Edison: TikTok Is Gateway For Audio Consumption

TikTok is driving significant discovery of audio content, according to the debut of Edison Research’s new report, The Infinite Scroll: A TikTok Report, released this week.

Key findings from a national survey of over 5,000 Americans aged 13+ show that 64% of TikTok users have discovered new music through the app, 47% have found new podcasts, and 30% have discovered audiobooks — confirming TikTok’s growing role as a gateway to longer-form audio consumption on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Audible.

The report highlights TikTok’s outsized influence among younger and diverse audiences: 34% of weekly users are aged 13–24 (vs. 20% of the U.S. population), 43% are 25–44, 17% are Black or African American, and 22% are Hispanic or Latino. 

Additionally, 83% of weekly users aged 13+ have taken action after seeing an ad, underscoring the platform’s high commercial intent.

Edison Research, known for its long-running Infinite Dial series since 1998, launched The Infinite Scroll as its first TikTok-specific study. The report positions the app not just as entertainment, but as a powerful trendsetter steering users — especially Gen Z — toward music, podcasts, and audiobooks.