But how long does it take Spotify to learn your preferences and match them? And how long until it gets to know you a bit too well? Well enough to the point when all you hear is music you’ve already heard before?
Let’s explore the phenomenon known as the Spotify Feedback Loop and ways to get out of it should you find yourself experiencing it.
What Exactly Is the Spotify Feedback Loop?
Whether you’re doing chores, studying, or driving, most people prefer not to stay in silence. So, streaming music to fill the silence has become the norm, and Spotify is among the best music streaming services.
But don’t think Spotify crosses its fingers and hopes for the best regarding what to fill your music feed with—there are no guesses when it comes to the service helping you discover music you’ll like.
Spotify employs an advanced recommendation system that takes the lead in deciding what you hear. The system’s whole purpose is to figure you out and provide you with suggestions for what you might like and enjoy, but not unsupported ones.
The suggestions are created based on your specific behavior and actions, meaning what you like, skip, save, genres and styles you gravitate to, and so on. Spotify’s system keeps track of all that and learns to know you well enough to suggest the right things.
But what happens when that recommendation system does its job too well and learns your tastes to the point of constantly forcing the same things your way? And if not the same, the same sounding?
This is called the Spotify Feedback Loop, and it occurs when you continue to consume what gets recommended to you. Since you validate that the recommendations were correct due to listening to them, you get suggested more of the same, and on and on it goes. That’s the feedback loop.
Don’t worry, though. You may have gotten yourself in it, but there are ways to get out of it. Let’s explore a few tricks you can employ.
1. Trick the Algorithm
Since the feedback loop occurs solely because of Spotify’s recommendation system and how it works, you can use the Spotify algorithm against itself.
So, how does any algorithm work? It observes your interaction, determines what you gravitate towards, interact with and like, and then throws more of the same your way, right? Well, Spotify’s algorithm is no different. So, even though the algorithm may know you too well and recommend you more of the same, there are ways to trick it.
The simplest thing you can do is use Spotify to listen to new music daily. There are many places and sites to discover new music and playlists on Spotify, but you can just use the app too. Explore new genres and bands, check out new playlists, and keep it on its toes, so to speak. By listening to music that’s not your typical jam, you’ll get the algorithm to believe your preferences have shifted somewhat, so Spotify will try to match your new tastes and play new tunes to fit them better.
2. Take the Initiative
Ensure you’re actively looking for new music. Don’t rely on Spotify and its recommending system to do all the work for you, but look for new music yourself. Search for up-and-coming artists, check out new songs by bands you’ve never heard of before, explore new genres, and maybe steer clear of what’s considered mainstream.
That way, you’ll be an active participant in what you hear on Spotify instead of passively letting the service flood you with what it thinks best fits you.
3. Why Not Start Fresh?
If you’re absolutely sick of hearing the same things all the time, you can wipe the slate clean by making a new account entirely. That way, you can look for and consume completely new genres, bands, and playlists.
The algorithm will match your new tastes from the get-go, and you won’t have to endure the same tunes as you did with your previous account. Plus, you can always go back to your old account for nostalgia purposes or simply to switch up your listening habits and keep finding more music you’ll love.
4. Pick Random Strangers and Check Out Their Playlists
This is one of the most useful Spotify playlists tips if you want to get out of your feedback loop. Anyone can make a playlist and choose to share it publicly. You’d be remiss not to take advantage of that.
A great way to break out of the Spotify Feedback Loop is to dive headfirst into new playlists. Choose a playlist at random and give it a go. Let yourself be surprised, and try not to skip too many of the songs included, as that would defeat the purpose of consuming totally new music.
After all, if you stick to what you know, it won’t be breaking out of the Spotify Feedback loop but ensuring it continues.
5. Take Advantage of Spotify Radio
If when you browse for new music, you discover a song that’s new to you and love it, you can create an entirely unique listening experience centered around that newly found song. You just have to use Spotify Radio.
Spotify Radio is a feature that lets you create a brand new playlist around any song, album, artist, or even another playlist you’ve chosen. Another awesome aspect of the feature is that the playlist designed for you doesn’t stay stagnant but keeps updating itself over time, always remaining fresh for you.
Spotify Radio helps you generate playlists based on moods, activities, anything. And, it’s among the best things to help you break the Spotify Feedback Loop.
Spotify Is Awesome if You Manage to Keep It Fresh
Spotify is a pretty fantastic service, given how it can keep you entertained for hours on end without repeating a single song. And yet, sometimes, the occasional repeated song is not the problem. What does pose an issue is the fact that every time you choose to listen to your music, you inevitably end up hearing the same songs.
They might come in a different order, but you know they’re coming. And that can make the Spotify experience a bit dull after a while, especially if you find yourself stuck in a Spotify Feedback Loop. That’s why it’s essential to keep things fresh.
Actively look for new music, try new playlists and artists, and keep your Spotify recommendation system on its toes. That will significantly improve your Spotify experience.
