In recent years, the only medium of radio that I’ve intentionally consumed is the algorithmic radio that’s featured on the music streaming platform of Spotify. Spotify Radio creates a collection of songs based on any artist, album, playlist, or song of your choice. Additionally, it updates over time to keep fresh.
Personally, I feel that the method of using a technologically produced algorithm to display a collection of music that the listener should expect to enjoy can be a hit or a miss. I’ve noticed from my own use of it that its recommendations can fall short of unpredictability when the radio stream is based on a popular song, artist or band. For example, if someone were to play the Michael Jackson radio they’d be recommended artists such as Prince and Janet Jackson. However, I know that the feature can be a wonderful tool for discovering lesser known, or independent, or artists of sub-genre sounds.
Through Spotify Radio, I’ve discovered many hidden gems, many I would never have found had I not dived into the algorithmic streaming world. All things considered, I am of the opinion that this modern form of radio is beneficiary and can lead to some delightful surprises, however I feel that to call it “radio” simply disregards the whole popular notion of what radio really has historically been: live.