Mexico City Is 'Streaming Music Capital,' According to Spotify

There are more Spotify listeners in the Mexican metropolis than New York or London.

Spotify has named Mexico City the “streaming music capital.” The Mexican metropolis, according to information from the streaming service, has more Spotify listeners than New York, London, or any other city in the world, and has become a "magnet" for tours by international bands.   

According to Spotify, Mexico City -- which has 22 million inhabitants -- is “the best destination for artists like Adele, Diplo, Metallica, Harry Styles, Radiohead, New Order, Bruno Mars and Madonna."

Spotify launched in Mexico in 2013, making it the streaming service’s first entry into the Latin American market. It now “has the biggest listener base in the world,” according to information from the company.

An announcement from Spotify about the soaring numbers cited the connection between international bands’ popularity in their service and their appearances in Mexico City. Streams of tracks by The Pixies, for example, increased 346% before the band played for 100,00 people at the city’s Zocolo Plaza earlier this month. With 145,995 monthly listeners, the group has its largest Spotify fan base in Mexico City.

Other groups for whom Mexico City claims the highest number of listeners include The Gorillaz, with 434,023 monthly listeners; The Beatles claim 509,000 monthly listeners in the Mexican capital.

“In no other city has the rebirth of Queen been as evident as in Mexico City,” the Spotify release added. “Immediately after the premiere of the Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, the group’s streams rose to more than 1.3 million listeners in Mexico City alone.”

Among other groups whose following has peaked in Mexico City are Imagine Dragons, with 995,940 monthly listeners; Robbie Williams with nearly 323,000; The Chemical Brothers with more than 117,000, and Nine Inch Nails, with 75,142 monthly streams. Those artists, who performed at Mexico City’s Corona Capital Festival last weekend (Nov. 17 and 18), all have their biggest following in Mexico City according to Spotify’s analysis of its listener data, by city and across the globe.