In 2018, I want to find new music without using algorithms
In the December issue of The Baffler, journalist Liz Pelly wrote a fascinating, widely discussed dissection of how the algorithms employed by major streaming services — particularly Spotify — are changing music.
They’re making it less interesting, less diverse, and more corporate, she argued — more like Muzak, something that seems like music, but is really just background noise made from stock sounds. She called out Spotify’s focus on mood-themed playlists, which are expressly designed as easy-listening, endless streams of music you can experience without your brain flitting away from whatever task you’re actually focusing on. And even outside those playlists, she suggests, an algorithm is mostly helping you find more of the same. It’s…
