According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the definition of the word Mainstream means “a prevailing current or direction of activity or influence.” It turns out a study has been done by the Spotify subsidiary Echo Nest to see how artists fared against the divisions of sex, as well as age. The company took anonymous information from 35 million songs and over four hundred apps to procure the answer to the question I asked in the title. The most mainstream artist, who is loved by the widest audience, at least right now, is Bruno Mars.
He is broadly accepted by both sexes, along with being the favorite artist of people who are sixty-four years old. Who do you think was the least favorite among sixty-four year-olds? Skrillex (hehe). That statistic certainly does not reflect his talent, nor his contribution to the music scene as a whole, of course, but something that is pretty cool is he is the most played artist among thirteen year-olds. If you don’t understand why that’s a cool thing, then you should figure it out. Another act from our dance music scene, Daft Punk was also the second most popular act for males, being topped by the one and only Eminem. 
Getting back to the objective popularity we see the next four most mainstream artists being Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry and Drake. I can appreciate that for what it is, but I think it’s safe we can all agree that JT is the most talented of the bunch. It’s true.
The way this infographic was put together makes it quite easy to understand, so there’s no need in further explaining it. Check it out below to see a breakdown of which artists hipsters will not be paying attention to this year. Well, openly at least anyway.
Source: Ad Week
