If you’ve used the Spotify app since Tuesday of this week, you probably encountered an unfamiliar pop-up. Flashing across the screen on first open are instructions to “get vocal,” paired with a 20-song playlist you can listen to while voting in the upcoming November election.
The national music streaming service produced a different playlist for each state and D.C. as a push to inspire civic action. Associated with each “Get Vocal” list is a link to find your polling place, and the local or locally popular tunes are supposedly featured in each one.
There’s only one problem: the Pennsylvania playlist sucks
Look, Spotify: I appreciate the effort. I really do. Here at Billy Penn we want people to get out and vote as much as anyone. But what do any of these musicians have to do with Pennsylvania?
Since I’m not necessarily someone who keeps up with hot music trends (*shakes fist at fellow millennials*) I decided to give the company the benefit of the doubt.
I Googled every single artist on the list and….nope. For the most part, it’s a collection of douchey international artists who have zero apparent connection to the commonwealth.
There’s Florida Georgia Line, which is from Nashville. London-based Dua Lipa made the cut, as did Zedd, a music producer from Russia. Lots of the musicians and songs featured on the Pennsylvania list are also on a ton of other states’ lists. And when you check out the bio pages for almost all of the artists in the Pa. group, their top listeners are mostly from London, New York and Los Angeles.
A few songs from Pennsylvania-native musicians did make it on, including cuts from Meek Mill, Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa and Lil Uzi Vert. There’s also Philly-based Marshmello, and someone named Lor Beefaroni, who I’ve never heard of but indeed has a whopping 19 monthly listeners in York, Pa.
This is all especially disappointing in the city that brought you Hall & Oates, Boyz II Men, The Roots, Patti LaBelle, Kurt Vile, Beanie Sigel, Joan Jett, Jill Scott and so many more.
To Spotify: You can’t just put Meek Mill on a playlist and call it “Pennsylvania.”
And to the rest of the state: Please vote despite this musical atrocity.
Spotify’s Pennsylvania ‘Get Vocal’ Playlist
- Millidelphia (feat. Swizz Beatz) by Meek Mill
- 2009 by Mac Miller
- Fr Fr (feat. Lil Skies) by Wiz Khalifa
- I’m Just Doin Me by EZ Money
- Sun Zoo by Lor Beefaroni
- Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill
- Come Back to Earth by Mac Miller
- FRIENDS by Marshmello and Anne-Marie
- Happy Now by Zedd and Elley Duhé
- Jackie Chan by Tiësto, Dzeko, Preme and Post Malone
- This Feeling by The Chainsmokers and Kelsea Ballerini
- Simple by Florida Georgia Line
- APESHIT by The Carters
- Talk tO Me (with Rich The Kid) by Tory Lanez
- Want To by Dua Lipa
- Tie Me Down (with Elley Duhé) by Gryffin
- Closer by The Chainsmokers and Halsey
- The Way Life Goes (feat. Oh Wonder) by Lil Uzi Vert
- Rich And Blind by Juice WRLD
- Without Me by Halsey