As brands use music in more interactive ways as part of their campaigns, new data from media marketing platform Shazam looks back at the most influential tracks of 2013, both globally and in the UK. Among the firms ‘most-Shazamed’ songs of the year, include Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, which received […]
As brands use music in more interactive ways as part of their campaigns, new data from media marketing platform Shazam looks back at the most influential tracks of 2013, both globally and in the UK.
Among the firms ‘most-Shazamed’ songs of the year, include Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”, which received 14.7 million and 17.8 million tags, respectively, worldwide. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Avicii topped the UK list for most-tagged artists.
Additionally, Shazam announced today that it now has more than 400 million people who use the service globally, driving record activity of more than 15 million Shazams every day.
2014 New Artists to Watch
The Shazam music team selected the following artists by startging with qualitative industry tastemaker selections, which is then ranked using the quantitative data of Shazams of those artists. This makes it more scientific than just subjective opinions. And to a degree it democratises the process, as it has the input of Shazam’s hundreds of millions of users rather than just the industry or a handful of critics. The performers expected to make headlines in 2014 are:
• Action Bronson – Queens native Bronson lists early influences as Wu-Tang Clan. He launched his first album 2011 but gained huge Shazam tags in 2013 after releasing several hotly tipped mix tapes.
• August Alsina – August’s single “I Luv This Shit” has been one of the most Shazamed rap tracks of 2013 and his mix tape tracks are also gaining traction with hip hop heads
• Banks – Born Jillian Banks, she started writing music as a teenager in suburban LA and released an acclaimed EP in 2013.
• Jhené Aiko – Collaborations with Drake and Big Sean thrust her into the public eye in 2013. Now, after releasing a mix tape, ‘Sail Out’, Aiko looks set for big things.
• Kid Ink – XXL Magazine listed Kid Ink among artists like Danny Brown and Macklemore in its 2012 Freshman Class feature. Signed with RCA/Epic, Kid Ink is set to release his first album under a major label this year.
• Lucy Hale – Best known for her role as Aria Montgomery on the ABC Family series, Pretty Little Liars, Hale is set to be the next country star.
• Martin Garrix – Dutch DJ best known for his track, “Animals,” Garrix is the youngest person ever to top the Beatport charts.
• Rich Homie Quan – Georgia native and artist for the Island Jam label, Quan has been named by the New York Times as one of “Atlanta’s rising generation of rappers … who deliver lines with melody and heart, like singers on the verge of a breakdown.”
• Sam Smith – London-born Smith contributed the soaring vocals on Disclosure’s 2013 hit, “Latch” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La.” He prefers the raw soul style in the vein of his favorite artists, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin.
• Vance Joy – Originally from Melbourne, Vance Joy has already achieved success in his native Australia with his single, “Riptide,” and is set to break globally this year.
Predictions from previous years include Haim and French Montana (2013 predictions), A$AP Rocky and Lana Del Rey (2012 predictions).
Top 10 most ‘Shazamed’ songs of 2013
The year 2013 will be best known as the year Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” was the soundtrack of our summer with newcomer, Lorde, storming the charts worldwide with her debut track, “Royals.”
But they can’t touch Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, who owned 2013 with three successive hits “Thrift Shop”, “Can’t Hold Us” and “Same Love,” racking up more than 34 million Shazams globally.
Top Shazamed Songs
Top Shazamed Artists
Overall, Shazam’s activity has increased at an astronomical rate:
• In 2011, Adele led the world chart with four million Shazams.
• In 2012, there were five artists that had achieved more than five million Shazams.
• This year, there are 43 artists that have achieved more than five million Shazams.
Top Shazamed Tracks Driven by Television
Television shows continue to be a key driver for breaking new artists and reviving older songs. In the UK, The Walking Dead drove 43,000 tags for Ben Howard’s “Oats in the Water” and Ben Nichols’s “The Last Pale Light in the West.” Made in Chelsea was also hugely reactive, driving more than 26,000 Shazams for artists such as Ásgeir and Woman’s Hour.
Some of the songs that have seen popularity spikes driven by TV shows and advertising include:
• Ben Pearce, “What I Might Do” (F&F)
• Fleetwood Mac, “Everywhere” (Three)
• Lily Allen, “Somewhere Only We Know” (John Lewis)
• Starship, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (Talk Talk)
• Willy Moon, “Yeah, Yeah” (iPod)
Methodology
Shazam tag charts provide reliable data that gives the industry insight into which acts and tracks resonate with consumers. The 2013 report includes annual charts for the world, US, UK, Europe and Australia as well as sub-genre charts for independent dance music and hip-hop which bring quantifiable data to a market which is difficult to track using traditional charts due to non-traditional distribution.
For instance, mix tapes usually include songs that haven’t been formally released yet, but since artists want to gauge response, they will make sure the tracks are loaded in the Shazam database early.
Data – in particular the unique and highly engaged signal of using Shazam with music is a key part of breaking new artists and songs for the music industry. The Shazam data in our charts helps labels and the media more than ever see where their artists and songs are resonating in a market. And with the maps feature in our apps this even shows this down to the zip code level, so you can see highly specific regional trends,” said Will Mills, VP Music & Content “Up to 85% of the songs that get to number one Shazam’s Tag Charts go on to break nationally, making it one of the most accurate predictive measures for success and a key driver for Shazam of more than $300 million in digital music sales through our partners.”
www.shazam.com
