[Closed] How do I make Spotify “Better?”

Here.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX49jUV2NfGku
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX49jUV2NfGku <

Getting it to stop playing Public Service Broadcasting would be the first step in making it better 😉

When I can find the Daily Mixes (why do they keep moving/hiding them?) I find that some of them have interesting/new stuff. The Discover Weekly mix, again when I can find it, also seems to often turn up some interesting stuff I haven’t heard before.

My big problem is that even though we have a family account, in the car the family tend to use my phone for streaming. So every year the Year In Review heavily features Taylor Swift…

in the car the family tend to use my phone for streaming. So every year the Year In Review heavily features Taylor Swift…

If you’re driving then you only have yourself to blame for not establishing the known tradition of ‘driver picks the music’.

I set this from the start. as a result my children have invariably used headphones in the car since they were big enough to care/use them. Though these days if one of them rides shotgun there’s sometimes a ‘have you heard…’ and they’ll try something out on the car’s Spotify account before we return to sanity.

Jesus cougar that playlist is a blast from the past.

Not my thing but i'd give it a listen for nostalgia but BUT BUT Sex is on fire?! I'm out.

The Discover Weekly mix, again when I can find it,

If you Favourite the list it'll always show up, first thing I do every week is listen to this one.

OP, some other things to try:
* I downloaded a "500 Greatest Albums" list from somewhere or other, it was from Rolling Stone magazine IIRC, and listened to all of it from 500 down. There was a lot of stuff I didn't like, but it gave Spotify a jolt and freshened up my recommendations. Just Google "Top 100 Indie tracks 2021" or whatever.
* I also listen to a Spanish alternative music show* most days, and if they play something new I like I often listen to it again on Spotify, plus see what else they have to offer. They have a playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2HxOR61h9Dd2KTzGB8FeKz?si=93e8c9335907441f
* Play new stuff off https://www.nme.com/reviews/album or https://mixmag.net/music/playlists or whatever
* When you find a song you like, click on the artist name, then take a look at what other people listen to, and the playlists the artists appear on.

Basically you need to give Spotify something to work with, otherwise it'll just end up recommending what you've already listened to.

And Public Service Broadcasting are great 🙂

I really like 'unofficial' movie playlists....
People make platlists with the actual songs from movies... I find official OSTs have the plink plonky filler sounds in them...

DrP

I still lament the loss of Google play. Spotify is so crap in comparison. I actually listen to a lot less music now as I hate the interface with Spotify. It's basically a music app for people that aren't interested in music as all its suggests are shit playlists of popular garbage.
I've got quite a lot of intretesting stuff on bandcamp though.

I’ve got quite a lot of intretesting stuff on bandcamp though.

This one time.....

When I opened this thread I was hoping there might be a link to the perennially "3 months away" hi-def version.
But as I've recently bought a new streaming amp, and can tell that Spotify isn't as good quality as a CD I've been wondering whether to go for something like Tidal. I don't use 3rd party playlists but I do like the almost universal availability* of artists on Spotify.
Anybody made the switch and regretted/loved it?

*It's even got stuff by Hapshash & The Coloured Coat Featuring The Human Host and The Heavy Metal Kids, which was an act that made me feel very "far out man" back in 1968.

I use Deezer sometimes it's suggestions are quite good but does seem to be a musical echo chamber.

it doesn’t really offer me up anything new and varied. It seems to suggest a lot of the same music.

Of course not! The algorithms can only make suggestions based on the stuff you have that you like, which is why I never stream and I refuse to allow algorithms anywhere near my music choices. I find new music from things that pop up on Flipboard, new artists or tracks that I hear on 6Music, reading articles and reviews in Uncut Magazine, and checking out artists and musicians who’ve worked with, or are associated with, artists I have in my Apple Music library. I really can’t be bothered spending time making playlists, I go into Songs, tap ‘Shuffle’ and let it do whatever it wants - with over 51,000 tracks in my library I don’t need a playlist, only variety, and I’ve got a lot of that, including classical music, which sometimes isn’t appropriate, so I’m looking with interest at reports that Apple are introducing a Classical Music app, set up specifically for that type of music.

Jesus cougar that playlist is a blast from the past.

Not my thing but i’d give it a listen for nostalgia but BUT BUT Sex is on fire?! I’m out.

Honestly, that was a shot from the hip in response to the OP. Largely for comedic effect, how do I improve Spotify, "stop listening to shit music."

That said, I've just listened to an album and let it run on into "you might also like" and now I've got several acts to chase up.

Honestly, that was a shot from the hip in response to the OP. Largely for comedic effect, how do I improve Spotify, “stop listening to shit music.”

That said, I’ve just listened to an album and let it run on into “you might also like” and now I’ve got several acts to chase up.

Ha, yeah choosing music myself is an option and what I usually do. The “you might also like” after I’ve finished listening to something I’ve chosen is where it gets very samey & often plays the same things to me.

@mogrim Cheers, I’ll check out your Spanish station 🙂.

@VanHalen I used to use Google Play but switched to Apple when I bought a new car which didn’t play nicely with GPM. The interface of both of them is (was) better than Spotify. I still can’t get my head around the way the queue works! I like Bandcamp, I should use it more .

Of course not! The algorithms can only make suggestions based on the stuff you have that you like, which is why I never stream and I refuse to allow algorithms anywhere near my music choices.

But one of the selling points of Spotify is to help search out news music, I can do it myself fine too but it’s supposed to take something I listen to and then say “hmm, if you like that, try this” and then “how about this too?” But rather than getting wider in its recommendations it seems to just close in on my own music.

Oh, and I like PSB 🙂

Pasta with sausage and broccoli?

If you love music - abandon it.

I avoid Spotify totally and minimise streaming use - most platforms do not pay sufficient royalties.

There’s a huge amount of money in streaming but little to support professional artists - both established and emerging.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

If you love music – abandon it.

Totally agree. See how its championed by people who like to hear the same old rawk sounds and call anything different “shit”.
I don’t see how it could ever work for someone looking for new and different, unless they stick to one genre. But then maybe there is a way, I ain’t signing up to find out.
I sign up to new release lists from online shops and listen to whatever looks interesting.

I avoid Spotify totally and minimise streaming use – most platforms do not pay sufficient royalties.

They do just the record companies cream most of it off. The answer is to look closer to home not blame the streaming services for record company greed.

If I like a new to me artist I follow up compilations that they appear on. This can take you to similar but different artists and obscutities that you would never come across.

I have nothing practical to add re making Spoitify better but I do have playlists called "Owned With Bombers", "Altrincham Kebab Atrocity" and "Massive Bouncy Pagga".