I recently finished the fascinating book ‘Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist’ by Liz Pelly, which brutally exposes the flaws in the streaming giant. She takes us through the history of music in the digital age and how we ended up living in the ‘Spotify era’, before an eviscerating takedown of the flaws within the company itself and how damaging its rise has been for musicians and the wider music industry.
Of course I already knew the payment model was hugely flawed and hurting artists but what I was most surprised to learn about was the impact Spotify has made on the way most people consume music.
The concept of the ‘mood machine’ itself was just completely alien to me. I use streaming services so differently than the way it was being described in the book. I realised with a sinking heart that my kind of passionate, obsessive music listening might be seriously endangered.
Firstly I just don’t use Spotify much at all. This was not out of any kind of ethical choice, it was just when I began paying for monthly streaming I was already used to the iTunes app so I just transferred to Apple Music because it looked the same – you had your library, playlists and recently added all still there. I listen on streaming sites when I’m on the go or writing reviews, and CDs, vinyl and radio when I’m in the house. If I’m traveling long distances I prefer my old trusty MP3 player.
From Liz Pelly’s research most people now listen to music by consuming Spotify ‘mood’ playlists where songs play in an endless loop in the background, depending on what ‘vibe’ you’re looking for or what activity you might be doing. Artists are even writing songs now to fit into the most popular playlists. Spotify listeners also use something called ‘Discover Weekly’ where similar things you’ve listened to are sent directly to you by an algorithm. Also popular is people listening to specific genre playlists. In this ‘machine’ the individual artist is barely even a thought.
Not for me though. I do use Spotify to make playlists but none of my playlists have ever been randomly based on a ‘mood’. Mostly I update a short 20-25 song new music playlist once a week, plus I have a rolling album review playlist for each year and end of year lists. These playlists are curated with the songs from artists I love, ordered to make the best listening sense like an old mix tape.
The other types of playlists I have made in the past are specific artist ones on different themes, influences playlists, soundtracks to music books where I add the names of songs mentioned to listen along when reading, ones themed around upcoming festivals or the current set lists for artists who I’m going to see live. I do make gym and running playlists but these involve me listening to upbeat songs by my favourite artists.
I’ve never once used a streaming site algorithm playlist for suggestions to listen to new artists or ‘moods’. I do follow other curators playlists like the Saving Country Music one to see what is new and good, and hope that’s how people are using my playlists too. I keep the playlists I share short so that anyone can easily find what they’ve heard. I’d rather to listen to a good song on repeat than endless filler on a four hour playlist.
I also search for artists and albums that I’ve read about, seen in the new release schedules or had recommended to me. I rely on the music press, bloggers/curators, DJs, artists and my email inbox. I listen to a song and save them if I like the sound of my first listen.
I listen to albums in full at least once before deciding to review and then dip into their back catalogue. Often I listen to current set lists of artists just before seeing them live. This helps me to learn old songs and get to know which ones are resonating from new releases.
At every turn I’m prioritising finding artists to support and share with others, which is why I started blogging in the first place.
It’s alarming to me to think that Spotify is changing people’s habits so much that they consume music in a totally different way – a way that is de-centring and devaluing the work of the individual in favour of an algorithm or ‘vibe’. Turning music into wallpaper is criminal.
Another worrying trend is how much listening to music is now being replaced by listening to podcasts. Even Spotify is now promoting this kind of content, much of which is divisive politically or simply inane fluff entertainment.
I know the way I listen to music and care about music makes me an outlier. But I do think that in the past most people were more passionate about the artists they listened to and they had deeper knowledge of a range of music. Spotify just seems to make it harder and harder for artists – and this post isn’t even touching the lack of money that the platform pays out.
So I will continue to take a stand by offering an alternative to the ‘mood’ machine. Thanks to Liz Pelly’s book I understand much more about what we’re fighting against. We need music fans to care about the artists first. At least Spotify Wrapped encourages people to think about what kind of music listener they want to be.
I’ve always been loathe to jump on any kind of boycotting bandwagons, simply because the older I get the more I try to keep an open mind and balanced approach. Reading ‘Mood Machine’ did make me consider deleting my free Spotify account, but I likely won’t. I have all my playlists on there I do see it as a useful tracking tool. I believe the best way to use Spotify and other streaming services is as a discovery tool, like an always on radio service.
Real fans can stream ethically if we use it as a way to find the artists we want to support by then buying their albums and concert tickets. Otherwise we just become part of the problem.
Let me know how you use streaming services and whether you’ve read ‘Mood Machine’ in the comments. You can buy the book at the link below but consider ordering through your local independent book shop!
https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/liz-pelly-2/mood-machine/9781399718844/
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Highway Queens 
I always go back to something my humanities prof said, about how some people are afraid of silence. Back then, that meant turning on the TV or radio. Playlists, to an extent, are the new radio – background noise to distract from one’s thoughts.
That said, I use Apple Music for my streaming needs. I listen to albums and EPs, primarily, but do run through its New Music mix – which uses past plays to predict new likes – every so often. (If four out of the 25 tracks resonate with me, that’s a lot.) It hasn’t impacted my listening habits as much as blogging about music.
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