This Week We Heard

Harnessing Spotify’s data to quantify the most timeless music of all time

Nov

In an incredible display of visual interactivity, Polygraph’s editor and in-house data scientist Matt Daniels has used Spotify plays from 2014 to determine which songs from pop music’s past stand the test of time by measuring most-played music by users from each decade. The results are in: Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was the most popular song from the 90s on Spotify in 2014. But as Daniels notes, the data is skewed and nor does it represent all critically-acclaimed artists, particularly as Spotify’s user base tends be representative of today’s younger generation predominantly in their mid-20s.

Subway’s fresh approach to influencer marketing: Mashd & Kutcher sample your sandwich.

Nov

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From amassing millions of YouTube views for their UGC ‘mashups’ where they build tracks off the back of sampling everyday sounds ranging from Call Of Duty game-play to the Domino’s Pizza delivery guy, Mashd & Kutcher have teamed up with the fast-food chain for their new ‘Eat Well Go’ campaign to take the concept into paid territory and remix sounds recorded in Subway stores. As much as it’s an inventive piece of influencer promotion, you can’t help but hope Mashd & Kutcher are trolling Subway with their music.

Forget 12″, Fiat does 15-metre.

Nov

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Italian car manufacturer Fiat celebrated the re-launch of its ‘re-mastered’ 500 model in London this month with a notable experiential activation that saw Ella Eyre perform live atop a 15-metre wide purpose-built record. The stage set-up replicated a giant vinyl with the British singer-songwriter performing a cover of The Emotions’ iconic hit song ‘Best Of My Love’ stood at its centre, while a Fiat 500 circled around her apparently triggering different parts of the track. It’s doubtful the Fiat 500 was genuinely dragging an equally oversized styli over the grooves of a custom-pressed giant vinyl, but it’s a cool stunt nevertheless.