Here are 2018’s top artists and songs in the eyes of iHeartRadio

There are officially 28 days until 2019, and that means it’s time to tally up all the new track.

Streaming service iHeartRadio has been working all year to bring the music to you. Meanwhile, their data team and scientists have been crunching the numbers to see which songs and artists come out on top. Now the results are ready for primetime on an interactive site that iHeartRadio is coining as the “United States of Music.”

It’s important to remember that while iHeartRadio does offer a streaming service (both free and paid models), they’re also behind many of the radio stations across the United States, like Z100, Q104.3, and 103.5 KISSFM. The numbers they present combine spins on the radio and plays on the streaming services. 

Unlike other year-end rankings, this interactive map provides both a national list and also features top artists by region. It’s a unique approach that you can get lost in, thanks to the abundant amount of information.

The map (seen above) can be daunting at first, but it’s pretty neat. For starters, it’s split up into 10 regions, including the Northeast, Southeast, the Midwest (split into three parts), Northwest, West, and Southwest. Plus, Hawaii and Alaska, which are on the bottom left corner of the map. In each of the regions, you’ll see bubbles with artists inside. The biggest ranks first, the second largest is second, and the smallest is third. These are the top artists in that region for the specific day. The longer the artist stays at number one, the deeper the color will get. 

Clicking play at the top gives you a day-by-day way to see what was popular when. Ed Sheeran was a top contender for the number one national artist at the beginning of the year, but Post Malone quickly stole that title. Perfect by Ed Sheeran got 2.3 billion audience spins and streams alone, but Post Malone got 3.8 billion in total across his catalog. 

Interestingly enough, while Ariana Grande gained some popularity locally in several regions, she didn’t top the national list. I don’t know about you, but I’m saying “thank u, next” to 2018.