Hear what I’ve found — A survey on music discovery
Discovering new music isn’t what it used to be. And hopefully it won’t be what it is now. That’s what we found when conducting an internet-wide survey on the modern music discovery experience. While Spotify’s Discover Weekly may satisfy the new-music-now fix, it seems to neglect those on the hunt for a deeper, more engaging exploration. If you’ve ever spent hours digging through a vinyl shop hoping to unearth a hidden gem, you’re either a relic from a previous time or exactly the type of person I’m talking about.
The search continues
Unsurprisingly, music matters to most of us — and so does finding something new to play. While 97% of our 513 survey respondents said music is important to them, 83% said they actively look for new music.
Even the most narrow of musical tastes requires an occasional expanding of the palette. While large amounts of modern music may sound repetitive (hip-hop or trap especially, where a looped sample is often the focus) or near identical to the untrained ear, listeners still enjoy a fresh track to play over and over again. This holds true, no matter how many hours per week we listen to music. In fact, responses showed that 37% spend a quarter of their listening time per week on music they’ve never heard before, while 22% spend a whopping 50% on it. That means that one in every five music listeners spend half of their listening time in a week trying out new music. This could include the musically curious casual listener, or perhaps those paid to do it — like music critics, supervisors or those with platforms for publishing or live performance — although that’s a small minority.
Into the (hopefully) great unknown
Even if we enjoy discovering new music, there’s a clear difference between music that falls within our favourite genre and that which is wildly beyond what we’re used to. You probably wouldn’t enjoy exploring musical theatre if you’re a fan of hip-hop (unless you’re Lin-Manuel Miranda and planning to create Hamilton). Some fans clearly love the thrill of something on the far end of the diversity spectrum (for an explanation of the similarity/diversity problem, see an earlier article by Valerio Velardo). 67% of all respondents search for entirely different music at least some of the time, while 31% do so more often. Unlike what we might’ve expected, the modern music fan doesn’t appear to be content with remaining in one particular music genre. 59% struggle to find music outside of their ‘musical bubble’. This likely refers to discovering entirely different music that they’ll actually enjoy; although the sweet satisfaction of a new favourite song heavily outweighs the time it might take to flip through a range of artists you’ve never encountered before.
While a substantial minority enjoy venturing outside their ‘preferred’ musical tastes, there’s a perception that most listeners are less likely to explore so-called ‘underground’ or emergent musicians. It’s certainly easier for ‘mainstream’ musicians to be found — major label backing means you’ll probably hear certain songs whether you want to or not (as long as you’re somewhat open to going places and interacting with the internet). But it seems that most listeners — 57%, to be exact — no matter how casual, are interested in discovering those acts that aren’t in the Billboard Top 200. Not only do listeners want to actively decide the music on their playlist, they’re also hungry for music and artists that aren’t immediately on the menu. That willingness to keep looking speaks to a generation of internet users who crave and enjoy unlimited customisability; tailor-made satisfaction from an array of possible services.
Modern music discovery
While finding new music happened organically pre-streaming — through word of mouth, switching on the radio or leisurely browsing a store, for example — the modern music discovery experience has become more algorithmic than it used to be. Streaming services already integrate artificial intelligence (AI) to recommend songs, driven by algorithms that are fed information about everything you’ve ever liked, disliked, played or even considered playing. Unsurprisingly, the dominant source for both new and old music is Spotify, with over 200 million active users. And it showed in our survey, with 62% of respondents saying they use it. Apple Music accounted for 15%, with YouTube at 12%. What’s clear is that users have taken to these platforms, because they’re convenient. Time is at an all-time high in terms of value, while attention is harder to retain. So having a vast music library at your fingertips means you can choose when and how to listen to and explore new artists. 73% said they do this using smartphones, which adds further credence to the idea that people explore music while on the move.
This flexibility, coupled with a broad range of music, means that users are satisfied with their music discovery process. Only 11% of participants said they weren’t happy with the music that was recommended to them. Importantly, how they discover music varies, and isn’t always cutting edge. The majority — 46% — still seek out music themselves, while only 26% primarily find new music through algorithm-based recommendations. 16% still prefer suggestions to come from a human, either through friends or social media influencers. This could mean that while AI does a decent job of making recommendations, many aren’t ready to leave it at that. They’d rather take it into their own hands to do some digging online, or hear it from a person who’s musical opinion they’re inclined towards. (Anthony Fantano built himself a name and a following as a YouTube music critic, with many looking to his reviews for a sense of what’s worth listening to).
Users want to actively take part in finding new music, even if it’s through a Google search, or just selecting the next YouTube video. They enjoy the journey as much as the final destination, even if that journey is a few clicks. With AI-driven recommendations, there’s no process of discovery. They’re like an express, blind date delivery service. You have no idea what you’ll get, but it’s sort of based on what matches with your profile, and you’ll get it right now (or at least every Monday, when Discover Weekly finally updates).
The short and the long of it
It’s clear that some users simply want new music on-demand. But our survey also highlights what appears to be lacking in the music discovery process: deeper engagement. Many listeners are desperate for more personalisation; a human touch that escapes the AI (at the moment, anyway). They want to feel connected to artists, which seems to come from the experience of exploring and finding them. It’s why people become archaeologists, use metal detectors or go bargain-hunting at flea markets. And it’s special because they made it happen.
But engagement also comes from building a relationship between the listener and the music. Instead of simply feeding data into an algorithm that delivers repetitive results, why not use artificial intelligence as a springboard for diversity? You can then reward users and artists for taking part in the process, creating a more meaningful interaction. If existing services (or even an entirely new one?) can successfully straddle these ideas while satisfying those on a quick music quest, then we may need to look no further.
