Today is International Country Music Day, so we thought we’d dust off the ol’ cowboy boots and dig into some data to see just how widespread country music listening is.
The genre may have originated in America’s South in the 1920s, but in 2018, listeners are as enthusiastic about country music in Hanoi as they are in Nashville, and fill arenas in Sydney as quickly as they do the revered Grand Ole Opry.
While the bulk of country listening takes place in the U.S., we’ve seen a 21 percent increase in the share of country music streaming outside America since 2015. And we expect to see even more growth as streaming continues to allow music of all types to cross borders with greater ease than traditional bastions like country music radio.
Check out this map highlighting how country music listening stacks up around the globe.
And it’s not just the music that travels, it’s the artists themselves. When Texas-born Kacey Musgraves learned she had a sizable fanbase in the U.K., the Grammy-winner made it her mission to meet listeners there face to face. In March, we teamed up with Kacey to invite her biggest London-based fans to an intimate invite-only Spotify Fans First Event, where Kacey joined them for high tea at the stately mansion Spencer House, followed by an acoustic performance.
“Most country artists now understand that in order to expand their businesses, it’s essential to develop followings in markets outside the United States,” says John Marks, Head of Country Music at Spotify. “I’ve seen many established artists start paying attention to audiences in countries where they previously hadn’t considered touring. And many newer artists are working to develop their fan base outside the U.S. and in the U.S. simultaneously, with the goal of being a truly global music artist.”
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