In the digital economy, recommendation algorithms get…a LOT of attention. To some, they’re the special sauce behind everything from Spotify’s personalized playlists to Tik Tok’s “For You” page. For others, they represent a dark, vibe-generating demiurge slowly sapping music’s social power. But for all the discussion of how these programs are transforming our world(s), there’s surprisingly little analysis of what—exactly—they are, or how they’re meant to work.
Answering these seemingly simple questions is the goal of Nick Seaver’s new book “Computing Taste,” which explores the identities, goals, and practices of the programmers behind these technologies. Far from Machiavellian manipulators, the coders he describes are surprisingly idealistic music-lovers, desperately trying to analyze an almost infinitely complex cultural practice. Their failures to do so—and the ideologies they adopted as a result—would have enormous implications for the development of digital music, remaking genres, redefining listening, and shaping the platforms at the heart of the modern industry. Put it this way—we’ll definitely never look at a "Discover Weekly" playlist the same way again.
The Political Economy of Rap Beefs
Karaoke and Personal Pop
Millennials Nostalgia Tour
Keep on Streamin’ in the Free World
A Living Wage and a Tik Tok Ban: Could…Congress Transform Music?
Imagine Dragons: The Most Popular Band of the Millennium?
Universal VS. TikTok: The Showdown No One Should Have Wanted
Pitchfork, GQ, and the Music Criticism Lifestyle
Royalty Rumble at Spotify and a Crisis at Hipgnosis
BMI Sells Out
Can You Actually Support This Podcast On Patreon? (w/Penny Fractions)
E-Zoo and the Future of Nightlife
Bandcamp Blues: (Penny Fractions 4 Nothing)
Scooter, Baby! The Life and Times of the Most 2010’s Manager You Can Possibly Imagine
Moog’s World: The Story Behind the Synthesizer Behind Modern Music (feat. Albert Glinsky)
State of Pl-A(i) With Cherie Hu
Astroworld and the opposite of ”Utopia”
Super Fans and Super Strikes
Ambient Music: Functionality and Liberating Potentials
K-Pop Merger Mania (feat. the Idolcast)
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