Spotify Uses Listening Algorithms To Recommend Nearby Concerts

Music streaming service Spotify has launched a service that uses the platform’s recommendation algorithms to alert listeners to nearby concerts that they may like to attend.

Called simply ‘Concerts’, the feature makes use of data extracted from listeners’ listening habits on the platform, and will reportedly grow better at doing its job the longer a listener uses it.

Recommendations

Spotify has also given users the ability to change their location city, which would be useful for planning trips abroad or around the country.

“Much like Discover Weekly, concert recommendations are based on your own listening and picked specifically for you,” said Spotify in a blog post this week. “And as your music taste evolves, so will your recommendations.”

In August, Spotify ushered in a new privacy policy that gave it access to users’ photos, contacts and location data. The new permissions angered thousands of users.

The changes in Spotify’s terms of service, if agreed to, also allowed it to be privy to users’ social media activity and other sensor data that is stored on today’s smartphones.

But Spotify is arguing that the changes will help it to tailor an “improved user experience”.

Spotify is currently developing a feature called Spotify Running that will make custom playlists for users who are exercising whilst listening to music.

The company said that in order to do this, it has to have access to a device’s accelerometer so it knows whether or not the user is actually physically running.

Spotify said in a statement: “Spotify is constantly innovating and evolving its service to deliver the best possible experience for our users. This means delivering the perfect recommendations for every moment, and helping you to enjoy, discover and share more music than ever before.”

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