When Spotify recommends "new" artists to you based on who you have (allegedly) been listening to .. (weird connections, OTM recommends, or "duh" ones)

ok WHAT IN THE FUCK
http://i.imgur.com/vghy0gA.png

One thing I'm hating, though it's probably my fault: the other day I played a bunch of stuff that my six-year-old wanted to hear (mostly big pop hits and stuff from musicals) and now my recommendations are totally fucked.

if you like death we recommend suicide

1452 Followers

This is little while ago, but I had a message saying 'You listened to Cassie. Check out this gig near you' accompanied by this photo:

http://o.scdn.co/300/1c926d8163f2399d7f87c87e3a917ceaed958e43

I was excited until I followed the link and realised that it was actually this Cassie:

http://cassieband.bandcamp.com/

Swear to god though, there was about 60 seconds I spent trying to work out why Cassie was appearing at Trof Fallowfield second on the bill after 'powerful and almost instrumental rock trio MARVIN'.

I didn't go, but this is the other Cassie in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNBAIM1ytgE

I dig that

You've been listening to a lot of "John and Marsha" by Stan Freberg lately.

Lies!

http://i.imgur.com/z8NzKdc.png

The lineup changed over the years, I take it?

currently recommending mike watt, firehouse AND the minutemen! every few inches i scroll mike watt's looking at me, hopefully assuming he's also invited to my party

lol firehose, woops

lol firehouse

fIREHOSE

it recommended me deaf center cos of listening to bohren und der club of gore and i must say this deaf center is really great.

"Since you listened to The Rolling Stones, you might like this new release by The Clash."

*large picture of Clash's self-titled debut*

Spotify also thinks I'll like this song because I was recently listening to Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcNJxVLoHVU

Darryl getting that Motown sound!

lol, there are a lot of Hall/Oates songs that I might recommend to J5 and Stevie fans, but that is decidedly not one of them, although it is an interesting find

all the "you like these artists, try this SPECIFIC SONG by a similar artist" choices must be randomly generated - I also had the Monkees' "Opening Ceremony" intro from Head suggested for playing Beach Boys or something. Key in singles if you're going to bother, Spots!

"You listened to The Cramps. Check out Sebadoh."

because i listened to the mavericks (and not particularly recently), today spotify would like me to listen to charlie rich AND buck owens AND merle haggard AND kris kristofferson AND george jones & tammy wynette. that's one email, one source artist, five suggestions. and, tbh, they had me at charlie rich.

A new low: "Have you heard The Best of Kate Bush - Tribute by Studio Sunset? Give it a try." Does anybody at Spotify even listen to music themselves?

"If you like ___ we recommend Suicide" will never stop being funny.

I am not listening to a band called Winter Titty no matter how much they plead.

ditto with the band Reptar

also spotify keeps spontaneously closing for me. i might have to uninstall and reinstall it...

Public Image Limited

Because you've listened to Can and Jilted John.

You listened to Run DMC and Salt-N-Pepa. Here's an album you might like:
Daryl Hall- Sacred Songs

"You listened to They Might Be Giants. Check out Jane's Addition."

Turned me on to Country Teasers based on TFUL282, I thought that was pretty astute actually.

I just liked the idea that Public Image Limited was basically Can fronted by Jilted John..

Check out this song by Moondog? We think you might like it.

High on a Rocky Ledge

for once I feel like there's an actual human presence behind these recommendations. what a song!

Oh, recommend Moondog to the world, Spotify!

Rdio now has a Recommendation section. It's a lot less ridiculous than Spotify's.

tempted to try our rdio, spotify's weird ideas about how to structure their service are becoming harder to pin on mere youthful exuberance

"If you like Shuggie Otis, try Scott Walker."

Recluse rock?

that doesn't make sense but it makes a lot of sense if you know what i mean

tbh i used to clown these but they've gotten so much better and i've actually discovered tons of cool stuff via them

You listened to They Might Be Giants. Check out William Shatner.

If you like Slowdive, try Suicide

(done before, but still lol)

"you listened to tinariwen. here's an album you might like." link to lambchop's nixon.

i don't get the connection at all. however, i did and i do. so.

interesting:

If you like Ruthann Friedman we recommend Tom Verlaine

http://i.imgur.com/8ZlhQ0m.jpg

"sorry dude, I heard you missed out on those tickets. but look on the bright side, BBBRRRJJJJHWWWWWAAAAEEEAAAAAiiiiiiiiAAARROOOOOBBBWWWWWWWWWWWWWWERRRRRRRRRHXXXXXXXXoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO"

You listened to Jeezy and Twista. Here’s an album you might like.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TLy-Z%2B37L._SY355_.jpg

also i hate how it's usually "9 music suggestions for you" or some other random non-round number, very Buzzfeedy

http://i59.tinypic.com/ok08y8.png

I gotta say spotify's been accurately pitching a lot of c-grade 80s college rock at me I've never bothered to hear before.

there's still some i'd-assume-you-were-throwing-shade-if-you-weren't-an-algorithm moments like "Have you heard Greatest Hits by Red Hot Chili Peppers? Give it a try."

"huh, i guess he likes graham nash solo albums now...wasn't he listening to a lot of archers of loaf the other night? whatever, better tell him about livingston taylor!"

I listen on the phone mostly so don't see these recs.

I put it down to the perhaps fanciful idea that it is not designed to recommend really, it is instead intended to successfully imitate one of those people who say things "You like music, then you must like such and such" or "you play a musical instrument!? So does my neighbor's cousin, you should meet them and form a band!"

If I do listen on the laptop I still don't notice recs, although it does tell me what certain ilxors whose playlists I have subscribed to have been listening to.

they're on the "discover" page. it used to be the first thing that appeared but now you have to click thru from the "overview" page.

i had a nightmare period where people were telling me spotify kept telling them i was listening to carly simon's "coming around again." (which i maybe played like TWICE while investigation her top 40 career!). i think spotify might have been trying to goad me into using "private session" less often.

Spotify recs are much better/more interesting than Amazon ime.

more importantly in my case, amazon knows what i look for to buy. Spotify doesn't know the difference between listening for pleasure and investigating out of morbid curiosity.

― da croupier, Sunday, October 12, 2014 4:06 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Spotify knows what you listen to over and over again. Amazon doesn't automatically know if you liked something or not.

I put it down to the perhaps fanciful idea that it is not designed to recommend really, it is instead intended to successfully imitate one of those people who say things "You like music, then you must like such and such" or "you play a musical instrument!? So does my neighbor's cousin, you should meet them and form a band!"

― Bobby Ono Bland (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, October 12, 2014 12:18 PM (1 hour ago)

lol

I don't get these from Spotify anymore.

Their DW algorithm is on a roll right now, at least for me.

Gloria Ann Taylor - Deep Inside of You https://youtu.be/yF2Y4boaV8A
Anchorsong - Butterflies https://youtu.be/b0HZooDAfws
Rare Silk - Storm https://youtu.be/AQZESJ2Pga8

It's a shame that Spotify only looks at actual listened, I really liked Deezer where you can specifically mark favourite artists and songs (which their heuristics then takes into account). I marked about 100 of my favourite artists and immediately their recommendations were spot on. If I want that info into Spotify I'd have make a playlist with those 100 artists and play that on repeat at night or something.