This week’s data-driven roundup of artists killing it around the world and in Australia this week
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Start next week right by getting across the biggest and the hottest new music around – as usual, I’ve taken a look at which artists are bagging the most spots (especially those punching above their weight) on both the best Australian playlists and on New Music Fridays around the world.
Don’t forget there are two dashboards you can play with via the site if you want to get into the raw data behind it, one for Australia and one for the New Music Friday stuff.
Essential Australia-based artists winning at home
To see who’s getting the most backing from a cross-section of Australian tastemakers and crtitics, I track the adds on ~60-70 of the most credible new music playlists in the country and weight the data to highlight any artist with a lower following getting onto these lists at any sort of scale – this highlights newer artists getting backing from major playlisters. The top three performers (and their releases) this week were:
#1 Margo Mann – Love Is A Dog (album)
- Followers: 180
- # AU Playlists: 5
- Combined AU playlist reach: 840k
- 😮Carrying less than 200 Spotify followers, Margo Mann bagged slots on Open Skies, Tapestry, and New Music Friday AU & NZ, three major domestic playlists all showing backing for this emerging project
- 🌏 Also picked up a cool international spot from NPR Music’s New Music Friday
#2 lahgo – My 600th Letter (single)
- Followers: 2.0k
- # AU Playlists: 8
- Combined AU playlist reach: 797k
- 😮A notably wide range of playlist adds for this latest single across both major and indie playlisters
#3 Holly Hebe – Skipping Stones (single)
- Followers: 8.4k
- # AU Playlists: 9
- Combined AU playlist reach: 896k
- 😮A reliably popular choice for AU playlists, Holly Hebe’s latest also achieved the rare feat of bagging slots on both Spotify’s New Music Friday AU & NZ and triple J’s New Music Hitlist in the same week
The top 20 best-performing artists this week are below. Once you’re done making notes of who to check out, we’ll take a look at how the Aussies did abroad this week.
Essential Australia-based artists winning on global playlists
Landing on home turf playlists is one thing, but also breaking out into global lists is another thing entirely. I track a few hundred of the biggest and best international playlists – these are the best-performing Australia-based artists who made it onto significant lists both in Australia and around the world this week:
daine – Wishing Well (single)
- Followers: 63.9k
- # AU Playlists: 8
- # Global Playlists: 10
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 11.4m
- 😮 A firm fixture on this list, daine is now one of only three artists – along with Radio Free Alice and Swapmeet – to make this list more than ten times so far this year
Nick Ward – Making Time (single)
- Followers: 9.9k
- # AU Playlists: 8
- # Global Playlists: 14
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 7.6m
- 😮 An absolutely cracking international haul of support for Nick Ward’s latest, including particularly valuable slots on All New Indie and Novidades de Semana, both of which carry north of 1m followers each
#1 Dads – Every Little Fire (album)
- Followers: 38.1k
- # AU Playlists: 5
- # Global Playlists: 3
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 3.7m
- 😮 Great to see both local and international support for this Australian scene legend, including a spot on the 1m+-follower All New Indie list
Sammi Heaney – Anything At All (single)
- Followers: 21.9k
- # AU Playlists: 4
- # Global Playlists: 3
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 3.3m
- 😮 Following up on her breakout debut, Sammi Heaney’s second single made it onto the global Spotify list teen beats (2m+ followers), but – oddly – didn’t make it onto New Music AU & NZ this week
Sycco – Look Up (album)
- Followers: 39.5k
- # AU Playlists: 3
- # Global Playlists: 3
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 2.7m
- 😮 Third straight week appearing on multiple, million-plus-follower international lists
Alexandria – Ghost in My Walls (single)
- Followers: 64.3k
- # AU Playlists: 3
- # Global Playlists: 9
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 2.1m
- 😮 Picked up some notably strong New Music Friday support across Asia this week
Party Dozen – Full Powers (single)
- Followers: 18.0k
- # AU Playlists: 9
- # Global Playlists: 3
- Combined AU + Global playlist reach: 2.0m
- 😮 Always popular on home turf, it’s great to see Party Dozen getting some global backing with spots on All New Indie and All New Rock
Essential global artists – five bets for the future
If you’re looking outside Australia, I also take a look at artists achieving a larger presence on New Music Friday playlists around the world than their followings might initially suggest – these are five artists (and their releases) who are getting international backing before they’ve blown up for real.
NB: a 🇦🇺 flag indicates an Australia-based artist
Sophia Stel – the greatest album of all time (album)
- Followers: 55.0k
- NMF Ranking: #26
- # Global NMFs: 18
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 8.8m
nomi. – right/left (single)
- Followers: 17.2k
- NMF Ranking: #32
- # Global NMFs: 7
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 7.6m
Nectax – Cash4Gold / Close2Mine (single)
- Followers: 5.4k
- NMF Ranking: #52
- # Global NMFs: 12
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 6.4m
Skip Waiters – Piks. (album)
- Followers: 3.3k
- NMF Ranking: #60
- # Global NMFs: 8
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 5.7m
Jersey – NOTHING’S FAKE (album)
- Followers: 49.6k
- NMF Ranking: #61
- # Global NMFs: 4
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 5.5m
Essential global artists – the big five
Finally, these are the artists you already know, the bold-faced names who appeared the most across all New Music Fridays globally. These are artists and their the releases that the most people will be hearing and talking about this week:
Olivia Rodrigo – expectations (feat. Chappell Roan) (single)
- Followers: 57.8m
- NMF Ranking: #1
- # Global NMFs: 46
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 16.6m
Fontaines D.C – Dopamine Chamber (album)
- Followers: 1.6m
- NMF Ranking: #2
- # Global NMFs: 42
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 16.3m
Tate McRae – Housewife (single)
- Followers: 11.6m
- NMF Ranking: #3
- # Global NMFs: 46
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 16.2m
KATSEYE – Unloveu (single)
- Followers: 13.9m
- NMF Ranking: #4
- # Global NMFs: 47
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 15.6m
Zach Bryan – Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs (EP)
- Followers: 8.7m
- NMF Ranking: #5
- # Global NMFs: 41
- Combined Global NMF playlist reach: 15.3m
And that’s your lot this week, the artists that popped on the playlists, punched above their weight, and pushed out into global lists.
If you’re into raw data, then there are two new dashboards you can play with on the site for the Australia and the New Music Friday data.
Go and discover something new and amazing 🤘
And that’s your lot this week, the artists that popped on the playlists, punched above their weight, and pushed out into global lists.
If you’re into raw data, then there are two new dashboards you can play with on the site for the Australia and the New Music Friday data.
Go and discover something new and amazing 🤘
—
Photo: Ricky Albeck at The Lord Gladstone, Sydney