Gregory Thom - Product Designer

Have you ever been listening to a song that is so awesome that it compels you to look into who the artist is? No? Oh… well if you have, you might've come across this subtle feature:

Problem:

Spotify shows you the 5 cities where the most listeners are, but doesn't allow you to explore further. It doesn't answer questions like why is London #1? Why is the distribution that way? Why does this sound resonate with these cities?

Behind this display are thousands of people who feel something from this music. Expanding this would open a new door to find music by allowing listeners to step into a city scene and hear what the locals are playing. Who knows, your next favorite song might be found in Amsterdam's collective listening.

Research:

I wanted to see if others were as interested in this feature as I was. In 2023, Spotify's highly anticipated Wrapped released and became the #1 topic on X not for the usual reasons, but because of the new addition of Sound Towns. The response towards city identity was strong — people embraced the idea of being sonically connected to a place.

Not only that, but Spotify released a report showing how people are drawn to music that reflects their identity and environment. Listeners want features that feel local and personal.

HMW?

How do you design that for curiosity? Not just to show where fans are listening from, but to give the user a glimpse into what the culture might feel like? This is the foundation for my

feature: to allow the user to explore an artist's fanbase and hear what music they're listening to.

Problem:

Spotify shows you the 5 cities where the most listeners are, but doesn't allow you to explore further. It doesn't answer questions like why is London #1? Why is the distribution that way? Why does this sound resonate with these cities?

Behind this display are thousands of people who feel something from this music. Expanding this would open a new door to find music by allowing listeners to step into a city scene and hear what the locals are playing. Who knows, your next favorite song might be found in Amsterdam's collective listening.

Research:

I wanted to see if others were as interested in this feature as I was. In 2023, Spotify's highly anticipated Wrapped released and became the #1 topic on X not for the usual reasons, but because of the new addition of Sound Towns. The response towards city identity was strong — people embraced the idea of being sonically connected to a place.

Not only that, but Spotify released a report showing how people are drawn to music that reflects their identity and environment. Listeners want features that feel local and personal.

HMW?

How do you design that for curiosity? Not just to show where fans are listening from, but to give the user a glimpse into what the culture might feel like? This is the foundation for my

feature: to allow the user to explore an artist's fanbase and hear what music they're listening to.

Problem:

Spotify shows you the 5 cities where the most listeners are, but doesn't allow you to explore further. It doesn't answer questions like why is London #1? Why is the distribution that way? Why does this sound resonate with these cities?

Behind this display are thousands of people who feel something from this music. Expanding this would open a new door to find music by allowing listeners to step into a city scene and hear what the locals are playing. Who knows, your next favorite song might be found in Amsterdam's collective listening.

Research:

I wanted to see if others were as interested in this feature as I was. In 2023, Spotify's highly anticipated Wrapped released and became the #1 topic on X not for the usual reasons, but because of the new addition of Sound Towns. The response towards city identity was strong — people embraced the idea of being sonically connected to a place.

Not only that, but Spotify released a report showing how people are drawn to music that reflects their identity and environment. Listeners want features that feel local and personal.

HMW?

How do you design that for curiosity? Not just to show where fans are listening from, but to give the user a glimpse into what the culture might feel like? This is the foundation for my

feature: to allow the user to explore an artist's fanbase and hear what music they're listening to.

Sure, this is kinda interesting — but is it worth building for Spotify? What value does this feature bring to the table?

Low Fit, High Reward

It's feasible. This feature is built on data Spotify already collects: listening history, location trends, and similar artist overlap. No new infrastructure is required, we're just connecting the dots on existing information.

Strengthens Spotify's Competitive Edge

Users already turn to Spotify for its highly personalized experience. This feature deepens that perception, offering something neither Apple Music nor YouTube Music currently surface.

Enhances Discovery Without Disruption

This feature doesn’t interfere with how users currently navigate Spotify. It extends the listener's natural flow by allowing them to click on the cities and gain insights.

Increases User Engagement and Satisfaction

Features that surface personalized or contextual insights consistently drive high engagement on Spotify. This feature creates a similarly sticky experience that encourages exploration and increases engagement, all while aligning with listeners expectations for discovery

With City Pulse, music discovery becomes driven by the listener’s own curiosity, not just what an algorithm predicts.

Users can follow their interests, dive into the artists they care about, and explore how fans across different cities connect with those same artists in their own way.

Sure, this is kinda interesting — but is it worth building for Spotify? What value does this feature bring to the table?

Low Fit, High Reward

It's feasible. This feature is built on data Spotify already collects: listening history, location trends, and similar artist overlap. No new infrastructure is required, we're just connecting the dots on existing information.

Strengthens Spotify's Competitive Edge

Users already turn to Spotify for its highly personalized experience. This feature deepens that perception, offering something neither Apple Music nor YouTube Music currently surface.

Enhances Discovery Without Disruption

This feature doesn’t interfere with how users currently navigate Spotify. It extends the listener's natural flow by allowing them to click on the cities and gain insights.

Increases User Engagement and Satisfaction

Features that surface personalized or contextual insights consistently drive high engagement on Spotify. This feature creates a similarly sticky experience that encourages exploration and increases engagement, all while aligning with listeners expectations for discovery

With City Pulse, music discovery becomes driven by the listener’s own curiosity, not just what an algorithm predicts.

Users can follow their interests, dive into the artists they care about, and explore how fans across different cities connect with those same artists in their own way.

Sure, this is kinda interesting — but is it worth building for Spotify? What value does this feature bring to the table?

Low Fit, High Reward

It's feasible. This feature is built on data Spotify already collects: listening history, location trends, and similar artist overlap. No new infrastructure is required, we're just connecting the dots on existing information.

Strengthens Spotify's Competitive Edge

Users already turn to Spotify for its highly personalized experience. This feature deepens that perception, offering something neither Apple Music nor YouTube Music currently surface.

Enhances Discovery Without Disruption

This feature doesn’t interfere with how users currently navigate Spotify. It extends the listener's natural flow by allowing them to click on the cities and gain insights.

Increases User Engagement and Satisfaction

Features that surface personalized or contextual insights consistently drive high engagement on Spotify. This feature creates a similarly sticky experience that encourages exploration and increases engagement, all while aligning with listeners expectations for discovery

With City Pulse, music discovery becomes driven by the listener’s own curiosity, not just what an algorithm predicts.

Users can follow their interests, dive into the artists they care about, and explore how fans across different cities connect with those same artists in their own way.