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Spotify Is Making International Music A Bigger Priority

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The music streaming company wants to advance and promote more culturally diverse music, including music from the Arab, African, Indian and Latino diasporas
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 3, 2018 - 6:09 pm

We live in a digitally connected world and our music should be as eclectic and available as what we're craving for lunch—whether it be Mexican, Italian or Chinese—Spotify argues. The streaming company's latest initiative is to not only spotlight more international artists on the platform, but to advance and promote more culturally diverse music, including music from the Arab, African, Indian and Latino diasporas.

The initiative emphasizes the people who live outside their homelands and continue to consume music from their culture. The Global Cultures initiative will feature expert-curated playlists with popular songs, new and old, from diasporic communities around the globe, beginning with some of the biggest diasporas around the world: Latino, Arab, African and Indian. Listeners can currently find the "LatinX" and "Desi" music "hubs" on Spotify. The Arab and African sections are coming soon.

"We have launched numerous high-profile playlists and programs in the recent past, but Global Cultures is poised to become one of the most important things we are doing as a leader in the field of streaming audio," said Spotify's Head of Global Cultures Rocio Guerrero in a blog post on the company's site.

While you can already browse artists from foreign countries on the streaming platform—as long as they have a profile—Guerrero, who is from Spain, wants to bring more attention to international music to the highly English-language, "American made" saturated top-ranked hits in the U.S.

Spotify is on to something. According to YouGov, an internet-based marking research and data analytics company, about half of Americans listen to music outside of the English language, with 52 percent of people saying that the music they listen to has lyrics in Spanish in it. At a global scale, Spotify states that 1 in 4 Spotify users around the world actively listen to an artist from outside their culture or country.

"Diaspora people have different political views, different hobbies, different mindsets that come out in their music," Guerrero said. "But they're still connected to their communities. People are becoming more and more proud of their origins, and I think music might be one of the best ways to help them express that."

FAKE LOVE- BTS

One of the best current examples of music breaking barriers regardless of language in and out of diasporas is K-pop's BTS. The South Korean band outlined how they feel when American audiences know the lyrics to every word of their songs during their visit to the GRAMMY Museum.

"We have a lot of foreign artists, American pop stars, coming to Korea, and Korean audiences will sing along, but it's very hard for them to sing along with all the lyrics and all the songs," BTS' Jungkook said. "So, when I see American audiences singing along to all of our songs, all of our lyrics, we can feel that they try really hard to learn our music, learn our lyrics, and we feel really thankful."

BTS is featured in Spotify's Global X playlist, which they have launched with the initiative. The playlist features international, multicultural crossovers and can be found under the pop category. Guerrero defined a crossover as "a mix of different genres, a mix of languages, or it could be a song like 'Despacito Remix' that crosses over to the rest of the world." Along with the playlist, is a vertical video for "Taki Taki," featuring Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Ozuna and DJ Snake. 

Other than BTS, the playlist currently also features Luis Fonsi, Becky G and Iranian-Danish rapper Sivas. Artists like these contribute to a "multicultural array set to inspire listeners around the world," the company wrote. The playlist will be regularly updated to expose listeners to new music overtime.

READ: Dua Lipa To Zedd: International Artists Takeover Lollapalooza

Stream the Global X playlist here:

Mariah Carey

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Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" Breaks Streaming Record

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The song broke a one-day streaming record with over 10.8 million streams on Christmas Eve
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Dec 27, 2018 - 12:40 pm

If there was any doubt that Mariah Carey is the queen of modern Christmas songs, a streaming record broken by "All I Want For Christmas Is You" leaves no doubt.

The popular Christmas song, created in 1994, that comes back every holiday season broke Spotify's one-day streaming record with over 10.8 million streams ramping up the Christmas cheer on Dec. 24.

The all-time record on the leading streaming platform was previously held by late rapper XXXTentacion whose song "SAD!" reached 10.4 million streams on June 19, a day after his death.

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" has become the big hit of the GRAMMY winner's Merry Christmas album, and as of 2017 has earned $60 million in streaming royalties, according to Rolling Stone.

"It’s kind of amazing to me because I wrote it just out of love for Christmas and like really loving Christmas music," Carey said in 2015 of the song's success.

Co-producer and co-writer Walter Afanasieff told Billboard in 2014 that he did not at all expect the song's success when the album came out.

"[Twenty] years ago, Christmas music and Christmas albums by artists weren’t the big deal that they are today," he said. "To think of it as a single that’s going to No. 1, that’s going to drive an album…we didn’t have an inkling of that. That’s not what the time was. That’s what made it such a modern phenomenon: Because it’s not like 'White Christmas' or 'Jingle Bells' – the song doesn’t have any of those traditional elements, but it became a huge pop hit."

Carey's Christmas album also holds other popular songs including her version "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

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Waze Audio Player Will Give You More Music Options To Travel Safe With Sound

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The app known for its shortcuts and neighborhood routes is integrating music and radio apps, to make your commute easier and safer
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 30, 2018 - 3:37 pm

Any driver that uses an app to get through rush hour traffic knows it can be a drag trying to get directions and find the one song that will get you through the drive. To ease the danger that can come while navigating between apps, Waze is collaborating with several audio apps to make driving easier and safer.

Waze is partnering with Pandora, Deezer, TuneIn, podcast platform Stitcher, NPR and Spotify, the first music app integrated into Waze. The Waze Audio Player will let users listen to music or podcasts without ever leaving the app by simply clicking a pink audio button on the main screen. A beta version has been has rolled out to testers and will be available for all Waze users Nov. 14.

Head of Global Partnerships at Waze, Adam Fried told Digital Music News that the integration would allow for an even better navigation experience.

"We're dedicated to giving our users the best possible experience in the car," said Fried. "Now we're able to make their drives even more enjoyable by seamlessly and safely delivering their favorite audio content while they're on the road."

Earlier this year, Google Maps also incorporated a music streaming function into its app. Google has owned Waze since 2013 yet still operates both as separate apps with somewhat different functionalities. To get started with Waze music streaming before the official rollout, you can join their Beta Community and follow  these instuctions  by Waze:

  1. Make sure you have the latest version of your 3rd party audio app of choice (Pandora, Deezer, iHeartRadio, NPR One, Scribd, Stitcher, Spotify or TuneIn) installed.
  2. Sync Waze and your 3rd party audio app (just once!). Simply tap the icon of your audio app in the Waze Audio Player and select connect.

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Dolores O'Riordan

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The Cranberries Announce Eighth And Final Album, 'In The End'

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The Irish alt-rock band, who lost lead singer Dolores O'Riordan last year, also unveiled a new single titled "All Over Now"
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 15, 2019 - 4:02 pm

Band members of Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries have announced that they will release their eighth and final album In The End on April 26 via BGM.

"In honour of our dear friend and bandmate, Dolores, we present to you the final album from The Cranberries, ‘In The End,’" the band tweeted.

The announcement comes one year after the death of powerful lead vocalist Dolores O'Riordan, who died suddenly while in London for a recording session on Jan. 15, 2018. She was 46.

The band also released a single titled "All Over Now" from the upcoming album. The song "blends rock, alternative and catchy almost pop-sounding melodies to deliver a classic Cranberries sound," the band said on their website.

The BBC reported in Sept. that O'Riordan's cause of death was a "tragic accident" due to excessive drinking. She was found submerged in the bath of her hotel room.

For 30 years, the Cranberries blended alternative rock with pop to create a melodic sound that could be both hard and sweet. Hits like "Zombie" and "Dreams" captured the band's ability to shift their sound. The final album, which has 11 tracks and was produced by Stephen Street, is a "fitting and powerful closure," the band said.

"I can't think of a more fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary of Dolores' passing and to celebrate her life than to announce to the world the release of her final album with the band," O'Riordan's mother, Eileen O'Riordan, said on the band's album announcement. 

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Bikini Kill

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Legendary Riot Grrrl Band Bikini Kill Reunite, Announce Tour

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The "Rebel Girl" band will play all-ages shows in Los Angeles in New York City and a 16+ show in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the spring
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jan 15, 2019 - 12:24 pm

Bikini Kill, the legendary politically outspoken feminist '90s punk band that launched the Riot Grrrl movement, have reunited and announced a tour.

The "Rebel Girl" band, who inspired women to express themselves via music and DIY culture, will play all-ages shows in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as a 16+ show in Brooklyn, N.Y. that will begin in the spring.

"Bikini Kill are thrilled to announce they will be regrouping to play shows in NY and LA this spring," the band said on their website. "They will perform with their iconic line-up of Kathleen Hanna on vocals, Tobi Vail on drums, and Kathi Wilcox on bass -- along with guitarist Erica Dawn Lyle."

The group formed in 1990 and were based in Olympia, Wash. and Washington, D.C. Before their break-up in 1997, they recorded and released a demo, two EPs, two LPs and three singles. They toured the U.S., Japan, Europe and Australia.  

Frontwoman Hanna went on to form band Le Tigre and a solo career as Julie Ruin. The Punk Singer documentary is based on her activism and musical career and shows the singer's life and battle with Lyme disease.

Tickets for all three shows will go on sale on Friday, Jan. 18. Both NYC shows will be on sale at 9 A.M. PT / 12 P.M. ET, while the L.A. show will go on sale at 10 A.M. PT / 1 P.M. ET. For more info, visit the band's website.

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