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by kuya11 1904 days ago
I once listened, partially, to a single “Learn Japanese” podcast. Now months later my Spotify homepage still recommends Japanese language learning podcasts every single day.

I’m currently checking out YouTube Music. The deal is quite good, since it comes with YouTube Premium. In my experience the algorithm feels better, and you tend not to wind up on less “meh” recommendations.

4 comments

I was a youtube/google play music subscriber for years who recently switched to spotify and I think the same about the opposite! When I moved to spotify I thought the recommendations were better. Now reading your experience I think that maybe they aren't better, just different.

Youtube music is really a shame. It was a big step back from google play music. Sorting liked albums & songs is difficult. If you like a video on youtube that happens to be music, it will always show up in your liked songs in youtube music. Having such crappy streaming options just makes me want to go back to pirating.

I originally registered Spotify because of the recommendations, but it feels like YouTube is just much more spot on. Maybe it's time to switch.
I don't know about Youtube Music, but Google Play Music had no problems in deleting entries from your own playlists when a song wasn't available anymore. It's a form of musical gaslighting which I find entirely unacceptable. We have emotional ties to some music, so editing my own handmade playlists without my consent, and leaving no trace of the activity feels like a violation. That single behavior has stopped me from trusting Google with anything ever again.

Spotify leaves the songs there even if they are unplayable, but my playlists are still there.

Spotify's recommendations were really good at the beginning. But now it's just meh. I haven't found anything interesting in Discover Weekly for months.

That wasn't in my initial plan, but I'm considering adding user recommendations to https://volt.fm. Something like Twitter, but for sharing music with your friends.

In case you’re still looking for a better recommendation system, I use https://last.fm/, I’ve found its recommendations the best. In other respects it’s a bit annoying (it plays music via Spotify and that connection doesn’t always work).
I am also a recent switcher to Youtube Music and love the recommendations. Also not having podcasts I don't want pushed at me is so nice.
Is that true?

>since it comes with YouTube Premium.

I can't find info on it.