With over four dozen music awards ceremonies in existence today, adding another to the scene seems nothing short of overkill. Yet Spotify’s foray into the awards market suggests it may just be worth it: On March 5, 2020, Spotify is launching the “first-ever award ceremony 100% based on user-generated data.” That means you can forget about the stuffy Academy or long panels of industry execs. Instead, Spotify wants to award the true people’s choice. Unlike the synonymous People Choice Awards, there will be no tedious polling involved; only preexisting streaming data.
And if said streaming data serves as any indication, then Spotify’s chosen location for its first awards ceremony makes complete sense: Mexico City.
Surprised? Check your favorite artist’s Spotify page; chances are, the leading listening city is CDMX, which often ranks ahead of other high ranking spots like New York City and London. “We chose Mexico because the scale of users, added to the enormous diversity of music and the time they spend on the platform, offers a reflection of what is heard today,” Mia Nygren, Spotify’s managing director for Latin America, told CNN.
Although Spotify launched in 2008, it only officially reached Mexico in 2013—and its capital city quickly made up for the lost streaming time. According to Spotify’s statement, Mexico City has the most listeners on the streaming platform, globally.
“Thanks to streaming and the true audience size of Mexico, users are in the front seat like never before,” Nygren added in a statement today. “We decided to celebrate this by recognizing what users love based entirely on their listening. The Spotify Awards is all about this, giving everyone an opportunity to be part of the show.”
As promised, you can be a part of it all come March 5, 2020, when The Spotify Awards broadcasts on WarnerMedia’s TNT network. Save the date!