Playlists are becoming an issue, here’s a suggestion
Not long ago I published a piece about why I canceled my Spotify Premium subscription; now I want to share what I think could be a interesting take on Spotify’s key feature and biggest issue (for me), playlist.
Beside the downside I recently experienced with the service, there are certain things that I think Spotify could do to motivate some dissatisfied users to get back onboard, this by providing context for a richer experience beyond just listening to music (for the sake of it).
I spoke to several users, both friends and random people, and it all comes to the same issue, Spotify is not helping any of us to discover new music, or at times even to stay updated with new releases that might be relevant, all this despite the fact that they provide you with areas dedicated to this.
Playlists
Playlist have become the way to go to listen to music, it is basically a some sort of radio, without the shows and advertising. This might be ok for those just willing to listen to music, not caring exactly what they are listening to, focusing on the “latest tune”. On the other hand, avid music listeners are finding this approach frustrating.
What would I like?
First and foremost, I would like something more than just a computer-generated playlists that matches what I recently played.
Spotify prioritise playlist over albums; this is cool at the beginning, and maybe fun at times, but after a while it gets boring, immediately creating what I consider the service’s core issues, instant gratification and the commoditisation of music.
What if at least I could choose between playlist or albums on my home-screen, or even a mixture of both?
What else can be added to have a richer experience?
What about lists of albums?
One of the things I would do while growing up, was to look into curated lists created by publications like SPIN or Rolling Stone.
Collections like ‘The Best 10 most innovative albums of the year’, ‘The best 50 albums of the year’, ’10 best new artists’; this is an approach that I believe could be worth to the explore.
Avid listeners are struggling to get value out of the service, because it is failing to help discover new music. This would not only offer a ranking of names; it would also provide context and understanding of what you are about to listen, keeping it fresh and interesting.
Here’s SPIN’s The 50 Best Albums of 2016 So Far for a closer look.
And here’s a list of their lists.
As you can see they provide a richer and have more interesting approach that those on Spotify. How many of these you clicked because of curiosity or because meant something to you?
For reference see images below. Many of these list are not solely based on albums, many of them are based on songs, but again is about the reason behind putting them together, beyond just a name, a mood or a genre.
More than music?
We can probably agree on the fact that content is not the issue, the delivery method is.
What if Spotify could merge their catalogue with editorial content? A hybrid between the old and the new, with humans in the front, AI at the back and users at the core.
What if you could get the type of content these publications provide, but without leaving Spotify? What if they were embedded on the service?
Imagine great editorial content, that encourage users to enjoy and take the experience beyond just listening, something that creates curiosity, deepens the bond and appreciations towards the artists.
Think about it, you check the lists “section”, look for the latests, and get a bunch of album organised in a meaningful way, AND there additional material you can read (or even watch), al with context, with an reason for those albums or songs to be together, and you know why, even more, you could agree or disagree.
It can also be sorted by topic, latest, by artist or any other available preference.
2 ways Spotify could do it
- Spotify collaborates with major music publication(s) in order to create professional content; an extension of what is already into their websites and magazines, lets say Spotify becomes and additional medium. Basically SPIN inside your Spotify app.
- Spotify creates its own team and starts generating content around the music they provide, bringing in good writes from heavy weight publications that can professionally craft the type of material and editorial line.,
What do you think? Is this something that would be interesting to you?
What do you think Spotify? Does this resonates with you? Is it feasible? Want to try it?
