Interested in data manipulation, data usage, collection and disclosure? That might sound like the three categories on every privacy agreement you sign, but hold that thought for a second. As we move through these writings, we will dive into the dark side of data; how our data is currently being used in the musical world, and the pros and cons associated with the usage.
Everyone likes music, it speaks to the soul, but do we always want it orchestrated like this? I’m not alluding to the play and movement of quartets delivering intricate detail and direction creating the beautiful symphony. Rather I am speaking to the literal puppeteering of the digital conductor, eroding your ability to make your own decisions.
Music in the digital Age -Is the machine learning to play the perfect song?
Who does not know the Swedish owned and operated technology company Spotify? This music-streaming giant has revolutionized how we make music, how we consume it, how we target it. And let’s never forget – it’s all about advertising. I was thrilled to hear that my cousin in Mumbai, India, one of the Founders of Wondrlab made a national advertisement for India’s Spotify division. So believe me when I say Spotify is a great company, bridging gaps and allowing artists to share their artistry with the world.
But the devil is always in the details, so let’s jump into how a song is picked, advertised and data is collected. Spotify thrives on music recommendations and that is its strong hold. The ability to recommend your next song, on a platform that gives light and opportunity to many artists, seasoned or freshman. Music recommendations are created by utilizing past interactions, and provide a predictive choice. If you’ve been reading a lot of tech blogs, you must have come across the concept “Machine Learning”; defined on google as, “the use and development of computer systems that are able to learn and adapt without following explicit instructions, by using algorithms and statistical models to analyse and draw indifferences”.
In essence, any song connected to any moment, occasion, or holiday, at any time, is added to our online accounts and (once this data is amalgamated and sorted) used to recommend and predict our behaviour. The good side – access to an infinite variety of music, and a sense of interconnectedness.
I would like to raise consumer awareness, as, in essence we have become spreadsheets of data, with logged times data plots attached to themes of information, and data repositories with multiple categories. Consider this: How dependent are we on the level and intensity, or interactions, with these systems?
Doing further readings, I came across, Dance like nobody is paying; this student written paper dives into techniques and methods used to manipulate our behaviour, such as your optimal differentiation and your playlist score.
Everything originates for the purposes of marketing – Google started as an ad company and has never changed its direction – so when Spotify states that they provide freedom (in the form of ‘infinite musical choice and portability’) it’s worth noting their Chief Marketing Officer’s comment that ‘the company provides a controlled environment, as it governs interactions between both sides, producers and users’.
Spotify encourages its users to share, highlight, and be social in society, but they want the music to attract and adapt to the tune of their flute. This can present a challenge to some artists.
So, pause before your next Spotify click – is it your choice, or the Machines?
