"I like year-end list season. I like an opportunity to remember and reflect on the records that stuck with me over the course of a year especially when there is a chance to recommend something that others may have overlooked. I like looking through friends' favourites for albums that I missed completely, and making a big listening queue. I like following along as critics attempt to determine the year's best,"
"This year, as Spotify Wrapped takes over social media feeds again, I am struck by how the whole concept seems to discourage that critical practice for something more passive. It nudges listeners away from deep consideration and towards accepting a corporate-branded scorecard reflecting a very specific perspective on musical value. It encourages music fans to believe that the records they streamed the most must be the ones they liked the most, which is surely not always the case."
Spotify Wrapped and similar corporate year-end metrics encourage passive acceptance of algorithmic summaries instead of active reflection. The systems present streaming counts as proxy for musical value and imply the most-streamed tracks are the most-liked, which is not always true. Personal year-end recollections and carefully curated playlists decline when listeners hand over reflective labor to tech companies. Convenience features like personalized playlists and automated summaries can erode individual musical memory and archives. Sharing automated wrap-ups often replaces making original playlists and written recaps. Preserving personal archives requires intentional listening, reflection, and documentation rather than defaulting to platform-generated scorecards.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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