Spotify's Musical Map Shows the Most Popular Songs in 1,000 Cities
Music is a huge part of what city life is all about -- from the songs you listen to on your commute, to your outdoor running playlist, to the local concerts you see on the weekend. People in Brooklyn listen to completely different music than people in Boise. (Though, to be fair, we're all definitely putting our Spotify accounts on private to listen to Jason Derulo 14 times a day.)
To show just how distinct each city's music taste is, Spotify has released an interactive Musical Map that uses listening data to pinpoint the most popular songs in 1,000 world cities. Once you log in, you can move around the map and click on different cities to reveal a playlist of the most popular songs there. Evidently, everyone leaves their Ariana Grande binging for less-public streaming devices (definitely cassette tapes).
The data shows that Brooklyn is listening to a lot of Meek Mill, as well as English producer Jamie xx (a favorite in London as well). Dallas loves La Energia Nortena; the norteño band dominates the entire playlist. In a strange turn, Portland is listening to a TON of Kriss Kross. Just kidding, it's Sufjan Stevens. Obviously.
A lot of cities stick to local talent: Austin's big on Bob Schneider, Chicago likes rapper Lil Durk, and Paris has singer-songwriter Jeanne Added on repeat. Spotify says it plans to update the map every two weeks, so you can stay up to date with Portland listening to only Sufjan Stevens.
Play around with the map yourself to find out what songs your city collectively loves. And can someone please explain why everyone is listening to Steven Tyler?
Lucy Meilus is a staff writer for Thrillist. She is also Jason Derulo. Follow her on Twitter for more big reveals @Lucymeilus and send news tips to news@thrillist.com.