It’s been a massive month for Beats 1. First there was the launch at Apple’s World Developers Conference featuring cameos from Drake, The Weeknd, and Zane Lowe. Then the slow trickle of anticipation as more and more members of music royalty joined the ever-dynamic Beats 1 cast, including Dr. Dre, St. Vincent, and Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig. And now, one month in, Quartz has analysed Beats 1’s most-played genres and artists, amongst other statistics.
With a top 20 list of most played tracks that included the likes of Calvin Harris (with How Deep Is Your Love) and Selena Gomez (with Good For You), the top spot was taken out by, predictably, The Weeknd with Can’t Feel My Face. It’s hardly a surprising choice, given its almost viral spread across radio and online and its criminally catchy hook (which, for the record, I heard way too many times sung by not-fully-there Splendour punters). But coming in at 107 plays over the month, it’s almost a little too reminiscent of the online furore surrounding Pharrell’s excessive promotion of his own single Freedom, with some taking to Reddit to complain about it.
The Weeknd also clocked in as the most played artist, with Drake, Disclosure, and reigning trap king Fetty Wap trailing close behind. And with such a huge lineup of hip-hop producers and musicians either headlining their own Beats 1 shows or featuring in top-played lists, it’s again unsurprisingly that hip-hop/rap was the most played genre (categorised by iTunes). It’s worth noting that Beats 1, although shaping up to be a largely hip-hop defined radio station, still features a relatively eclectic mix of tastes, especially with shows such as St. Vincent’s Mixtape Delivery Service.
Amidst all this technical jargon, we’re excited for the future of the radio station that claims to be “ALWAYS ON”, and can’t wait for new and dynamic shows coming up as more and more artists express their support for Apple Music and Beats 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEI4qSrkPAs