A hidden microphone installed on a street pole in San Francisco’s Mission district is capturing the musical tastes of the neighborhood. The device, dubbed the “Bop Spotter,” was set up by 22-year-old Riley Walz, who moved to the city in January 2023 to co-found an AI-related startup. The Bop Spotter consists of a solar-powered box containing an old Android phone running the song identifying service, Shazam, 24/7.
It logs the names of notable songs played in the area, providing a unique glimpse into the community’s musical preferences. Walz, who lives between the Castro and Twin Peaks, was inspired by his love for the Mission district and his curiosity about the music played on its streets. He spent around $100 on the project, which he describes as a weekend endeavor.
“It’s such a unique neighborhood with so many cultures and so much depth,” Walz says.
Tracking Mission street’s musical tastes
“And as far as I can tell, most of the music [you hear in the Mission] is being played on the street.”
The Bop Spotter has already captured a diverse array of music, from Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” to Yo Gotti’s “Act Right” and Aventura’s “Cuando Volveras.” Walz’s favorite song detected so far is “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, which someone was playing early on a Sunday at 3 AM.
The project has also revealed some surprising musical choices, such as Eminem’s “Ass Like That” being played at 6:14 a.m. and Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” at 1 a.m., the latter being played by someone who found the box. Walz hopes that the Bop Spotter will run for years, capturing trends in the neighborhood’s musical tastes. He acknowledges that the device’s location could be discovered through clues on the Bop Spotter website, where 20-second previews of street noise can be heard by hovering over each listed track.
Despite the potential privacy concerns, Walz maintains that his motivation is simply curiosity and a desire for fun. “I’m just a normal guy who knows something about technology and likes seeing amusing things,” he says. “I had an idea for Bop Spotter and just wanted to see what would happen.”
