The music database Gracenote has introduced an interactive “music map” showing which artists are the subject of the most searches in individual nations and in US states. The Beatles take the Number One spot in all but six states (see map below), and their worst showing is in Utah, where they’re in third place.
Aside from the Fab Four, just about every artist has different levels of popularity (or maybe popular interest, since we’re dealing with a search engine here) in different regions of the country, and the old red vs. blue pattern is often visible. Country singer Carrie Underwood, from Oklahoma, is strongest in conservative and Republican states, as seen below:
The popular “recording artist” J.K. Rowling is, indeed, the author of the Harry Potter books, and searches for information about the audio versions of her novels seem to be most frequent in more rural states — with the exception of the Deep South, where some religious leaders have objected to the witchcraft-themed adventures. See below:
Finally, New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, who has become more outspoken about his liberal politics over the years, provokes considerably more interest in Democratic states, including most of the Northeast:
