Why I Ditched Spotify—and What I Discovered Instead
So, here’s the thing—we’ve all done it. We open Spotify, hit play, and boom: the same few artists pop up again and again. For me, it got to a point where Khruangbin would show up so often, I started skipping their songs on reflex. Not because I don’t like them, but because the algorithm had sucked the life out of the experience. My playlists started to feel like déjà vu on a loop. That’s when I decided: enough. I quit Spotify for a whole month.
Now, I’m not saying Spotify doesn’t serve a purpose. It’s incredibly convenient. Feeling sad? There’s a “Depress Sesh Mix.” Going through heartbreak? Spotify’s got a “Situationship Mix” lined up. But when music becomes that tailored, it stops being surprising—and I missed the magic of stumbling across something totally new and unexpected.
Back in the day, Spotify leaned more on human-curated playlists. But since 2021, machine learning has taken the wheel, using trillions of data points to feed us music based on our listening habits. Some people love this hyper-personalization. But for me, it was narrowing my taste rather than expanding it. So I unplugged.
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The first step was talking to people who’d never relied on streaming—like my dad. He grew up in the '70s, when discovering music meant walking into a record store, listening to samples, and taking a chance on vinyl. Inspired by that, I bought a cheap record player, though I later found out it didn’t even have a needle. So yeah… that became decor. Still, the hunt for physical music reawakened something in me.
Next, I tried an old-school iPod, gifted by a Gen Z neighbor. Nostalgia hit hard—wired earbuds, hitting shuffle, no algorithm in sight. But uploading music was a chore, and Bluetooth issues made it less than practical. The real surprise came when I started listening to community radio—Vox FM, to be exact. It was like musical roulette: from Sugababes to obscure German opera. Totally unpredictable, but totally fun.
Along the way, I met people like Justin Moon, who runs a local underground station and record shop. He believes listeners are craving a more active experience—less background noise, more intentional listening. And honestly, I get it. Every recommendation I got during that month came with a story. A friend’s memory, a stranger’s passion—it was all human again.
Now that I’m back on Spotify, the algorithm is still doing its thing. Today’s “Daylist” is apparently “french indietronica swimming pool tuesday afternoon,” whatever that means. Khruangbin’s still lurking in there. But now, I’ve got a new appreciation for the messy, analog, totally unpredictable ways we used to find music. And maybe, that’s the point.
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