Streaming, gaming and on-demand media have changed how you experience entertainment. Sound and music now influence what you watch and play as much as the visuals do, turning what was once background noise into a key part of engagement and growth.

As audiences spend more time with digital content, the economics of sound are becoming impossible to ignore. From streaming platforms to gaming studios, investment in audio is rising fast and the numbers tell the story.

Sound as Strategy: Why Audio Is Becoming a Billion-Dollar Business

Deloitte’s latest report on the audio industry shows that streaming, radio, podcasts and audiobooks generated more than US$75 billion in revenue in 2024, about seven percent higher than the year before. The firm also highlights an untapped market: just 14 percent of global smartphone users currently pay for music streaming, suggesting significant room for expansion.

Figures gathered by HubSpot show digital audio advertising heading toward US$12 billion in 2025, continuing a growth curve that analysts expect to hold through the rest of the decade. These shifts show how sound has evolved from a creative detail into a measurable force shaping engagement across the entertainment industry.

In its latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2025–2029, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reports that industry revenues rose 5.5 percent in 2024 to US$2.9 trillion. If current trends hold, that total could approach US$3.5 trillion by 2029. The sector remains one of the most resilient in the global economy even as audiences move toward digital formats.

How Audio Shapes Decision-Making in the Attention Economy

Sound is no longer just ambience. Research into immersive audio experiences shows that users’ sense of presence — the feeling of “being there” — is predicted by the quality of audio, by cognitive engagement and by emotional connection. When audio is well designed, user retention and immersion rise.

In branding contexts, the same trend applies. According to research from Veritonic, 50 percent of podcast listeners in the U.S. reported greater engagement with a brand’s sound identity than with its visual identity, and 58 percent said sound elements were more memorable than visuals. A related survey found that 64 percent of listeners felt a stronger connection to brands with cohesive sound identity.

In digital gaming, sound is credited with influencing player behavior and session length. A report by Newzoo found that 80 percent of consumers play video games and 85 percent engage with games in some form, including community activities, showing that game sound design affects a wider ecosystem than just consoles.

It is in this context that we see how music and sound design are actively shaping digital entertainment experiences. For example, the article on how music influences modern casino game design on Gigwise explores how developers use sound cues, rhythmic motifs and fanfare-style effects to heighten anticipation and keep players engaged across modern casino titles. It also shows how familiar melodies evoke nostalgia and how fast-paced audio can drive quicker decisions in online gaming. Put plainly, audio design has evolved from background noise into one of the key elements shaping player experience.

From Casino Floors to Boardrooms: What Brands Are Learning from Game Audio

The principles described in gaming extend into broader brand strategy. Brands such as Mastercard and Shell have been identified as leading global audio innovators, ranking top in the Best Audio Brands 2024 index released by sonic-branding agency Amp. This suggests that strategic sound identity is no longer optional. The World Advertising Research Center (WARC) notes that brands with consistent sonic identity can achieve up to a 33 percent lift in emotionally weighted brand preference.

Sound reaches audiences in more ways than ever, through the tone of an app’s notification, the short burst of a brand jingle or the ambient score of an immersive game. Each layer reinforces recognition. For decision-makers, that means audio now belongs in the strategy column of a budget, not the decoration column of a campaign.

Investing in Sound: The New Metrics Driving Digital Growth

Audio-driven engagement is becoming a measurable business asset. With the entertainment market valued above US$75 billion and digital audio advertising spending in the tens of billions, the financial scale is impossible to ignore.

The fast-growing immersion economy, built around spatial audio and interactive design, is taking sound well beyond gaming. Companies in fintech, healthcare and retail now experiment with distinctive tones to build trust, mark transactions or guide customers through digital journeys.

For investors the opportunity lies in measurement. Engagement data now tracks not only screen time but also audio recall, session length and repeat-visit rates tied to a company’s sound identity. These metrics connect creativity directly to business performance.

Companies that act early — by investing in dedicated sonic strategy teams or partnering with experienced sound designers — are positioning themselves ahead of competitors who still treat audio as an afterthought.

The Business of Listening

Sound has evolved from a background feature to a strategic lever in digital engagement, behavior and revenue growth. The market’s scale, the behavioral data and the crossover between gaming and branding all point in the same direction: audio matters not just for storytelling but for measurable financial results. Organizations that invest in how they sound stand to earn more than attention; they earn trust and loyalty in a crowded digital world.

MENAFN05112025006930014941ID1110296780