Rolling Stone Magazine's latest article looks into the "trigger city" theory in music. To describe the theory, it's "the Butterfly Effect for music streaming. All fans are created equal. A listener in Malaysia or Mexico is as reachable as a fan in Los Angeles or London."
"I think the impact you might have back in your home market would be greater by sending them to the Philippines.”
Chaz Jenkins, Chartmetric’s chief commercial officer
However, Manila is also making its mark in the industry by becoming a target for upcoming artists. Filipinos love their music, from pop songs to strong ballads. Last year, Danish artist, Maximillian's Beautiful Scars soared to the top and landed in the Philippines' Spotify Top 10. Its popularity earned the song 150,000 streams a day with top monthly listeners all from the Philippines. To show love back to Filipino fans, Maximillian collaborated with Filipina artist Moira Dela Torre on an acoustic version of the song.
The article mentions that Quezon City has a population of 3 million people. Streaming platforms have made it easier to accomplish a snowball effect in fandoms and growing fan bases. This can “ 'trigger' a wave of interest that moves frictionlessly from one interconnected market to the next, eventually washing ashore in the U.S."
For some, the end goal might be to break the U.S. market, but it's time to think globally. With buzz growing in the Philippines, it can spread to other markets. After Beautiful Scars' momentum rose, Maximillian's next release expanded to 25 different countries’ New Music Friday rankings. Manila has the opportunity to influence listening habits that would ripple into the U.S. market.
The Western music industry is especially interested in the Philippines because the population is heavy on Spotify users and many Filipinos speak English.
Another artist who had their song rise in the Philippines is Pink Sweat$’ At My Worst. Here we also see the trigger city theory as the R&B track reached the top of the charts. The song which has a similar mellow tone to Beautiful Scars would resonate in the Philippines just like how Lauv's music is a favorite.
“No matter where you’re building fans, you can snowball it over into other territories and get a spark that allows you to build everywhere.”
Josh Feshbach, Pink sweat$ manager
Manila is a city you don't want to sleep on. The crowd appreciates and understands good music. With the streaming platform as the main form of consumption, global thinking is now the norm. The music industry is expanding outside the U.S. and Manila is at the forefront of recognizing the next big thing.
*Cover photo source: Maximillian Facebook
