Let's talk about Spotify's DISCOVER WEEKLY

[K]

Last year Spotify introduced Discover Weekly. I only just found out about it. I'm probably the last one to notice it, but just in case I'm gonna let Spotify's press statement do the hard work for me, and explain it to you.

Quote

Updated every Monday morning, Discover Weekly brings you two hours of custom-made music recommendations, tailored specifically to you and delivered as a unique Spotify playlist.

For the first time ever, we’re combining your personal taste in music with what similar fans are enjoying right now.

And it is ON POINT.

I don't know exactly how the algorithm works, but I've used it for three weeks now, and all three playlists were on fire. It played me tracks featuring artists I love, that I'd never even heard of, it's introduced me to new bands, it's reminded me about old bands I'd forgotten about. It's so, so good.

Yesterdays playlist featured Deltron 3030, DJ Format, The Herd, Busdriver, Crooklyn Dodgers, Flobots, Foreign Beggars, Skinnyman, Leaf Dog, all great hip hop, but then it also threw in some  rock stuff out of nowhere, Black Pistol Fire, John Coffrey, Turbowolf, and it all just works.

It's amazing.

If, like me, you hadn't noticed the Discover Weekly playlist yet, you should definitely check it out. 

And if you are using it, and wished you could keep the playlist every week, if you push a button on http://www.savediscoverweekly.com, it will automatically replicate the playlist for you, save you doing it one track at a time.

 

[MDK]

You can't tell me what to do

[apsham]

Mine isn't all that great this week  to be honest - I need to get rid of a lot of the nostalgia songs that I have and move them into a playlist and not necessarily something saved to my library.

[Nerf]

Yeah, it's pretty great, as is the end of year list of recommendations you get based on your previous year's listening.

[Liam]

Is it based on saved songs, or just songs you have streamed?

And do you need to be a premium member?

[apsham]

My guess is that it is based off songs that you have saved - I'm running off that idea because:

1. I hardly ever listen to anything that is pop punk anymore but I had a ton of it saved due to the nostalgia. My whole week was a ton of pop punk.

2. A song that is on your saved list won't show up, songs that I have listened to before have.

[VerbalPuke]

8 hours ago, Big Hairy Man Face said:

Is it based on saved songs, or just songs you have streamed?

And do you need to be a premium member?

I'm think it's based on what you're following.

I love discover weekly. I can't exactly say off the top of my head what I've found from it, but it's given me some great suggestions. I get a lot of stuff I already know, but there is usually some gems in there.

I may start making it a habit of listening to the full discover weekly on my way to and from work throughout the week so that I don't miss anything. I fucking love spotify, student discount gets it for 4.99 a month by the way.

[RPS]

It's based on what you stream. 

I actually find it to be useless and haven't really ever found an artist I like. 

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Mine's throwing me a ton of mid-00's pop-punk like Simple Plan, All-American Rejects, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Panic at the Disco etc. and it's fucking glorious.

[RPS]

Who needs Spotify for that, I'll send you all my CDs from grade 9. 

[K]

Music-streaming service Spotify is letting its recommendation algorithms loose again with six new-music playlists that will be updated once a week.

Under the brand of Fresh Finds, the playlists will be constructed from an analysis of music blogs, news sites and the songs being listened to by “tastemakers” on Spotify.

The main Fresh Finds playlist will sit alongside genre-specific playlists for hip-hop (Fire Emoji), electronic music (Basement), vocal pop (Hiptronix), guitar-driven rock (Six Strings) and experimental music (Cyclone).

All six will be refreshed every Wednesday. They follow the debut in July 2015 of Discover Weekly, a personalised playlist for every Spotify user based on their listening habits, which is updated every Monday.

Discover Weekly has been a hit: it generated more than 1bn streams in its first 10 weeks – a total that rose to 1.7bn by the end of 2015.

The main Fresh Finds playlist launched quietly alongside Discover Weekly, but its official launch – plus the five genre-specific playlists – marks its first promotion by Spotify.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/02/spotify-fresh-finds-playlists-algorithms-discover-weekly

[VerbalPuke]

I don't know what any of that means...

Anyway, one thing I wish spotify would do differently...show EVERY SINGLE artist I am following under the "Artists I am following" thing. There are probably bands I forgot about that I am following. I know there is another thing that shows almost everything, but it's totally out of order.

Oh! And they need to figure out a way to differentiate artists with the same name. Some bands with the same name get lumped together, so you're jamming some metal and the next song is techno. I am left thinking "what in the fuck is this electronic dance shit?".

Otherwise, good stuff.

[K]

It basically means that as well as the Discover Weekly playlist, which is personally tailored to you, there will be six new music playlists each week, for different genres, which are populated via an algorithm programmed to searched out the hottest, newest bangers in each field.

 

You can report the multiple bands with the same name thing on their contact page if you can be arsed. I don't think I've ever done it though.

[VerbalPuke]

That makes sense.

I'll probably shoot them a message about that then, just need to figure out what bands. Definitely a lot of the obscure stuff I like falls into that category.

[apsham]

Glad I haven't run across that myself - that would drive me crazy. Back when I kept a digital collection of music on my computer I was obsessive over naming and placing everything in the proper place. It's why I had to leave Google Play Music - their system for tracking artists, and what song belonged with who and just everything was so, so off.

[ADG]

This week's Discover Weekly for me included Freeze The Atlantic, Tenacious D, Blur, Queens of the Stone Age and Johnny Marr. I approve.

[Xand]

I love this feature. My Monday morning getting-ready-for-work routine has been lengthened considerably because I have to go through the playlist whilst shaving/pruning/dressing/getting ready to roll. 

[VerbalPuke]

Another thing I love that I found today. Spotify made a playlist of my most listened to songs of 2016, so cool.

Funny seeing Disney songs for my kids mixed with my stuff.

[=BK=]

Bad Religion, Lonestar, As I lay Dying and Michelle Branch all on the same playlist.

 

Also it gave me 'Wild and Young' so now I'm having weird flashbacks to watching NXT season one featuring Daniel Bryan, Heath Slater and Wade Barrett.