Spotify likes and dislikes

One of the things I want the most from this blog is to keep it a place of positivity for me, so I'm going to focus a lot on how much I love Spotify first and foremost.

Let me say that way back when they introduced the different multi-disk CD players, I came to fantasize, to myself and the handful of people nerdy enough to humor me when I'd talk about it, about a system that functions much as Spotify does. I could put in all of my favorite music in some massive computer driven jukebox and it would play it completely randomly or randomly within the parameters of the mood I as in.

So, with Spotify, I have made lots of obsessive playlists and sub-playlists that I put in folders and sub-folders so I can play in various orders as well as randomly in connection with one another. It's the kind of thing I can obsess over sometimes to the detriment of even getting normal enjoyment out of listening to music. It's the kind of activity that Rae finds utterly confounding about me.

Up until recently, the only thing that frustrated me was the Daily Mixes. This is mostly because for so long mine were in the neighborhood of just what I crave. A list of mostly things I like and listen to, separated into motifs that fit my musical moods, mixed in with similar music it's introducing me to. It's like the thing radio used to be, but more personal.

But they were always... off.

Now, they always smoothed over my taste a little, but not just acceptable, but it was desirable. At their best, they really were like the radio stations that might be in another universe. Sure, the bands I listen to that have few enough listeners that Spotify doesn't know how to place them among my more successful favorites fall by the wayside, but I can make time for them on their own, that's cool.

Simultaneously, I'd avoided the "Like" button.

As I understand it, this is normal for a lot of people. Netflix went from ratings to Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down because most people can't be bothered to put the time into ratings.

I, on the other hand, am drawn to rating things like a fly to shit. I've whiled away hours and hours, adding up to weeks and months, just sitting around rating things with some degree of utter compulsion.

What was key to Spotify's success at keeping me from this otherwise irresistible urge? They made a folder of "Liked" songs.

That's the whole story. I didn't want that folder and I was annoyed it was there. It also made my likes feel like they were accounted in order to make a playlist I didn't want, when I'm more than capable of making my own playlists.

But occasionally, very occasionally, I'd click "Like" on something or another, just because I'd feel enthusiastic about it at that moment, and I began to notice that it helped. My Daily Mixes, among other things, would be improved, at least a little.

At first, it was hard to tell. I didn't think it was the only thing improving them, and I still don't, but it was increasingly obvious it was a real factor.

So, me being me, I dove off the deep end. I started liking songs all up and down my playlists. And occasionally even find things I haven't made playlists for.

Yeah, I probably need to go ahead and make a Little Willies playlist soon, now that it's come up.

I was making good progress with what I wanted.

And, more importantly, my Daily Mixes were getting better and better. Increasingly amazing blends of the things I like. Intermingling the kinds of things I like more, but still generally in ways that kept them in moods that made sense.

And then...

I hit the ceiling.

Apparently, you can only "Like" so many songs.

I posted Like button limit on the Spotify forums and a comment led me to see Increase maximum songs allowed in your music that this issue has existed and been recognized for at least five years without action.

Spotify has said it's a "good idea" to fix the problem, but because the arbitrary limit only affects 1% of listeners, it's on a back burner, despite the fact that, as "lolo341" points out, here, 1% of Spotify is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000,000 listeners. Not only that, but 1,000,000 of the most dedicated listeners. And potentially, the 1,000,000 most satisfied listeners, rather than the 1,000,000 most disappointed listeners.

Here's the thing, in the past, I'd have been on a forum like this to pointlessly threaten that I'd stop subscribing or listening. Perhaps moving to one of the other services that I already know I don't like as well.

I say as I sit and enjoy one of those very playlists.

But now, I'm just curious.

I've worked around technology and business enough to know this has to have a reason.

I suspect the original reason this exists is indeed because someone thought the "Like" button was for the thing I didn't want, a "Liked" playlist, and that playlists needed to be capped, because... reasons. Capping playlists makes close-to-enough sense to me, so I won't ponder the arbitrary limit.

But they embedded that connection deep enough that it can't just be removed.

They've acknowledged it's a good idea to fix for at least two years. And they know if disappoints and frustrates its most active users, so there's a reason they can't just flip a switch and just say "Likes" aren't the same as a playlist, make the "Liked Songs" playlist an exception to the limit or just remove that limit as arbitrary. So, there's something it does. It's a load bearing wall.

I'm just not sure I get what the load is.

But, seriously, one of my Daily Mixes just pulled this out song, so I can't be mad.