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Bop Spotter

walzr.com · 1,834 words · saved by 12 readers

I installed a box high up on a pole somewhere in the Mission of San Francisco. Inside is a crappy Android phone, set to Shazam constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's solar powered, and the mic is pointed down at the street below. Heard of Shot Spotter? Microphones are installed across cities across the United States by police to detect gunshots, purported to not be very accurate. This is that, but for music. This is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it's not about catching criminals. It's about catching vibes. A constant feed of what’s popping off in real-time. 81% The 2 Live Crew 1h ago Total Shazams ever detected: 240. That's an average of 240 songs per day. Battery currently at 81% (a decrease of 3% in the last 4 hours). Last ping was 24 minutes ago (less than 10 minutes ago is good). Download a CSV of all Shazam results ever. Shoutout to Nikhil, Raffi and Shihao for advice/help building this! And thanks to MSCHF for design inspiration.

Bop Spotter Riley Walz BOP SPOTTER Somewhere in the Mission district of San Francisco is a microphone, pointed down at the street below. It is using Shazam constantly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Heard of ShotSpotter? Microphones are installed across cities in the United States by police to detect gunshots, purported to not be very accurate. This is that, but for music. This is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it's not about catching criminals. It's about catching vibes. A constant feed of what’s popping off in real-time. Audio feed courtesy of Orchestra Song Title

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