A hidden microphone on a San Francisco street pole is spotting ‘bops’ in the wild

In San Francisco’s Mission district, good music is all around you. That’s why, high up on a street pole at an undisclosed location in the Mission, Riley Walz installed a solar-powered box containing an old Android phone running the song identifying service, Shazam, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The so called “Bop Spotter” is spotting good songs, or “bops,” taking their names, and uploading them all to a website so you can hear the sounds of the Mission from wherever you are.

So far on Tuesday morning, the Bop Spotter has heard Mission residents listening to a wide range of music stylings: “Wildest Dreams” by Taylor Swift, “Act Right” by Yo Gotti, and “Cuando Volveras” by Aventura are just some of the songs heard today.

In an interview with 404 Media, Walz said this was just a weekend project that cost him about $100. His favorite song he’s captured so far is “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, which someone was playing in the Mission on Sunday at 3 AM.