Listen: can you have a festival in your living room?

Almost a full year has passed since the majority of people across the UK have heard live music, danced beneath massive speakers at a club, immersed themselves in a film at the cinema or listened to the sounds of stand-up comedy reverberate across a room.

Before the pandemic, 44% of listening was done on the daily commute as a way of motivating us for the day ahead. But, with our homes now doubling up not only as office but as dancefloor, stage, and cinema, the ways we listen and the reasons we listen to audio have hugely diversified.

n fact, 2020 saw the UK’s biggest ever annual growth in audio streaming volume. There has also been an increase of over 100% in audio system sales from headphones to mini-Bluetooth speakers and huge hi-fi systems. Similarly, as well as the surge in video streaming services subscriptions, by the end of July 2020 Spotify also reported that podcast consumption had doubled, and it is predicted another 20 million people will become podcast listeners this year.

Aston spoke to John Lester from Richer Sounds to explain more about audio’s ability to offer both connection and escapism.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Unsplash