How Music Streaming Algorithms Shape What We Listen To
Think about the last song you discovered and loved. There’s a decent chance you didn’t find it yourself — an algorithm found it for you. Maybe it appeared in your Discover Weekly playlist, or auto-played after something you were already listening to, or showed up in a curated “mood” playlist you’d never consciously chosen. Music streaming has fundamentally changed not just how we access music, but how we encounter it in the first place. The algorithms behind Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and others are quietly reshaping musical culture in ways most listeners never think about. Let’s pull back the curtain. ...