23rd June - Why you shouldn't use Spotify playlists
Fair to say, when it comes to music, this is a subject I'm both passionate on, but also, offer a certain level of expertise in (not to sound like Liam Payne). In all reality, I am a 'professional' member of the music industry. Translation: I get paid to work here. Likewise, a good friend of mine who has recently started working in an A&R role at a record label in London. In Layman's terms, he is asked to wade through various tracks which people send in, and listen to them before judging whether or not they're good enough to be officially released. We regularly discuss music together, and have done for all the years I've known him. It is the basis of our friendship and I wouldn't have things any other way.
Recently, I noticed that he - like me - is one of the very few people who refuses to use the ready-made Spotify playlists which the streaming platform serve up for users. These playlists are so huge, and with so many thousands or millions of followers, that their popularity cannot be denied, and these days, for most artists or record labels, getting their track included in such playlists is always a huge achievement and cause for celebration (as it then consequently accelerates streaming numbers which in turn, maximises revenue). I would even be sure that a good 90% of those of you reading this right now follow some sort of 'Fresh Friday Anthems', or 'House Hits', or 'Summer Sunshine Feelgood' playlists. A high-resolution stock image of a smiling person, or popular artist such as 'Mabel' or 'RAYE', with the Spotify branded font layed over the top and a watermark of the logo lower-middle-centre.
Sadly, these playlists are ruining the greatest part of new music... Organically finding it. Back in the days of HMV etc, music lovers would go 'crate digging' through folders and folders of vinyls (now a job usually only reserved for edgy independent stores in Hackney Wick etc), later doing the same with CDs. There was even a CD player and headphones attached to the wall in many stores so that you could load up a selection and then listen through before deciding if you wanted to purchase it. My own obsession with sourcing new music arrived in the digital age. So my trident of options usually centred around radio, playlists/podcasts, and live shows. Let me explain...
Friday nights, 7pm, BBC Radio 1. Annie Mac, followed by Danny Howard, followed by Pete Tong. A glory period for any fan of dance music and an unmissable start to the Weekend every week during 'the golden era'. I'd be glued in every Friday without fail, knowing each DJ was about to premiere hoards of new music direct from promotion managers and PR agencies, before artists themselves even had a chance to start airing them during sets. I'd then locate said tracks and add them into my main playlist, which is filled with my 40 most favourite tracks of the moment. I've kept this playlist going for about 10 years now, and update it weekly to ensure the shedding of 'old' music and the refreshment of new tracks. There is never any track in there which is older than 3 months since it was first released, else your listening habits can become samey and stale, and it's so important to keep moving and expanding your listening horizons on this front to ultimately broaden your tastes and desires.
The second option was to subscribe to the weekly hour, or two-hour long podcasts and radio shows of my favourite DJs. Oliver Heldens with his 'Heldeep Radio', Don Diablo with his 'Hexagon Radio', Tiesto with 'ClubLife', Above & Beyond with 'Group Therapy', and so many more. Throughout these shows, I'd hear a variety of nuggets which now deserved a spot in my most hallowed of playlists. But of course, the main source of spotting new tunes was, and will always remain, via live shows, which is why they're so important to attend. DJs would drop tracks so fresh that not even Shazam would have a clue what they are, but luckily, you'd be able to then go home and re-watch on YouTube, finding the exact minute and second your new favourite was mixed in, and match it to the official tracklisting provided by the genius nerds of 1001tracklists.com. This was akin to a Pirate finding treasure, when you finally located that one huge banger after - sometimes months - of searching.
By signing up to the ready-made Spotify playlists, the youth of today are taught nothing but laziness. You might like 1 track in every 10 but skip the other 9. If this was a restaurant, and the waiter served you a plate of 9 dog shits with 1 pizza slice, you wouldn't stand for such behaviour. So make sure your musical tastes are not dictated by others, either. Fill your entire plate with pizza, fill your entire playlists with YOUR own choices and selections. Only when the public start showing streaming platforms that they're capable of using their own mind, and own conscious decisions, will these corporations back away from such a heavy influence on impressionable young people. Don't let your playlist look like this...
Comments
Post a Comment