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Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

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Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#51

Post by bad_user »

29athrowaway wrote: post #38
gruez wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>it seems that the ultimate goals of mainstream music industry are: [...] Songs are an effective way to deliver a message to be repeated over and over and over again until people break and assimilate the message. It sounds like you're saying that the music industry is engaged in a conspiracy to change people's behavior. Is this a correct characterization? If so, is there any evidence for this conspiracy, or some plau…

Many conspiracies can be just explained through emergent behavior. For example, there could be demand for that music, and the labels are just creating content to respond to that demand... without any ethical considerations about what they're promoting, that is. But to be honest, a conspiracy of some kind could be an explanation, who knows. For some people, there are substantial tangible, material benefits to dumbing…

> conspiracy of some kind could be an explanation, who knows

Actually we do know. It’s safe to say that conspiracies involving a lot of actors are mathematically impossible.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal...

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#52

Post by zaptrem »

conception wrote: post #49
gre wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With pop music you hear exactly the same track over and over with no variation and it gets predictable and monotonous. With classical, jazz, or live music there are many performances, so any two recordings will not sound identical. This is one reason I can't stand pop music after a few listens.

This is also why people love pop music. It is predictable, safe and unchallenging.

People also like it because it's colorful and multidimensional, but not so multidimensional that you can't decipher it without focusing on it exclusively and retreating to a quiet room.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#53

Post by ehnto »

I hope so. Top 40 lists are constructed not observed. They seem to have no relationship to what music is favored by listeners, just what is being pushed on pop radio. A self satisfying loop.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#54

Post by ehnto »

pointyfence wrote: post #50

Spotify has definitely changed how I listen to music over the years. I have my core segments, but I'd say that 33% of my time on Spotify is just stuff that I bump into for random of reasons: a music beef between artists I don't listen to, stories from friends with different tastes in music, a news article about a band in the 50s, etc. I find myself listening to the music to give context to the stories I bump into. An…

I'm similar, I spend a lot more time discovering and exploring than I do listening tonold favourites. Which is saying a lot, because I used to DJ House and DnB for a community online radio station.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#55

Post by dwd »

swiley wrote: post #3

This would be great. The idea of “best ranked music” results in mediocre, bland music that’s mostly ranked based on the social connections of the artist. Musical culture and genres are extremely diverse and trying to rank individual pieces of music makes discovery harder. I doubt they’ll actually do this of course. Their monetization model relies on ranking.

The labels will have some method to game the system - whether they own banks of devices playing the song/album they are pushing, or through a 3rd party service.

There will be services in Asia that offer to do Spotify plays, and it's likely to be cheaper than TV/Radio advertising or buying physical copies to get an initial high ranking.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#56

Post by pdx_flyer »

Spotify makes me miss Rdio. The Rdio algorithm for finding new music based on an artist, song, or album was really fantastic while Spotify just gives me a playlist of similar songs in the same genre as my “radio”.

I know Pandora incorporated some of Rdio’s technique but its UI leaves a lot to be desired.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#57

Post by lowdose »

ehnto wrote: post #54
pointyfence wrote: post #50

Spotify has definitely changed how I listen to music over the years. I have my core segments, but I'd say that 33% of my time on Spotify is just stuff that I bump into for random of reasons: a music beef between artists I don't listen to, stories from friends with different tastes in music, a news article about a band in the 50s, etc. I find myself listening to the music to give context to the stories I bump into. An…

I'm similar, I spend a lot more time discovering and exploring than I do listening tonold favourites. Which is saying a lot, because I used to DJ House and DnB for a community online radio station.

Isn't soundcloud better for house?

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#59

Post by notafraudster »

I once audited the playlist of local radio stations. I recorded a few months worth of data and asked, for each day, week, and the full time period, what # of songs constituted 50% of overall song playtime. In all commercial formats in my market, the number was under 75, and in most under 50. I find Spotify pretty crummy at surfacing new music, but it's a lot better than the same 30-50 songs being played again and again and again and again.

Re: Is Spotify Killing the Top 40?

#60

Post by spiderfarmer »

notafraudster wrote: post #59

I once audited the playlist of local radio stations. I recorded a few months worth of data and asked, for each day, week, and the full time period, what # of songs constituted 50% of overall song playtime. In all commercial formats in my market, the number was under 75, and in most under 50. I find Spotify pretty crummy at surfacing new music, but it's a lot better than the same 30-50 songs being played again and aga…

Spotify is actually pretty good at surfacing new music when compared to radio stations. As a music lover I never had it this good. If you just rely on Discover Weekly it offers you more new songs than you could ever discover by listening radio and if you're a little more proactive, you can discover new music in myriad ways.
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