Have you been thinking that you really want to hear a certain song and the song you were just thinking of suddenly pops up on shuffle — or that new personalized playlist Spotify just made for you? If that’s you, then you can thank Machine Learning for the pleasant surprise.
Shaping Music With AI
For those who are unfamiliar with technical jargon like AI and ML — they essentially refer to the algorithms used to shape the way that we stream music, or do anything really. These algorithms take into account everything from the listeners’ preferences to the tonality of the songs in order to create an experience that is optimally tailored to suit the individual user’s taste in music.
The Age of Manic Optimization
The level of convenience that Machine Learning has produced has led to a monumental and unprecedented boom in the popularity of streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and Shazam — and the algorithm is only growing more complex. Who said AI ain’t got a soul?
Closing Statement
AI — in its various mutations — improves the efficiency of everyday life and augments the ability of individuals well beyond their capabilities. However, the human benefits to be gained from AI will eventually reach a breaking point — where further investment in AI will ultimately result in a fatal outcome.
“Some people call this artificial intelligence, but the reality is this technology will enhance us. So instead of artificial intelligence, I think we’ll augment our intelligence.” — Ginni Rometty
The 90s is making a sublime comeback, not only in style and fashion, but also in the form of cassette tapes.
These little pieces of plastic and magnetic tape have been resurfacing lately, with some major stores carrying cassettes and cassette players despite the continued rising popularity of digital music and streaming platforms.
Retro Rise
Cassettes saw double digit sales growth in the US last year, according to Genius. Cassette sales grew by almost 19 percent from 99,400 to 118,200 copies sold in the US alone.
Bands such as Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins have been releasing their records on casette tapes, and surprisingly, they’ve been selling out from pre-sales alone.
Vinyl is also on the rise — but data reveals that vinyl is more popular among older records, while cassettes are more popular for newer albums. Meanwhile, CDs are dead.
Closing Thoughts
People adore cassettes because it produces that beautiful analog sound — a sound that our ears are made to listen to and love.
We might be living in some sort of dystopian future, but some things from the past are starting to make a comeback in a real, and physical way.
I’ve developed a habit of keeping numerous small cassette recorders in my house and in a bag with me so that I’m able to commit to tape memory song ideas on a constant basis. — Dwight Yoakam
Even with the prevalence of digital music platforms and music streaming services, vinyl records are making a huge comeback — and seem to be here to stay.
Companies such as eBay and Discogs have strong data that proves there has been a recent surge in vinyl sales — and popularity as a whole.
Here to Stay
Sales for both brand new and used records have gone up by the millions. And the figures don’t count offline sales — or seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Data shows that sales for vinyl started its meteoric rise back in 2011, and has continued to rise since — thanks to collectors and radical hipsters at heart!
Albums sold on vinyl saw double digit sales growth in the US last year, according to Genius. Vinyl sales grew by just shy of 12 percent from 8.6 to 9.7 million sales. It wasn’t quite the growth seen in digital streaming, but it’s still quite impressive for a medium that’s decades old.
Closing Thoughts
It’s quite obvious that the quality of sound on vinyl records are just so much warmer — and vintage sounding compared to music streamed online or even from a CD.
Vinyl record’s nostalgic value in the industry of music seems to be set in stone for the time being, but we’ll wait and see how this all plays out.
I’m a big collector of vinyl — I have a record room in my house — and I’ve always had a huge soundtrack album collection. So what I do, as I’m writing a movie, is go through all those songs, trying to find good songs for fights, or good pieces of music to layer into the film. — Quentin Tarantino
Swedish born artist Miynt is back at it — and better than ever — with a brand new EP coming out later this summer!
Blending elements of lo-fi psych rock and indie electronic music — Stockholm-artist Miynt’s fresh new single is entitled “Peaches.” The song was written and co-produced by Miynt as well.
“Peaches” follows the release of her first single “Vacation with Bond in south of France part 2” — a cinematic soundtrack to a Bond movie that was never made.
The luscious bedroom — lo-fi avant-garde pop sound of Miynt seems to melt into a cataclysmic bowl of candied peaches, and half-melted ice cream. The sound is a delectable sonic treat to behold.
Day Joy
Day Joy songwriter, Michael Serrin, comments on new single, White: “I grew up with someone who eventually became radicalized. He actually ended up becoming an active organizer for the infamous Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville. One day, I ran into him and we got into an argument. His primary point was basically that white people should remain in power in the United States just as Japanese people remain in power in Japan, Chinese people in China, etc. My response was to ask him exactly what he meant by white people? And, to my surprise, he had a hard time answering the question.
I wanted to deconstruct the concept of whiteness to see if anything was actually there.
I also wanted the lyrics to describe whiteness in terms of physics and optics… I love the idea that every color of the rainbow blended together is white. I thought that stacking the scientific on top of the spiritual would create an interesting dichotomy. The juxtaposition is a rainbow as the LGBTQ symbol and white light as the symbol of purity in religious institutions that oppose LGBTQ communities. The lyrics expose this irony through an anecdote of a closeted love affair — one who resents his sexuality and uses a hateful slur, the other who embraces himself and leaves the barred room — stepping into the light.”
Steevn
Steevn’s recordings aren’t really about quality, they’re more about heart. Emotion. The kind of music that’s playing in the background — as you stare into the abyss of the dreamworld…
This particular lo-fi track was recorded on a no-string budget while Steevn was dodging pick pockets in Mexico City. He recorded it on the cheap — with a $20 mic in a little AirBnb room.
The track is a poignant love song about a girl and a city gone mad. It’s got some Autotune, but in a weird — and very cool way. Steevn likes to call it — post-folk.
And now, after a good and long introspective toke, settle in and soak in the heavy vibrations of Austin’s very own, Steevn.
Salvador Dassi
Norway-based Salvador Dassi’s new track — “She” — contains interesting elements of doped out indie rock, bedroom pop, and a more experimental lo-fi texture that never seems to get old.
The sonic result is quintessential lo-fi stoner rock — chilled out to the very max. With a very cool bass-line, and interesting beat.
Facets of Salvador’s new lo-fi slow jam seem to bend both space and time in a sort of nostalgic, and half asleep manner. The blend is a beautiful fusion of the new and old. The whole and broken. The yin and the yang. A perfect fusion of melodic beauty.
“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.” ― Charles Bukowski
Spotify is officially rolling out its redesigned platform, making it easier to move between Music and Podcasts.
Your Daily Drive
Spotify also has a new automated playlist called “Your Daily Drive” — and it just might make your morning drives to work a bit more bearable.
The streaming app creates the playlist based on songs that you love and throws in some quick podcast news updates in the mix as well.
Optimized Radio
It’s pretty much like FM radio, except all the songs you’ll be hearing are your favorites. Think of it as a sort of personal, optimized radio!
The playlist will autonomously update throughout the day, making sure that your drives never get too repetitive or boring. Thank you AI.
Only in the USA
So far, Spotify’s “Your Daily Drive” has only been launched for users living within the USA, but here’s to hoping that it will soon roll out for users in other countries as well.
