73% Indians created playlist for their loved ones during pandemic: New JBL Research

Harman has conducted a study in collaboration with OnePoll that takes a closer look at the role of music in the moments that have contributed to pop culture and left a lasting impression on listeners globally.

The study was organized in the backdrop of celebrating the 75th anniversary of Harman’s world-renowned audio brand JBL. The remarkable trajectory of JBL has intersected with music throughout history. From once being the sound of Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium to becoming the rhythm of the Royal Opera House of Mumbai, JBL has been the sound of many musical evenings.

Music transports listeners to other times and places

With a legacy of powering many of the world’s most epic events, including Tomorrowland, Coachella, the JBL brand epitomizes music’s immersive power. Participants in the study agreed overwhelmingly that music has the ability to sweep them away to a specific moment. Also, music’s ability to take the listener to another time and place was evident, as millions of people around the world turned to music as a means of lifting their spirits and finding solace during the Covid-19 health crisis.

• 54% respondents felt that music is a time machine, which has the ability to instantly transport them to a specific time.
• 41% respondents said, they would love to attend an A.R. Rahman concert while 40% would like to listen to Arijit Singh singing at a concert, if they could travel back in time.
• Interestingly, with 41% of votes, A.R. Rahman was chosen as the favorite artist of the year 2021 so far.
• 53% respondents agreed that they’ve been listening to a lot more music than ever before in the past year.
• 73% Indians created a playlist for their loved ones during the pandemic to make sure that their friends or loved ones also experience the comfort of music.

Music also has the marvelous ability to immerse the listener in an entirely different culture —an attribute that was particularly appreciated during months of home quarantine. Survey respondents largely agreed that music helps broaden their horizons. 47% Indians said that international music can act as a stepping stone toward appreciating other cultures.

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Musical tastes evolve over time

• 41% of respondents claimed Bollywood to be their favorite music genre during the ages of 0 – 10.
• With time, 51% said that their musical taste had significantly changed over the years, partly due to such outside influences as their friends (46%), music TV (41%), and social media (40%).
• But despite listeners’ evolving musical tastes, most expressed a marked degree of loyalty to their favorite artists, with 49% of Indians saying that their favorite artist had not changed over the past decade.
• Transmission is important to most music lovers as well: 46% of Indians hope to pass down their taste for music to their children.

Live concerts still define the immersive experience

There is no experience to match the emotion and thrill of a live concert, and over its history, the JBL brand has become synonymous with live music amplification. JBL products have powered countless concerts and collaborated with major artists over the past several decades, including most recently Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha. The memories related to concerts, especially one’s first concert, are especially strong: 30% of Indian respondents attended their first concert between the ages of 18 and 24, and 46% said they remembered every second of it.

Sound quality drives the musical experience

If listeners are to reap the full rewards of music, quality is essential. In India, 65% of respondents said that sound quality is an important factor in their enjoyment of music, reflecting one of the key trends to emerge during the pandemic, which is the growing demand for high-quality audio equipment. The need to work, study, and exercise from home, combined with the desire to enjoy live concerts and other musical content via streaming have all boosted demand. So too has the growing interest in online gaming, which greatly benefits from quality audio equipment such as JBL’s Quantum range of headsets made specifically for gaming. Aware of the role that high-quality audio equipment plays in sound quality, 45% of Indians cited speakers as being their most important electronic device.

“We are joyous to celebrate the milestone of JBL’s 75 years of legacy in delivering superior and convenient music experience to our consumers worldwide. It gives us immense pride and humility to see how the brand has touched numerous lives in these years while giving joy and comfort through our wide range of products be it in their homes, cars or on the go, which we keep redefining each day. The fire in our belly pushes us further to keep striving towards customer happiness and spread the passion of music anywhere and everywhere”, said Prathab Deivanayagham, Country Manager, Harman India.

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