How Spotify uses big data

Spotify, along with Apple Music, is arguably the biggest music streaming platform out there. Users can choose to have the free version or pay 10 bucks a month for Spotify premium. Both of these options use big data and analytics to target and improve the users experience. On the free version there are constant ads targeted at the user in between every couple songs played. They take the age of the user but they also use the kind of music listened to target the consumer. For example, younger people tend to listen to more rap and hip hop music so they take that data to target ads at them.

As a Spotify premium user I can definitely see all the ways that Spotify tries to improve the user experience using data. They analyze the music that you listen to and use it for many purposes. On the home page they give many options for the user to listen to based off the data. They have recommended podcasts, artists, albums, and even AI created playlists. This includes Discover weekly, a custom created playlist which consists of new songs for the user to listen to based off their recent listening. They also have created playlists for songs that I haven’t listened to in a while, songs that I have had on repeat lately, even a playlist of songs that I listened to from 2016. Another way is while the user makes a new playlist, Spotify will give recommendations of songs similar to the ones in the playlist to add. Some people may find this use of data creepy and violation of privacy but I think it is a great way for Spotify to improve the users experience. Lastly, Spotify > Apple Music.

source: https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/spotify-big-data/

26 thoughts on “How Spotify uses big data

  1. I personally find it helpful that Spotify does this. I enjoy getting personalized playlists created for me because it makes listening to music easier for me. I have been a Spotify premium user for about 3 years now and it has been great. Something else Spotify does with our data is at the end of the year make a playlist of your most listened songs from that year. I like this a lot personally because when listening to this customized playlist it reminds of times from that year when I listened to that song a lot and brings back good memories. They also provide you with information of exactly how long you listened to music that year and which artists and genres were played the most. I find this really interesting to see at the end of the year.
    In the article I read they said how Spotify uses the data it collects to personalize ads as well. They use the user’s listening habits to create ads that appeal to them. An example of this that I read is that display ad in Williamsburg, New York that said “Sorry, not sorry Williamsburg, Bieber’s hit trended highest in this zip code”. I think this is really cool in my opinion. They were able to use user’s data to determine this zip code streamed his song “Sorry” the most. This ad included irony since the song was called “Sorry” and they said “Sorry, not sorry”. They used a nice little play on words to create this ad they were able to determine the information they collect.
    Usually I do get a little scared of apps and other websites taking my data and using but in the case of Spotify it really does not bother me because it deals with music and podcasts.Using our data, Spotify has been able to create many great ads as seen in the website I have attached. They are actually funny and show a good use of user data.
    https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/spotify-big-data/

  2. As a Spotify user myself I do not find tthe data they take creepy or violating. I agree that is creates a better user experience for their users. Each week spotify gathers songs that is put into a playlist called Discover Weekly. Also on the home page it shows different genres for what music you like. As an active playlist maker I have noticed at the bottom it suggests music based on previous music you have added to that playlist. I love when they offer this suggestions since sometimes it shows music that I have been trying to think of and then it just reminds me. I can see why users may find this creepy and even violating privacy. In all I believe spotify is doing everything in order to give their users the best experience.
    source: https://www.businessofapps.com/data/spotify-statistics/

  3. Just like you, I feel like I have a better experience when I use Spotify than Apple Music. For Apple Music, new users can experience it for free for three months, after which they need to buy a membership. The capacity of the music library is also good. But one thing I don’t like more is the search feature. There is no prompt function when searching, and I found it a little difficult when I searched for some unfamiliar singers and songs. For Spotify, there will be advertising, sound quality, and only random playback restrictions for free accounts, so I bought a membership that allowed me to play any song. Personally, I like Spotify’s browsing and search module best. There are various music categories in the browsing module, so I can easily find music that suits my own taste. I really like Discover weekly, when I’m tired of listening to songs on my playlist and agonize over where to find new ones, Discover weekly helps me a lot. According to Vogue, “You might find songs and remixes from popular artists you’ve somehow never heard before, or new releases by indie bands that don’t even have a full record out yet”. I don’t think it’s an invasion of privacy, actually many websites have the similar function, like YouTube and Amazon, they just choose something that suits you better according to your tastes.

    My source: https://www.vogue.com/article/spotify-discover-weekly-genius

  4. Personally, I have used both Spotify and Apple Music. I switched to Apple Music because it was easier to use on my laptop, and for the rest of my family to use through our iCloud.

    The main difference between the two, in my opinion, is that Spotify is definitely more catered to the listeners interests. Apple Music does create a “2019 Most Played,” but it does not really recommend other music or make playlists catered to the listeners liking. Thus, proving that Spotify does use big data.

    I do not find this use to be creepy or an invasion of privacy because who doesn’t want recommended music that pertains to their liking? Spotify isn’t taking your personal information and using it against you, like Facebook did. Spotify takes into account your listening habits and helps suggest things that you might enjoy.

    This article by Forbes talks about the “amazing” ways Spotify uses big data, implying that this is actually a good thing. So many users keep coming back to Spotify and there is a reason for that. The use of big data in this scenario may not be all that bad.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/10/30/the-amazing-ways-spotify-uses-big-data-ai-and-machine-learning-to-drive-business-success/?sh=747de19a4bd2

  5. Spotify really is a great service, and with the student bundle, I only pay 5 dollars a month for premium AND hulu.

    I definitely understand why people can get a little weirded out by the data they collect and the invasion of their privacy. I do believe that companies have too much of our personal data, but it’s something I mostly overlook and don’t care about. My experience is being made a lot better by Spotify doing this, and while some people will care and I get that, I never really have.

    That being said, the way they use that data is phenominal. I have discovered so many new artists and songs by the way they analyze what I listen to in order to mind me new music that is along my tastes. It really is fascinating how they make it all work, it is surprisingly effective. You could compare it to the recommendations on YouTube, but there is something more impressive about making it work with music taste than with video suggestions.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/10/30/the-amazing-ways-spotify-uses-big-data-ai-and-machine-learning-to-drive-business-success/#745e75674bd2

  6. I love Spotify. In other situations on different platforms, I do think that I would find it sort of invasive the way that they create custom playlists and or show your most listened to artists at the end of the year. I just think that it’s different than my buying habits being tracked and having ads thrown at me about things that I was just searching up on the Internet, or even worse just talking about. Spotify is using big data in a way that I find extremely beneficial. I know that I’ve personally used the “Made For You” playlists and have found really good songs. They make discovering new music so easy and they try to make it as painless as possible (disliking songs you don’t like on radio stations so they don’t play the same artist or a similar song). Most people, I’d argue do not care about the fact that Spotify is using their data to personalize their experience on their app. It doesn’t come across as creepy at all, but actually is helpful to users.

    (Also, have you seen that you can search for songs by lyrics now?)

  7. There is something about Spotify using big data that does not concern me the way it does when im on an internet browser, for example. I really like the way Spotify uses their big data because instead of using it for ads, they use it to help cumulate playlists that they think you would love (if you are a premium member at least). I love this because when you log on you already have multiple different playlists ready to listen to. Although, if you are not a premium member I am sure they over-do their ads, just like any other free music application.

    With Spotify, I feel a sense of security since they are only tracking my data on the application as opposed to tracking my data on the device that I am using for the application. Nobody likes having their data tracked, but in this case I feel as though the users of spotify enjoy this feature. Reading through the other comments on this post further justifies my thoughts on people enjoying this feature on spotify. I am defintely curious as to what spotify would be like if they did not track our data because in all honesty, I doubt spotify would be as popular as it is if they did not curate playlists and songs specific to the user.

    I am interested to see if spotify does anything different with using big data within the next few years. Perhaps it will advance and they will begin to track more, but for now I think what Spotify is doing is a great way to keep their users happy and re-purchasing their memberships each month.

  8. The way Spotify uses data to improve the experience of the user is actually something I am very fond of. As an Apple Music user myself, sometimes I dont see some of the personalization features and options that Spotify gives its users, even though the data exists. On a platform like Spotify, it is important for them to retain as many customers as possible, so using the data available to them to give features like “Your favorite artists this year” and others is very important. I also like the incentive option they have to not use the service for free by giving you these features. They still offer the opportunity to use the service for free, but give you a good reason to pay for it which is a business practice I can stand behind.

    While Spotify is not my top choice, I sometimes find myself switching to it for certain instances just to have access to the features big data allows. I hope other services like Apply Music and SoundCloud start to follow the guidelines Spotify is making.

  9. I use Spotify every single day. They definitely use user’s data to improve user experience and they definitely have a lot of data about me. They know exactly what kind of music I like to hear and even though I am glad they can recommend me good artists and new songs, it can be a little creepy how much they know about my taste. As stated in the article referenced in source, Spotify acquired companies and startups that were focused on using AI related to music and merged their technology in their service. By doing this, AI is applied to every user of the app, and that makes the experience extremely personalized for each user.

    Source: https://outsideinsight.com/insights/how-ai-helps-spotify-win-in-the-music-streaming-world/

  10. Out of all of the music streaming services, Spotify is definitely my favorite one and I can’t imagine studying without the company of music. I have the student Spotify premium and I enjoy not having ads. I do remember how different it is using the free version then eventually switching to the paid version, not having the ads make a huge difference. I love the features on Spotify where when I create a playlist they automatically give me suggestions on what other songs to add, most of the time their suggestions are correct. I also really enjoy the songs that they continue to play after playing a song I have searched up. Companies like Spotify are definitely using AI and Big Data in order to provide better experiences for users and I definitely enjoy the benefits that Spotify brings me. Unlike other controversial social media platforms, I don’t think Spotify has any bad intentions. My data is not being used for political reasons or being sold for ads unlike Facebook for instance. I use Spotify and I pay them for using their service and I think the added AI suggestions just make my experience better and I stay a paid member. The student discount is a nice program and I hope they can have more discounts for postgrads as well. I genuinely love Spotify and I enjoy using it more than the other services that I have tried briefly.

  11. I can see this on Spotify and Apple Music’s part as a clever way of marketing and making more money from the advertising agencies they are sponsored by. Yet, on the other hand, I can see this as a violation of privacy if the user doesn’t explicitly know what data is collected about them and used to the company’s advantage. The use of this “Big Data” definitely ties into how data is analyzed and used in class. The company uses raw data from consumers as a big database and forms it into more and more useful information about its users and how they behave. This can make them more money by targeting the best ads with the consumers who fit the best profile for that ad. On the outside, this can seem like a creepy and weird practice, but technically, the company lets you know what is collected and what is used in their privacy policy and terms of use that you have to agree with to use their service.

  12. I too use Spotify and enjoy the recommendations that they give me. It allows me to discover new songs while also relive some of the old memories that I have associated with old songs I used to listen to. For example, they recommend playlist like “Top Songs of 2016” which is all of the songs I used to listen to back in 2016. I think this is extremely cool since I often times forgot and move on from some of these old songs, so to re-listen to them years later always is fun and allows me to remember some of the fond memories that are associated with the songs. Additionally, Spotify also recommends new songs that I might like, based on the songs that I listen to often. So if I listen to a lot of hip-hop songs then they will recommended other hip-hop songs that are made by similar artists to what I normally listen to. I know that sometimes it can be weird and uncomfortable knowing that a certain app or site is collecting a lot of personal data about oneself, however with music apps like Spotify I think it does a lot more good than harm. If they didn’t collect data that tried to make the user experience much better, then the app would likely be boring and it would be hard to discover new interesting songs that you may like and it would also be difficult to re-discover some old songs that one listened to in the past. So I am glad that Spotify uses machine learning to try to make my experience better, and I also agree that Spotify>Apple Music. I used to have Apple Music in the past then switched to Spotify premium and I enjoy Spotify much more.

    Site: https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-digit/submission/spotify-may-know-you-better-than-you-realize/

  13. Firstly, coming from someone who uses both Apple and Spotify regularly, I can agree that Spotify is better than Apple music. Both of the companies use user data in order to customize and expand the consumer experience. For example, with Apple Music, they offer stations that you can listen to that are essentially just playlists that are autogenerated towards your taste. Another thing it offers is when you shuffle songs, it uses songs that you play more than others throughout it, so you will listen to songs that you rarely play with songs you play constantly. So in general, the shuffle feature is more like an algorithm than a true shuffle. In Spotify, as stated in the blog post, create stations that allow you to hear new songs that are like your interests. I also know in Spotify you can sync up your account so that you can control what your computer plays. This is a neat feature, but it makes you wonder what kind of information is being shared between your computer and phone and what Spotify can register and collect.

  14. I personally really like what Spotify does with this big data. I usually hate when social medias take my data and does targeted ads but for some reason I just love all of the features Spotify gives us with this data. Seeing personalized albums and similar song suggestions gives me a chance to explore my music taste and knowing it will be similar to my music style. I definitely am a huge fan of the personalized playlists given once a week. I wonder if this can become a tactic for artists, they pay more to be featured on these playlists in result giving them more streams. What a Google thing to do, hopefully it does not end up like that lol because I like the use of my data being used for goods that benefit me. This is 100% why Spotify is better than Apple Music and I feel that if more people knew about these awesome features they would switch! I definitely take advantage of all of the things Spotify does to benefit me, I appreciate this post a lot
    What a great example of ways to benefit the consumer even when getting involved in their data (taking data usually freaks everyone out)

    source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/10/30/the-amazing-ways-spotify-uses-big-data-ai-and-machine-learning-to-drive-business-success/#559760dc4bd2

  15. I am an Apple music listener because my family is on the family plan and i am able to listen to the same music on Spotify so it didn’t affect me that much. However, once i found out about the variety of created playlists that are created using listener data is much more useful than what Apple music offers. Since i am on a family plan, my playlists created are created based off my family’s listening habits. Apple music offers playlists that you can search for that are created by other users but there is no playlist that is created specifically for you by Apple. The big difference between Apple music and Spotify is that since Spotify is a company specifically for audio entertainment, they are able to focus their data more towards the individual user rather than a group. I believe Spotify offers more recommendations based on the listeners listening data, while Apple music offers a browse option for music and playlists, but not music recommended specifically to the listener’s data. Spotify uses big data to make each user have a personalized experience that keeps the user subscribed by recommending songs, playlists, and podcasts that Spotify knows the listener will like based on the big data they use.

  16. I use Spotify premium daily and I can definitely see how they track my data. Personally, I love going to my Discover Weekly playlist to find new music that I know I am going to like. Spotify is known for making different types of playlists that are catered to each individual user. I think this is a cool way for Spotify to use their information. One of my favorites would have to be their Wrapped campaign, where a user can see all of the top songs and artists they listened to that year. In 2019, over 60 million users took part of this campaign, having 3 billion streams with Wrapped playlists. This is a fun and cool way to see how your music taste has changed over the year. Although I am not the biggest fan of having companies have access to my personal information, I don’t have a problem with Spotify using my information to turn it into something that I will enjoy.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/martyswant/2019/12/17/spotify-rolls-out-new-wrapped-campaign-help-users-remember-their-decade-of-music/#23301d2a10ea

  17. I am also a heavy user of Spotify, and I like Discover Weekly even more. This feature makes me feel magical, and its musical taste surpasses anyone I know. Every week, it recommends new favorite songs to me and finds things that I will never find but like. Later, I learned from an article that Spotify uses a combination of python and Ai to create addictive weekly recommendations. I think there is nothing wrong with this, I like this feature very much. Nowadays, more and more app companies have started the era of big data. The clever use of big data like Spotify does not make users feel that their privacy has been violated, but instead increases user stickiness. we can learn a lot from it.

  18. So I have apple music and over the years I have seen a big change in usability of the app. There was a pretty big update recently that had a big impact on the app. There are now 5 major buttons on the bottom of the screen instead of 4 and they include, listen now, browse, radio, library, and search. Listen now is a recent addition which is where the app puts all of the data it collected on you. From most recently listen to albums and songs, recommended artists and songs/albums, and your top songs on certain years. Apple also knowing that their phones have gotten bigger moved the library button on search button to the right of the screen allowing for most people, right handed people, to access their songs.
    https://9to5mac.com/2020/06/24/ios-14-apple-music/

  19. I’ve noticed throughout my use on the app Spotify has indeed increased the ways they use big data and analytics to customize the user experience. From custom playlists to telling you how much you e listened to music over the year I think using big data like this is okay and doesn’t seem to invasive of our privacy. My question would be how much about our habits do they know that doesn’t show?

  20. Spotify is one of the largest music platforms from artists big to small to share their music and talents. Spotify is known for using big data and machine learning abilities. With millions of users, Spotify is constantly enhancing its customer service interface. They have intel about what their users like to listen the most at what times, where they are streaming from, and also what device they stream on. This shows that Spotify is a data-driven company and uses that information to drive decisions for the company. These key data sets are used to then train the machines and algorithms to listen to music and generate insights that impact the experience of listeners and also the business itself. With improving technologies and analysis techniques, data-driven customer experience will become the norm across most, if not all, companies in the years to come.

  21. First of all, I agree that Spotify is better, but that’s just my opinion. I think that this is one of the instances that I would be ok with a company tracking my data. It is a huge cost/benefit analysis, and I think the benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to Spotify tracking my data and information. It is very nice to be able to log onto the app to see a bunch of songs that I might like. According to the article below, it says that Spotify (specifically talking about Discover Weekly) can learn more from what you haven’t listened to, rather than what you have. This is kinda interesting to me because I always thought they collected things they knew about you, but it is cool to see they are guessing about what you haven’t heard, too.
    https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/11/18178701/spotify-discover-weekly-brand-playlists-personalization

  22. I am often not a big fan of my data being tracked, who is? However, when reading this post I think that collecting big data for this advertisement is harmless. I actually honestly would not mind at all if music that I liked to listened to was recommended to me through an advertisement. I am unfortunately an Apple music user so I do not have the pleasure of having playlist recommended for me. However, when I sometimes use Spotify to listen to certain songs I like when I hear the advertisement to recommend music. I never knew that is was collecting big data for this purpose. I would like Apple music to use this feature too, it would be nice to have recommended music. I think it is safe to say that almost all media applications use big data now to find recommended things that would appeal to the user

  23. I think using big data in this platform is a good thing. I always use music apps like Spotify to listen to music. Many music platforms will give you the suggestion of songs based on what you usually listen to. I think it’s a great feature.

    I remember one time I got tired of listening to all my songs. I was looking for some new songs to listen to. When I open Spotify, it tweeted me some songs I might like to listen to. After I click in and listen to all the songs, I think all the music inside this album is very good. Thus, I think the function is a good function.

    The songs suggested by the software are also in line with my listening style, which omits the time that I need to find new songs. I can just click through to those albums or radio stations and discover new great songs. It gives customers the greatest experience when listening to music.

    source: https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/spotify-big-data/

  24. I think this a great way for Spotify to use personal data, even though I am an Apple Music listener as well. This makes the user experience on Spotify much more enjoyable I imagine, and makes the user experience much more helpful and useful. I would love it if Apple Music helped me pick out songs and helped me play some throwbacks or make a playlist. Many companies do this such as Youtube I have noticed recommends me videos based of what I have previously watched, and what it thinks I would enjoy watching.When companies do this I find it helpful, and not creepy because they are enhancing my experience, but I can see why people would think it is creepy because they are able to see what you are listening/ watching. I didn’t know Spotify did this before reading this post, and it almost makes me want to switch to Spotify. However, I won’t because Apple Music is still superior.

  25. I always use Apple Music, and have not used Spotify before. I think big data is a good way for those companies to understand the hobbies of users. They use big data to analyze and find the thing you may prefer. By this, you don’t need to search by yourself, and the songs you love will automatically recommend to you by the Spotify. Actually, there are some other apps work like this.

    Tik Tok is a good example, users can watch their preferences by automatically recommendation. Tiki’s Tok uses AI and big data to make one of the best recommendation engine in the industry. They AI will analyze these data and fine what is the users’ preference. And then, recommend these things to users. Therefore, users can watch more and more which they are interested in. (Wang, 2020)

    Currently, more and more apps to use big data to find user’s preference and send the right things to them. By this way users will spend more time on that app, because they think they can find the things they love.

    Like: https://towardsdatascience.com/why-tiktok-made-its-user-so-obsessive-the-ai-algorithm-that-got-you-hooked-7895bb1ab423?gi=c1f63f576a3c

  26. Personally, I am an Apple Music user, but this was not by choice. A few years ago, I was an avid Spotify user and was sad when I had to make the switch to Apple Music. Spotify is known for customizing albums for you and suggesting songs that YOU would specifically like. This has been a main reason why I loved Spotify from the beginning. Being able to listen to whatever you want, and knowing the apps keeping track of all your information is awesome. It is tracking how often you listen to a certain song, from where are you listening, and even what device you are listening from. It then turns this data into new playlists, podcasts, and suggested songs/artists. Overall, using the user’s data is a great business endeavor. What more do people want than the app to create playlists for them? It is one less thing we as humans have to do therefore it is benefiting our life in some way. Even activities as simple as listening to music are being done with the help of big data and Artificial Intelligence, and I am not mad about it all.

    Source :https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/10/30/the-amazing-ways-spotify-uses-big-data-ai-and-machine-learning-to-drive-business-success/#7b7e42fc4bd2

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