Music Genre By Popularity

Over the past 20 years, Rolling Stone magazine has published three different versions of a list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The first list came out in 2003, followed by a revised list in 2012, and then a complete overhaul that was just published in September 2020.

"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine Rolling Stone. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in a special issue of the magazine in 2003 and a related book in 2005.

The most popular genre among the top 500 albums over the years can be consolidated into genres like Rock, Funk, Hip Hop, Pop, Country, Folk. The graph shows the correlation between genres with subgenres, also provides the information of each genre linked with Artists/Bands with their popular album. The visualization helps in understanding the influence of each genre on the artists and what kind of genre was most popular over these years.

 Most Popular Music Genre by State

One of the things that make America great is how diverse it is. While Americans share many things, collectively there are also plenty of distinctions between different regions. This is very apparent when you look at musical tastes. You can learn a lot about the different states by looking at their favorite genres and favorite artists, so that’s exactly what we’ll do.

Finally, to give you a taste of the music each state has individually produced we’ll look at the most popular bands that have come from each state. A handful of artists from major metropolitan areas might dominate the top of the charts at any given moment, but that doesn’t mean that each and every state hasn’t contributed their own unique artists to America’s musical tapestry.

Most of the music consumed in the US can be categorized into Indie, Country, and classic rock. There is an emergence in the Metal genre in few states like North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, etc. However, there are few genres that are not the most popular across all states but are highly popular on their own like Pop is most popular in California and Texas has Latin as the most popular genre. The visualization also depicts which are the most popular homegrown band per state.

While hip-hop and R&B are more dominant than ever the popularity of the genres is driven by streaming. That’s why they dominate the “contemporary artist” category but almost never show up when we look at the most popular touring genres. Younger listeners are more likely to enjoy hip-hop and use streaming sites. Genres like rock and country are more likely to be enjoyed via radio, record, or live performance. 

Music in America is currently in an interesting place. The internet has made it easier than ever for artists to release their music for the world to hear, but at the same time it can feel like a smaller group of artists is capturing the top of the charts. Still, when it comes to touring shows and local scenes rock and country musicians are helping to bring fans together all across the country. While the charts might be dominated by music that is streamed over phones and computers the local concert venues are packed with people looking for that classic combination of drums, a guitar, and a singer that can make them feel something.