We reached out to a handful of the hundreds of in-store/overhead music curators that we work with and asked them to provide us with their top music releases from 2021: the songs they programmed the most in their channels, their personal favorites and their favorites from Shoplifter! Below is what we received, enjoy!
Also, we compiled them all into a few playlists for your own listening enjoyment.
Steve Zanardi, Music Curator at Spectrio
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Good 4 U – Olivia Rodrigo
Leave the Door Open – Silk Sonic
Save Your Tears – The Weeknd
Levitating – Dua Lipa
Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
How High – The Record Company
Madelyn – Anderson East
Like a Kid – Michigan Rattlers
Tell Me How it Feels – Cardinal Black
Dancing On My Own – Willie Watson
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Breadwinner – Kacey Musgraves
The Underdog – Big Mother Gig
Up All Night – Aaron Lee Tasjan
Freedom – Jon Batiste
Dancing in the Kitchen – LANY
Dallas Osborn, Head of Music Curation at Rockbot
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Saint PHNX – Happy Place
Forrest Nolan – Summer Vibe
Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Fitz – Head Up High
Pale Waves – Easy
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
nothing,nowhere – Trauma Factory
illenium – Fallen Embers
remy – you only call me when you want something
KennyHoopla – survivor’s guilt mix tape
The Maine – XOXO: From Love & Anxiety In Real Time
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Cynthia Erivo – The Good
Arden Jones – Parking Lot
LANY – Dancing in the Kitchen
Saint PHNX – Happy Place
Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Patrik Jungo, Content & Program Manager at DMD2
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
OneRepublic – Someday
Alexander 23 – Songs from his EP “Oh No, Not Again!”
Ed Sheeran – Overpass Graffiti & Shivers
Adele – Single Easy On Me & Songs from LP 30
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Valerie June “The Moon And Stars…”
Almost Monday – Cool Enough
Twenty One Pilots – “Formidable”
Tom Odell – Monsters
Jungle – “Loving In Stereo”
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jungle – Loving in Stereo (LP)
Kacey Musgraves – Justified
Lila Drew – 2023
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
Maya Delilah – “Queen” & “Breakup Season”
Miranda Deubert, Head of Music at CloudCasting UK
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Elton & DUA
Paco Versailles – Unwind
Mehro – Coastline
Years & Years – Starstruck
Almost Monday – Till the end of time
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Elton & Dua – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Rag n Bone Man – All you ever wanted
The Weeknd – Take my breath
Years & Year – Starstruck
Jack Savoretti ft Nile Rogers – Who’s hurting who
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Arlo Parks – Hurt
Big Mother Gig – My Unveiling
Elton & Dua – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Jungle – Talk about it
Wet Leg – Chaisse Lounge
Nick Bewes, Head of Music at KVH Studios
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Olivia Rodrigo – Driver’s License
Ed Sheeran – Bad Habits
Ella Henderson, Tom Grennan – Lets Go Home…
Jonasu – Black Magic
David Guetta/Galantis/Little Mix – Heartbreak Anthem
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open
Wolf Alice – The Last Man On Earth
Jessie Ware – Remember Where You Are
Griff – Black Hole
James Blake – Say What You Will
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Gryffin – The Best is Yet To Come
Celeste – Tonight Tonight
Jessie Ware – Please
Dayglow – Close to Me
Wet Leg – Chaise Longue
Greg Nisbet, The Maestro at RadioMogul
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Jon Batiste – Freedom
Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
Riton – Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit)
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Jon Batiste – Freedom
Jon Batiste – I Need You
Easy Life – Skeletons
Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Jungle – Talk About It
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jon Batiste – Freedom
Easy Life – Skeletons
Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Alan Walker, Imanbek – Sweet Dreams
American Authors – Nice and Easy
Diplo – Don’t Be Afraid (feat. Jungle)
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
Tai Verdes – A-O-K
Jessie Ware – Please
Riton – Friday (Dopamine Re-Edit)
ATB, Topic – Breaking Me
Al Jones, Music Video Programmer at ClubCom/GymTV
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
AJR – Way Less Sad
The Weeknd – Save Your Tears
Nelly & Florida Georgia Line – Lil Bit
Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
Dua Lipa – We’re Good
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
The Hold Steady – Open Door Policy
War On Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Georgia Blue
The Record Company – Play Loud
The Black Keys – Delta Kream
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
ATB – Your Love (9PM)
Riton – Friday (Dopamine Remix)
Elton John & Dua Lipa – Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)
Gryffin with Kyle Reynolds – Best Is Yet To Come
Diplo & Damian Lazarus ft. Jungle – Don’t Be Afraid
Libby Zabriskie-Farr, Music Director at Vibenomics
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Olivia Rodrigo – Drivers License
Olivia Rodrigo – Good For You
AJR – Bang
Elton John /Dua Lipa – Cold Heart
Mat Kearney – Pontiac
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Silk Sonic – Leave the Door Open
Foo Fighters – Waiting On A War
Maneskin – Beggin’
Jon Batiste – I Need You
Milky Chance – Colorado
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jon Batiste – I Need You
Milky Chance – Colorado
Darren Criss – River
Jungle – Talk About It
Wild Feathers – Alvarado
Craig Martin-Roseberry, Exclusive Music Curator for Kiehl’s
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Amber Mark “Foreign Things”
Róisín Murphy “Assimilation”
Elderbrook & Bob Moses “Inner Light”
Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls (Lockdown Version)”
Arlo Parks “Hurt”
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Adele ’30’
Lady Blackbird ‘Black Acid Soul’
Helado Negro ‘Far In’
Jordan Rakei ‘What We Call Life’
Rüfüs Du Sol ‘Surrender’
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jungle ‘Loving In Stereo’
Diplo & Damian Lazarus “Don’t Be Afraid ft. Jungle”
Jessie Ware “Please (Radio Edit)”
Kacey Musgraves “justified”
Petit Biscuit ‘Parachute Remix Album’
Jonathan Knox, Senior Music Consultant at RX Music
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
Dua Lipa – We’re Good
Coldplay – My Universe
Twenty One Pilots – Shy Away
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
OneRepublic – Someday
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
Adele – 30
Floating Points & Pharoah Sanders – Promises
Turnstile – Glow On
Black Midi – Cavalcade
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jessie Ware – Please (Radio Edit)
Halsey – I’m Not A Woman, I’m A God
Vance Joy – Missing Piece
OneRepublic – Someday
Kacey Musgraves – Breadwinner
Shelagh Koets, Chief Orchestrator at MPRA/Brandi Music
TOP 5 MOST PROGRAMMED
A-O-K – Tai Verdes
Close To You – Dayglow
Willow – Taylor Swift
I Quit Drinking – Kelsea Ballerini & LANY
Butter – BTS
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
We’re Good – Dua Lipa
A-O-K – Tai Verdes
OK – Michigander
Justified – Kacey Musgraves
Know That I Know – Lake Street Dive
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
A-O-K – Tai Verdes
Missing Pieces – Vance Joy
Next – Olivia Holt
Gold Rush – Jonny West
Carried Away – Surf Mesa & Madison Beer
YiPei Chen-Josephson, VP of Licensing & Label Relations at The Playlist Generation
TOP 5 PERSONAL FAVORITES
NEIL FRANCES “finding rhythm”
Helado Negro – Far In – LP
Hana Vu – Public Storage – LP
Jose Gonzalez – Local Valley – LP
Little Simz – Sometimes I Might Be Introvert – LP
TOP 5 RECEIVED FROM SHOPLIFTER
Jungle -Loving In Stereo LP
Dayglow “Close to Me”
Arlo Parks “Hurt”
Lionel Boy – Lionel Boy LP
Jessie Ware “Please (Radio Edit)”