throughout all age teams, 88% of respondents stated music sparks nostalgic emotions, forward of films (81%), tv (80%) and gaming (50%).
Inside music, music movies led on 68%, adopted by audio tracks (59%) and reside efficiency movies (50%).
Revisiting previous content material, together with music and tv, was the one largest set off of nostalgia at 76%, in line with Vevo.
Some 60% of these surveyed recognized with what the report calls “shared nostalgia,” a collective reminiscence formed by reboots and extensively circulated content material relatively than private expertise.
Millennials and Gen X reported “borrowed nostalgia” at 55% and 54% respectively, beneath Gen Z‘s price.
One in three Gen Z respondents went additional, saying they really feel they have been “born within the mistaken era.”
An extra 67% stated that listening to music from the previous encourages them to hunt out different songs from the identical period.
Vevo paired the survey with viewership information from its personal catalog, which it stated confirmed nostalgia driving spikes in views.
The report highlights Sabrina Carpenter‘s Manchild for example of a brand new launch constructed on borrowed nostalgia.
Vevo says the video was its most-watched premiere of 2025 within the US, UK and Australia, and describes its inventive as a “mini highway film” impressed by Seventies movie Badlands and the 1991 movie Thelma & Louise.
Harry Kinds‘ Signal of the Occasions noticed views climb 547% after the track featured in a karaoke scene within the movie Mission Hail Mary, in line with the report.
Sade‘s No Strange Love gained 52% after the Hulu collection Love Story premiered, whereas The Beatles‘ catalog rose 62% following the Anthology documentary on Disney+.
Justin Bieber‘s views rose 221% after he carried out at Coachella alongside footage of his youthful self.
The report additionally charts “borrowed nostalgia” by decade, discovering that 74% of viewers of Bob Marley‘s No Lady, No Cry have been born after 1979, and 62% of the viewers for Madonna‘s Materials Woman have been born after 1989.
Laura Vanison, VP, Analysis & Measurement at Vevo, stated: “Nostalgia is a timeless, highly effective driver of engagement in right now’s streaming period.”
“Nostalgia is a timeless, highly effective driver of engagement in right now’s streaming period.”
Laura Vanison, Vevo
“The visible storytelling of music movies transcends the music itself and creates a deep emotional and psychological connection for followers – each new and present – in a manner that few types of leisure can.
“Music movies from the previous uniquely present context to songs and main popular culture moments, making them an iconic supply of inspiration.”
Vevo‘s report concludes that music movies “stay probably the most sturdy and culturally reflective format in music.”
The examine lands as Spotify pushes additional right into a format lengthy dominated by YouTube.
Spotify started rolling out music movies in beta throughout 11 markets in March 2024, and prolonged them to Premium customers within the US and Canada in December 2025.
In June, it started letting artists add movies immediately, with Spotify saying that “streaming movies results in extra listening.”
The corporate stated that after watching a video, listeners stream that track 64% extra over the next three weeks.
Vevo itself reviews greater than 22 billion month-to-month views throughout tv, desktop and cellular, and is carried on YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Pluto TV and Amazon Prime Video, amongst others.
By itself charts, Girl Gaga and Bruno Mars‘ Die With a Smile was the most-watched music video of 2025, with 932 million world views.
JENNIE‘s like JENNIE was the most important premiere of the yr at 33.4 million views in its first 14 days, the primary time a Okay-pop launch topped Vevo‘s annual premiere rating.
In November, Vevo unveiled its twelfth annual DSCVR Artists to Watch record, which featured UK soul singer Sienna Spiro.
The report cites Spiro‘s Die on this Hill amongst a wave of British soul acts discovering youthful audiences, with 2026 views up 665% on the prior yr.
Vevo was based by Common Music Group and Sony Music Leisure in 2009 and describes itself because the world’s main music video community.Music Enterprise Worldwide
