To it’s listeners, music is much more than just sound. Catchy melodies and harmonic choruses create the backdrop of our lives. Music has the power to dictate our moods and alter the way we think. A stream of poetic lyrics can completely change our perspective on a situation, or even help us see ourselves in a brighter light. Fortunately, we live in a time where we have access to music instantly almost anywhere. However, choosing the theme songs to our lives should not be based solely on convenience. Programs like Spotify’s Discover Weekly seem to think the key to musical satisfaction is to take the excitement out of hunting for your next favorite jam. The system operates much like the rest of the internet’s creepy algorithmic way of getting to know you better than you know yourself. According to an article published by Tech Insider, Spotify connects songs that you frequently listen to with other user’s playlists that house similar songs. The program picks songs that are cushioned between tunes and artists you already know. This in turn leads to the manifestation of a playlist with suggestions made just for you.
If you’ve ever hoped to leave the realm of casual listener and become much more musically savvy, I suggest you ditch such suggestions. Relying on an algorithm to dictate your musical experience inhibits your ability to expand upon the thoughts and ideas that often accompany authentic listening. Spotify recognizes the safe zone of genre and style that you frequent. Simultaneously, Discover Weekly delivers current tracks in an effort to keep the playlist relevant to you as well as the times. It’s not often that my handcrafted playlist acknowledges my love for the oldies. The program has now isolated a specific genre and time frame. Contrary to what it’s name implies, this drastically limits the scope of musical discovery.
As cool as this technology might seem, no one actually knows what you like to listen to better than you do. In fact, you might really love unconventional funk or classic rock and you don’t even know it yet. So, I encourage you to make a few offhanded clicks next time you hop on Spotify. Check out the side bar and see what real humans are head banging to on their way to class. Listening to unfamiliar sounds will allow you to have a truly authentic listening experience, free of expectation. Hearing a new song or artist completely unrelated to what you usually listen to will remind you of why artists create music in the first place; to evoke excitement, happiness, and satisfaction. Foreign vocals and instrumentals will help you appreciate the purpose of each song, whether it’s to get you hype, encourage perspective, or pave the way for reflection.
All of this doesn’t mean you should toss your beloved playlists to the street, it is merely an opportunity to learn something new about yourself. Letting Spotify tell you what you should love is a cop out. Try to find some musical purpose all by yourself. You might develop an entirely new appreciation for the art, or if anything else, another way to procrastinate on your homework.
