Each state has its own culture that influences everything from the shows its residents watch to the music they listen to. Someone in Alabama, for instance, is probably going to appreciate Lynyrd Skynyrd more than someone in Oregon.
In an effort to discover just how much geography impacts listening habits, Paul Lamere, the director and developer of a “music intelligence platform company” called The Echo Nest, collected data on the listening preferences of around 250,000 users with zip codes connected to their music streaming accounts. Using this data, Lamere was able to discover which artists are popular in different areas of the country.
Which band does Alabama tend to favor more than the rest of the country?
The Civil Wars, an indie folk duo hailing from Nashville, Tenn.
The Civil Wars is comprised of musicians John Paul White–who was actually born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and describes himself as a “whiskey drinker from Alabama who was raised on Southern rock and Johnny Cash”–and Joy Williams. The band released two full length albums since forming in 2008. In August of this year, White and Williams announced that they were officially parting ways. “The difficult decision ends a tumultuous period for the four-time Grammy Award-winning band, who has been on indefinite hiatus since late 2012,” read a note on the band’s website.
Looks like Alabamians might need to find a new favorite band.
In 2011 the band filmed a video for their song “Forget Me Not” in Birmingham, Alabama.
Here’s the full map showing each state’s favorite artist:
(h/t Business Insider)