Discover Hits From Around the World With Spotify's Global Cultures Initiative

Depending on the day, you may have a taste for Mexican, Chinese, or Italian cuisine. At Spotify, we think our playlists should be just as eclectic as our palates.

Top-ranked hits in the U.S. are still overwhelmingly focused on English-language and American-made songs-yet about 1 in 4 Spotify users around the world actively listens to artists from a culture (or country) different from their own. Thanks to our increasingly connected world, discovering the top hits and coolest beats from around the globe is now easier than ever-and relevant in an age where many communities and cultures live in countries far away from their homelands. For example, 15 million Lebanese live in Brazil-more than in Lebanon itself.

Stories like this inspired Rocio Guerrero, Head of Global Cultures at Spotify, to launch Spotify's Global Cultures initiative, which promotes and advances culturally diverse music, surfacing hits from different countries around the world and spotlighting popular songs that cross cultures.

We have launched numerous high-profile playlists and programs in the recent past, but Global Cultures is poised to become one of the most important things we are doing as a leader in the field of streaming audio, says Rocio.

Included in this initiative are several expertly curated playlists, some of which feature top songs, both old and new, from diasporic communities around the world. The first four diasporas to be represented on Spotify are some of the largest by population worldwide-Arab, African, Indian (Desi), and Latino-with more hubs on the way. Currently, the Desi and LatinX hubs can both be found on the Browse section of Spotify, with the Arab and African hubs launching in the weeks to come.

Arab diaspora artists might sound totally different than local Arab artists, Rocio explains. Diaspora people have different political views, different hobbies, different mindsets that come out in their music. But theyre still connected to their communities. People are becoming more and more proud of their origins, and I think music might be one of the best ways to help them express that.

To continue to disseminate cultural music throughout the world, Spotify is also launching Global X, a new playlist full of hot international and multicultural crossovers. Starting today, the playlist will be easy to find and devour under the Pop category on our platform. The playlist speaks to the global nature and allure of music, featuring hits from L.A. to Lagos.

LINK:	https://newsroom.spotify.com/2018-09-28/discover-hits-from-around-the-...
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