Top Songs in Austin
The 100 most popular songs in Austin revealed by Spotify
When it comes to music, the Austin scene represents a wide variety of genres and styles. But what are Austinites really listening to? According to Spotify, a whole lot of Texas country.
The music streaming service recently created a playlist of the most popular songs in Austin based on "listener/track relationships." Spotify eliminated chart-topping pop hits to determine the "distinctive" tunes that Austinites play: "the music that makes them different from people everywhere else," as Spotify puts it.
The Austin playlist is dominated by Texas music. Popular country bands have the most songs; Austin indie outfits and Houston rap gods are sprinkled throughout.
Leading the list for July is "Honeypot" by Bob Schneider, followed by his hit, "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)." Tunes from Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green and Reckless Kelly follow.
You'll also find Shakey Graves, Ghostland Observatory, The Bright Light Social Hour, Max Frost, Jamestown Revival and Wild Child on the playlist. Other Texas country/Americana artists include Stoney LaRue, Charlie Robison, Wade Bowen, Hayes Carll, Cody Johnson and William Clark Green.
The prevalence of Texas country is surprising when you look at the Austin Music Census published in June. Most respondents picked rock as the genre of choice, followed by Americana, alternative, folk/acoustic and pop rock.
Texas country is a trend in major cities across the state. However, folks in Dallas and San Antonio listen to a lot of mariachi music, while communities in Houston listen to local rap and hip-hop.
To hear what Austinites are listening to right now, check out the Spotify playlist.
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