How do algorithms compare to the good old mix tape?
6 Music Recommends Day brought you 15 hours of new music curated by our DJs.
We wanted to find out what a DJ/algorithm lovechild would sound like, so we fed 150 songs from that day into Spotify's Discover Weekly algorithm.
Matthew Ogle, the man in charge of Discover Weekly, joined Matt Everitt to play songs recommended by the algorithm and talk about how Spotify creates over 75 million personalised playlists every week, what the future of music recommendation looks like and what he thinks of 6 Music listeners...
First he explained how it all works:
The algorithm vs the DJ
Matt Ogle explains how Spotify builds a picture of your taste and what it can't replicate.
Matthew conceded the algorithm can't replicate the personal point of view that DJs and other human curators offer.
But he showed the interesting way an algorithm can pick up on and amplify new trends, and send out recommendations to millions of listeners.
What happens to the algorithm when Kanye drops an album?
How obsessive Kanye fans helped bring samples from Life of Pablo to new audiences.
It's not all smooth-sailing though. While targeting music recommendations to our daily lives is a huge opportunity and could mean bringing you the perfect song when you walk into your gym...
'Becoming more context-aware without being creepy is challenging'
Targeting music to your daily life could be a powerful experience, and also feel weird.
It's a challenge that all tech services are facing today.
And finally, what exactlydoes a 6 Music/algorithm love child sound like?
6 Music Listeners: 'You're a bit twee'
Matt Everitt asks Matthew Ogle what he learned from the 6 Music Recommends Playlist.
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6 Music Recommends: All New Music All Day
Listen to the shows, check out playlists and watch exclusive performances.
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The Algorithm Method
Matt Everitt and Spotify's Matthew Ogle present a one hour 6 Music Recommends special.
