COMMENTARY: Why I’m all for Spotify

It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about the trusty old iPod Classic, with its 160GB storage and click-wheel, let alone used it. So, imagine my surprise to have stumbled across it while doing a spring clean of the house. Long gone are those days of tediously scrolling down a list to find the song you wanted.

Music streaming platforms have altered the way we listen to and discover new music. Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud now dominate the industry and one would be hard-pressed to find someone who buys all their music, whether through physical copies or on iTunes.

Before the advent of these large-scale streaming platforms, discovering new music was largely a social task. Discussing what gigs people went to over the weekend or what they themselves had recently discovered on iTunes was the only alternative to sifting through artists and songs yourself.

As a huge fan of Spotify, I can obviously see the appeal of having a platform (which boasts more than 30 million songs) that simplifies the process of finding and listening to music. No more waiting for albums to download or trying to remember your iTunes account password to verify a purchase. Not to mention, the algorithm used to create customised radios and playlists such as Discover Weekly is amazing for people like myself who want new music without putting in the effort.

Spotify even lets you know if there are concerts in your area that you might be interested in going based on which artists you follow. This is especially great for lesser-known artists to spread the word about their performances.

Despite the age-old controversies and issues music streaming sites and platforms face (ahem, Taylor Swift and Apple Music), I personally think that for every perceived disadvantage there are also benefits to using apps such as Spotify.

Some may argue that smaller and indie artists stand to lose money when it comes to streaming platforms but from my standpoint, it was through Spotify (and their algorithms) that I discovered countless lesser-known artists, many of which have less than a thousand streams on their most popular songs.

Another point to mention is the way artists are paid through streaming services. Downloading or buying an album may cost a set amount, say $14.99, and the songs on the album can be played and replayed an infinite number of times over many years. However, royalties for that one sale will only get paid out once regardless of how often its songs are played.

In contrast, Spotify’s system of pay-per-play will come off as a much smaller percentage, often less than a cent. But multiply that by the hundreds or thousands of plays and in the long run, artists may stand to gain more in this business model.

Understandably, this system has its own share of issues and of course, it will always be harder financially for less known artists and bands either way.

With the digital world on the constant move, streaming might be the way to go or something new might be just around the corner. While finding my iPod Classic was definitely nostalgic, I certainly don’t miss the way I used to listen to music.

I enjoy indivudually curated playlists and radios for me. I am a lazy millennial, after all.

Drake Dominates Spotify’s Global Most Streamed List For 2016, Jay Chou Top In Singapore

Spotify has just unveiled its annual list of most streamed artists, albums and tracks for 2016 based off listening data from Singapore and around the world.

Unsurprisingly, Drake came out on top as the world’s most streamed artist – not just for 2016, but – of all time with over 8.7 billion streams. His Views album was also the most streamed album globally in 2016 with over 2.45 billion streams.

Drake’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Rihanna also made the charts as the most streamed female artist in the world with over 2.5 billion streams.

Closer to home, Drake made the top 5 amongst male artists in Singapore, but topping that list was Jay Chou, who racked up the most streams for the third year running.

Ariana Grande garnered the most plays for a female artist amongst Singaporeans for 2016, while The Chainsmokers owned the ‘Most Streamed Tracks’ chart with both Don’t Let Me Down and Closer making the top 5 in Singapore.

 

Here are Spotify’s top streamed charts for 2016 in Singapore.

Most Streamed Artist
1. Jay Chou
2. The Chainsmokers
3. Justin Bieber
4. Ariana Grande
5. Coldplay

Most Streamed Male Artists
1. Jay Chou
2. The Chainsmokers
3. Justin Bieber
4. Coldplay
5. Drake

Most Streamed Female Artists
1. Ariana Grande
2. Adele
3. Sia
4. Rihanna
5. Fifth Harmony

Most Streamed Tracks
1. Don’t Let Me Down – The Chainsmokers
2. Faded – Alan Walker
3. Closer – The Chainsmokers
4. Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
5. We Don’t Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez) – Charlie Puth

Most Streamed Playlists
1. Today’s Top Hits
2. Infinite Acoustic
3. Pop Chillout
4. Peaceful Piano
5. Top Hits Singapore

What do our music listening tastes say about Singaporeans?

Do you find yourself wondering why you reach for your music playlists similar to how you reach for your morning kopi? We can explain – it’s Science! According to Dr Lim Boon Leong, a psychologist from Gleneagles Medical Centre, listening to music is associated with the release of dopamine in the reward pathway of our brain leading to pleasurable feelings – the exact same effect that caffeine has on us.

Music elicits an emotional response in its listeners and that’s why the music or playlists we reach for often match the mood or moment we are in. You aren’t going to play gothic punk when you’re trying to go to sleep, or classical violin when gearing up for a big night out. That’s why we place so much importance on our playlist curation. We understand that proper curation can enhance moods, or change moods. And our data doesn’t lie, with more than 100 million users globally tuning in to listen to our human-curated running, sleeping or partying playlists.

[caption id="attachment_1666" align="alignnone" width="1024"]Image: Spotify Image: Spotify[/caption]

With 88,336,235 total hours streamed on Spotify here in Singapore since January – and counting, we have a pretty good idea of what Singaporeans like to listen to. And if what we are playing matches our mood – that gives us an interesting insight into what Singaporeans are going through at that time. With the help of Dr Lim, let us take you through a typical day in Singapore!

5am to 9am – The Early Birds

Most streamed playlists: Fun Workout, Early Morning Rise & Morning Stroll
How do Singaporeans wake up in the morning? It seems that many early-birds are taking advantage of those extra couple of hours to squeeze in a morning workout. Whether it’s getting the endorphins pumping with a high BPM “Fun Workout”, a leisurely “Morning Stroll” or smooth acoustic and mellow tracks from an “Early Morning Rise” to help us get the day started, we are an active bunch that like to keep fit and healthy.

9am to 12pm – The Busy Bees

Most streamed playlists: Acoustic Favourites, Deep Focus & Singapore’s Top Acts
It’s midmorning, and our listening habits suggest we are searching for tracks to help us focus and get through the long day ahead! As humans primordially crave patterns, the tracks in “Acoustic Favourites” or “Singapore’s Top Acts” comfort people and make the start of the work day seem less daunting. As the lunch hour draws near and we start pondering what we’re going to eat, “Deep Focus” is filled with atmospheric tracks with no lyrics that help us block out the stomach rumbles and focus on the tasks at hand.

12pm to 5pm – The Midday Zombies

Most streamed playlists: Afternoon Acoustic, Top Hits Singapore & K-Party Dance Mix
It might come as no surprise, but after lunch Singaporeans are looking for relaxed tracks to help them navigate through their food coma and “Afternoon Acoustic” is a popular digestion playlist. Interestingly enough, we find that as the end of the work day approaches, the BPM within the playlists people are listening to increases – e.g “Top Hits Singapore” and the “K-Party Dance Mix”. Dr. Lim tells us that listening to fast paced music can psych us up and allow us to feel more perked up – perfect for that afternoon boost to help get us to the finish line.

6pm to 10pm – The Night Riders

Most streamed playlists: Hangin’ There, Cardio & Night Rider
The work day is finally over and Singaporeans are turning to playlists like ‘Hangin’ There’ to help them relax and unwind before they go home to deal with family responsibilities or a never-ending mountain of homework and assignments. At the other end of the BPM spectrum, evenings are when Singaporeans come alive. Some Singaporeans are getting their “Cardio” in with fast tracks that mirror their heart rates, while others are turning to “Night Riders’ progressive house beats to get them energized for a night out with friends.

10pm to 1am – The Dream Chasers

Most streamed playlists: Before Tidur, Nature Noise & Sleep
From 11pm onwards Singaporeans have one thing on their mind. Sleep. Soothing tracks from “Before Tidur” – which translates from Bahasa Melayu to “Before Sleep”- helps us to wind down and get ready to hit the hay. Sleep doesn’t come easy to all Singaporeans though, with many of us searching for “Nature Noise” to help us “Sleep” around 1am. In fact, Dr Lim says that listening to calm sounds or slow tracks can help improve insomnia.

All of this said, at the end of the day, if EDM tracks are the ones to help you sleep, go for it! Do whatever works best for you. Dr Lim maintains that as long as any particular song or music resonates with the individual, there will be an emotional release – or catharsis that will help to improve the mood of the listener.

This article was contributed by Eve Tan, Team Lead, Shows & Editorial, Spotify, SEA, HK & TW.

Spotify Introduces Daily Mix – Fresh Playlists of Songs You Already Love

Spotify Daily Mix

Frequent Spotify users are probably familiar with “Discover Weekly”,  a two-hour tailor-made playlist of yet to be heard songs, customised to the tastes of each user.

Spotify is taking the best of “Discover Weekly” and upping its game in the ever-competitive streaming world by introducing Daily Mix.

The new feature is a series of endless playlists that combines music you already love with new recommendations based on your listening habits. If that’s hard to imagine, think of it as a Shuffle button on steroids, helping you rediscover forgotten favourites and make new ones in the process.

dailymix-device

Spotify’s algorithm takes about two weeks of daily listening to learn about your music taste to create the playlists. The mixes also evolve with your music taste, improving its lineup the more you listen.

Playlists are updated every day, so if you stumble upon a song you like, simply “heart” it to add it to your collection. You can also “ban” songs from future playlists if the algorithm ever gets it wrong, though unlikely.

Users will receive between one to six mixes a day, depending on the breadth of your music taste.

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Tinder and Spotify Are Teaming Up To Help You Find Your Musical Soulmate

Tinder and Spotify

Global dating app Tinder is partnering with Spotify to allow users to broadcast their personal ‘Anthem’ on their profiles.

Users will be able to explore their matches’ top songs and any song choices they have in common.

Regardless of whether Tinder users are Spotify subscribers, they can pick an ‘Anthem’ and play previews of their potential matches’ favourite songs from their Tinder profiles.

Spotify members will have the added benefit of seeing artistes they have in common with their potential match, by connecting their Spotify accounts to the Tinder app.

According to the official release, here’s all you need to do to get started:

  • Search Spotify to find your Anthem even if you haven’t connected your Spotify account to Tinder.
  • Visit your Profile Settings in Tinder to connect your Spotify account (or download Spotify from the App Store or Google Play to create a new account for free).
  • Select which of your favorite Spotify artists you’d like to display on your Tinder profile.
  • Start swiping to see who shares your taste in music.

“Music is an important part of making new connections and getting to know existing ones,” Tinder CEO Sean Rad said regarding the partnership.

“Just like you go to the bar that plays your favorite music, you’re likely attracted to the people at that bar who enjoy the same music.

“We want to do the same thing with the Spotify integration.”