The audio boom everyone is talking about

The newest way to cut through the noise of digital? With sound. In the world of tech, a wave of social-media start-ups are making themselves heard by elevating audio as the new form of communication. 

Clubhouse is one such start-up pioneering the audio approach. The new audio-chat app has been hailed as the verbal version of Twitter and has gained a lot of attention. In part due to its invite-only subscription. But aside from being exclusive, perhaps the real appeal of Clubhouse lies in its spontaneous nature. 

In a world of scheduled conversations and structured Slack channels, audio offers a more natural, instantaneous communication style which the current Covid climate denies us.

Quarantine has taught us that those off-the-cuff corridor chats and background office natter were not necessarily disruptive. But actually a crucial element to our relations. Workplace solutions are becoming more audio-focused. With the likes of Loom aiming to replace the already outdated Zoom call with a more dynamic back-and-forth approach. 

We’ve seen spontaneity manifest in apps before – Houseparty punctured through the lockdown blues back in March. With a whopping 50 million sign-ups over one month. Now, Discord offers “low-latency voice and video” to “feel like you’re in the same room” and Bunch lets groups of mates play games over video chat. 

During the pandemic, we’ve seen a rise in the popularity of sound-based escapism across the globe. Recent research suggests there are now over 1,750,000 podcasts, worldwide. Whatsmore, 81% of podcast listeners pay attention to podcast ads. So it pays for businesses to keep their ears to the ground when it comes to audio trends. 

Smarter headphones and increasingly intelligent voice assistants will only serve to accelerate this sound revolution and forward-thinking brands are switching on to the potential of this still unsaturated market. Stay tuned. 

Check out the HDY WFH playlist to keep you powered through the work week, or our business-focused podcast for tips from the inside. And, if you want to learn more about how we can help you raise your voice through digital-first content marketing. Get in touch for a good, old-fashioned chat!