The best of summer: the most downloaded apps, the most popular parties and the 2016 summer playlist

“Summer is nearly over and the year is running out” sings the Italian group Righeira in its summer hit of 1985 which frequently plays on the radio at the end of August, the month of dream holidays. On the calendar the end of summer actually represents a moment of transition for the human mind: a transition between the current year and the one to come. This moment becomes an opportunity to take stock of the current trends and the smash hits which are destined to stick in the music lovers’ mind until next summer. Here is a rundown of the most downloaded apps, the coolest parties and the 2016 summer playlist.

 

The most downloaded Apps in summer 2016: from mobile messaging to the PokémonGO phenomenon.

 

The word ‘App’ refers to the digital applications that anyone can set up on their smartphone or tablet.  The applications differ in various functions and, once they are installed, can be used at any time.

They are so increasingly valued by the digital users that they have become in no time a worldwide source of business.

A US statistic shows that during summer messaging and social applications are at the top of the digital stores, with a record high of 59 million downloads.

Among these, first place goes to Messenger (59 million downloads), followed by the younger and amusing Snapchat (54.5 milion) and the omnipresent Facebook (45.8 million).

At the top of the league, besides social media applications, there is Color Switch, which has won over digital users with 75 milion registrations. Its success derives from the game’s easy concept (using a monochromatic ball the user must try to move past different, multicoloured obstacles and try to match its colour with the one of the object that must be overtaken) and from its universal rules based on the multicultural appeal of colour.

 

Statistical data about the most popular App of summer 2016 is too scarce at the moment. That is, Pokémon GO, available on App stores from July and already a hit on countless devices.

This application, which comes from the Japanese company Nintendo, is based on the technology of the augmented reality, and the aim is finding and capturing Pokemon, imaginary creatures which are hiding in the streets and squares of the real world around the player.

Its media success has been attributed to the nostalgia for the famous cartoon (from which the app takes inspiration), one of the most watched and loved by the children of the 90s. One month after the release date, the app has achieved a turnover of 200 million dollars (the download is free but users must pay to increase their levels, and for extra Poke balls, helpful for capturing Pokemon).

In the last few weeks, the parent company has launched Pokemon Go Plus, a bracelet connected with the App which notifies the user when ‘little monsters’ are nearby. A device which guarantees a much more entertaining and fun gaming experience.

 

The coolest parties, concerts and festivals of summer 2016: music and emotion from June to September.

 

For those who enjoy parties and need to escape  technology, summer 2016 has been rich in international music festivals which have drawn the attention of hundreds of thousands people from all over Europe. Here are the most popular ones, from June to September.

 

Name: Download Festival

Location: Melbourne, UK

Date: 10-12 June

Genre: Rock/metal

 

The most famous European rock/metal music festival has taken place every year (since 2003) in the Donington Park (Melbourne, UK). It offers three days of music entertainment by groups that have made modern history.

The name Download was chosen for two reasons: the first one regards the negative aspect of file sharing and music piracy on the web (that caused a sales crisis in the music industry); the second one regards the preconception that rock metal music is an anarchic, immoral and ‘illegal’ music genre. Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Rammstein were the special guests who added great value to this year’s edition.

 

Name: Tomorrowland

Location: Boom, Belgium

Date: 22-24 July

Genre: Electronic

 

Electronic music lovers can find a real wonderland in Boom, in Belgium, during the Tomorrowland Festival, which this July has reached its eleventh edition.

Fireworks, coloured fountains, smoke machines, special entertainment and international dj sets with electronic music entertained around 120 thousand people for 12 hours a day, in a continuous party.

It is an event open to everyone, especially the most fearless and enthusiastic.

 

 

Name: Sziget Festival

Location: Hajógyári Island, Hungary

Date: 10-17 August

Genre: All kinds

 

Originating as a show for local groups in 1993, this festival has a worldwide record for participation, with more than 30 stages for international artists and djs.

The particularity of the place, an island located in the middle of the Hungarian Danube (sziget means island in Hungarian), and the combination of cultural contamination and musical experimentation makes the Sziget festival a must, a big event attracting an audience from all over the world.

 

Name: ? Random party

Location: 7 Italian cities (Sistiana, Senigallia, Florence, Monza, Rimini, Jesolo, Gallipoli, Reggio Emilia)

Date: 7 dates from 01 June to 10 September

Genre: All kinds (random)

 

It’s a random party that doesn’t leave anything to chance, given the growing number of dates and locations for this festival. Originating in 2014 and becoming in no time at all the most popular Italian festival, Random Party attracts a lot of youngsters of every kind, perhaps because, being without any particular rules, it is well suited to every sort of style, taste and genre. The date in Jesolo, the Veneto seaside location known all over Europe for its dynamic nightlife, was sold out in only a few hours after it went on sale, with over 10 thousand people participating. No rules, no prerequisites to enter, everything is left to the irrational euphoria of chaos.

 

The playlist of the sun: the hits of summer 2016 from Sofia to the unforgettable Andiamo a comandare

 

This year, anyone who set foot on an Italian beach certainly heard of the unrequited love of Sofia; the reflections by the rappers Fedez and J-AX on the contemporary way of life; and the collective anthem ‘Andiamo a comandare’ (Let’s go out and conquer the world) which has become in no time at all the 2016 summer slogan. These three hits have dominated the Italian music charts, and their video clips have reached a record number of views on the web, around 220 million in total.

 

Broadening the viewpoint, the international charts have been dominated by the South American sounds of Enrique Iglesias and the winning pair featuring Sia and Sean Paul. Their songs have achieved huge numbers of worldwide listens

 

As always, the question for music lovers at the end of summer is: are these songs only passing hits or will they have a longer appeal? With the sun still high in the sky and the smell of salt still in the air during the last weekends at the sea, it is difficult to give an answer now. What is certain is that the 2016 summer playlist plays more or less like this:

• Alvaro Soler – Sofia
• Fabio Rovazzi – Andiamo a comandare
• J-Ax feat. Fedez – Vorrei ma non posto
• Sia feat Sean Paul – Cheap thrills
• Enrique Iglesias – Duele el corazon
• Calvin Harris feat Rihanna – This is what you came for