Here in Canada, we have forward-thinking music fans. Want proof? A new study conducted by Conrad Lee and Pádraig Cunningham of University College Dublin ranked Montreal and Toronto as two of North America's most trend-setting music cities. In "The Geographic Flow of Music," Lee and Cunningham used data provided by the website last.fm to analyze how music preferences move from one city to another. They found that Montreal is the continent's most progressive city for indie music, while Toronto is second. Toronto also came in second for hip-hop, trailing Atlanta, while Montreal ranked second for all types of music (regardless of genre). Surprisingly, Vancouver was near the bottom.
It's a compelling study, but with a significant limitation: Lee and Cunningham only used data from a single source (last.fm). In order to better examine the movement of music trends, future researchers ought to draw on a wider range of sources, such as music sales or Facebook "likes."
It's a compelling study, but with a significant limitation: Lee and Cunningham only used data from a single source (last.fm). In order to better examine the movement of music trends, future researchers ought to draw on a wider range of sources, such as music sales or Facebook "likes."