#IMMusicMondays: Discovering Music In A Digital Age: The Playlist Problem

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For music lovers, discovering a new song, album, or artist is an undeniably rewarding experience. The way to discover music has evolved. Gone are the days when you had to hunt through record shops to find new music, venture outside your house to buy a CD, or eagerly await the radio to play your favourite single. The internet opened the floodgates, making billions of tracks and artists instantly accessible through streaming.

It’s no surprise we feel like we’re living through the golden age of music discovery. We feel more in control of our musical diet than ever before – but is this a façade?

I’ve been thinking about how autonomous music discovery is in the era of streaming platform dominance. Music lovers increasingly rely on algorithm-led playlists to be spoon-fed new music. We become lazy listeners, expecting our new favourite artists to be spotlighted rather than seeking them out ourselves.

The New Tastemakers

It’s arguable music lovers have always been victims of the agendas of the powers that be. Before streaming, radios and DJs dominated what people heard. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, we saw the ‘blog era’ rise, especially in hip-hop/R&B, where music blogs were the authority on what was hot and what was not.

Nowadays we live in a globalised world of social media, films, and TV which hold major influence. Consider the incredible resurgence of the Kate Bush classic ‘Running Up That Hill‘, completely down to its use in Netflix’s Stranger Things.

The digital era can be praised for minimising the power of major labels. There was once a time when an artist needed major label backing for mainstream success, which is no longer the case. Independent artists can find overnight success with a viral hit, build a loyal online fanbase, and release music quickly and easily.

Esme, a writer for IndustryMe, says: “As someone who is chronically online, TikTok is probably where I find most of the new artists I listen to.”. She adds, “It can feel very overwhelming to find what stands out to you.”.

The Streaming Paradox

Esme isn’t alone in this thought. Ironically, streaming might be making it harder for us to find new music. Over 60,000 tracks can be uploaded to streaming platforms in a day. There are more artists, albums, and songs shown to us that we don’t know than we do know – and that is purposeful. This exhausting ‘always on’ model is designed by streaming giants to make you feel behind. It is offering you their playlists as a remedy to do the filtering for you. In doing so, these corporations provide an indispensable service – no need to search, socialise, or even leave your house to know who ‘the next big star’ is, they’ll tell you.

‘Stream-bait pop’ has become a buzzword term for corporations making non-household names commonplace by giving ‘new’ artists intense exposure on their platforms. It’s fantastic that emerging artists are getting this recognition – getting a cover on Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday‘ is arguably the Rolling Stone cover of today. However, many argue these artists often are picked on aesthetics rather than quality.

Furthermore, playlist hierarchies are changed regularly, artists are swapped out, and hot tracks change daily. This is expected; music is always moving. But isn’t this reinforcing how dispensable and replaceable artists are viewed in the streaming era?

Playlists: Good or Bad?

Music critics of today argue streaming has ushered in the generation of the dopamine hit. Capitalising on the thrill of presenting users with endless music fed through algorithms, it’s even changed how artists create. They strive to create buzz-worthy, social media-friendly, Spotify-optimised music to break out in an overly saturated landscape.

However, it’s naive to assume everyone relies on streaming. For many, how to discover new music may be the luck of geography. Fellow IndustryMe writer Santiago says living in London means he can access live gigs every day if he wants. This has become his favourite way of discovering new artists. He also relies on podcasts ‘Broken Record‘ and ‘The Album Years‘.

Furthermore, he joins millions of others who tune into platforms like COLORS, or social media tastemakers Record of The Day. Even music critic listicles such as 1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die are ways he broadens his musical horizons.

Tom, the IndustryMe editor, finds a good old-fashioned recommendation works well from those whose taste he highly respects. He argues record stores are also still playing their part: “I do love finding hidden gems from artists I like that may not be available on streaming platforms.”. Esme agrees, just getting recommendations from like-minded people in her favourite record store Just Dropped In leaves her feeling inspired.

Finding Balance

I feel playlists are positive, and help music fans understand the success of artists, albums, and singles in a digital era where it’s harder to gauge. However, it’s all about finding the right balance.

“I think the overreliance on corporate playlists is not a good thing,” says Tom. “It makes people less inclined to go out and dig deep for new music.”. Esme echoes a fear many music fans have – “While everyone in the world can showcase their talents on the internet it isn’t always fair that only some will be brought to our attention.”.

Closing Thoughts

Algorithm-driven playlists are a marker of the technological progression that has transformed the music industry. I have discovered many artists from streaming service built playlists, as most music fans do today, and appreciate the variety offered to me – even if it can be overwhelming!

However, I believe streaming should be mixed in with other means of music discovery. This means you can avoid being too influenced by who these multi-billion dollar corporates back and find your niche. I truly think finding an under-represented artist you love, on your terms, is one of the best feelings as a music lover. It’s important to exercise some autonomy if only to ensure your taste stays individual to you.

Comment below how you discover new music, and your thoughts on the dominance of streaming services today. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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