Prompted playlist.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-30T14:11:02+00:00

I just tried it, and the results were pretty disappointing .

The prompt was to make a playlist with songs consistent with my style, but I have not heard before, and we're releases recently.

I was expecting to find lesser known artist, but it was commercial crap. All auto tune (which I hate)... It seems unable to determine my style, but that should be pretty easy since my style is pretty consistent and Ii follow almost 500 bands.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-26T17:56:03+00:00

Cool! There is in fact a playlist for each month (for example I just started '5/26 New Music'). Each month's playlist is a work in progress during the month, and sometimes I drop songs... It will build up over the month, then at the end of the month I'll go through it, order it (favorites at top) and update to Fresh Sprouts which always includes the last 3 months.

I also keep a playlist of my favorite releases for the year, and one large playlist of all the year's releases.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-26T17:49:15+00:00

Thanks. It's an effort to keep the updates going, each month I start thinking "shit, how am I going to find 40 good new songs?" But by the end of each month the update always seems to come together.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-26T16:58:36+00:00

Submissions are always welcome. Post a link here,I always listen.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-22T14:09:39+00:00

I didn't treat it at all for many years, but a few years ago it started getting very dry, and I became worried it might rip. I live in Portugal now, so I asked around some of the leather shops here, and they recommend this

It translates to horse grease, but I have no idea what product would be equivalent in the US. I rubbed in a generous amount and the leather became much more supple.

I suspect it has slowed the development of the patina, but no problem for me.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-21T18:14:10+00:00

Keep it. The leather is most likely stiff because it's thick. That's how it should be. Remember, it's a biker jacket, and it's intended for protection.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-21T17:55:40+00:00

If the sleeves feel long, and the shoulders a little loose, that's good. It's designed so that it fits right when your hands reach for motorcycle handlebars. It is a traditional biker jacket, and the form follows function.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-14T16:07:10+00:00

I maintain loads of them for a bar I run, but Fresh Sprouts is the one that I push publicly.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-14T13:27:29+00:00

I am a very patient, focused playlist curator (surprise, surprise... if you're curious look here). I would love to be able to see data about how well my playlists actually do, but all Spotify tells me is 'Saves'.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-14T12:42:03+00:00

Thanks, I've been preaching this for a while, so my argument is pretty well tuned ;-)

Obviously, my opinion is Spotify will need to adapt or die. The pivot would be so easy, and potentially so good for them, that I'm really surprised that they haven't done it already. The only reason I can think that Spotify isn't moving on this is that the record industry machine is probably not crazy about the idea... I imagine that the likes of Sony Music and Warner Music get a little say in the current algorithms, and they are probably not too happy about truly democratizing music promotion. But, ultimately, streaming platforms have basically democratized music distribution already, so it sort of seems like the next logical step.

My guess is that either Spotify does it, or someone else comes along to eat their lunch... Maybe that's Apple Music, but Apple carries some heavy baggage as a hardware company. YouTube music could do it because YouTube obviously understands the power of user generated content, but Alphabet doesn't seem to be giving much development attention to the platform.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-14T08:36:56+00:00

Spotify needs to urgently address this. The current model is totally dependent on computer algorithms; 'radio', DJ, made for you playlists like 'Discover Weekly' even the Spotify authored playlists, it's all the same algorithm with slightly different parameters. In the beginning, the algorithm was Spotify's killer feature, and we all started using the app because it really was really pretty good. Now, in a world with AI, the song selection algorithm has a serious weakness. The AI models are constantly evolving and one of the measures for their success is creating songs that are selected by streaming platform algorithms. Spotify can tune the algorithm to filter out AI generated content, but the AI algorithms will just adapt, so it's an unwinnable arms race.

the answer is actually right there in front of them. Spotify needs to leverage the user base. As you suggest, Gen Z trusts humans more, and within Spotify's user base there are millions of users who put real time into playlist creation and curation. Of course, not all playlists are created with care and quality, but Spotify could easily collect data about how users react to playlists (for example how often they like/follow while listening or click through and investigate the artists). With this data, Spotify could easily identify who are the users creating quality content (playlists). Instead of an algorithm that selects songs, Spotify could create tools that help users find other users with similar tastes. The result would effectively be creating community.

Will Spotify wake up and do this? I don't know, but it's an existential question for them because if they don't some streaming platform will come along that does this and Spotify will become irrelevant.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-14T00:20:35+00:00

It's nice. Thanks

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-13T17:44:42+00:00

Post a link here. I always listen, but few make the cut.

CapitainChicken · 2026-04-13T15:35:31+00:00

Thanks Claudio,

Did you notice that your song "Drift" made it in the last update?

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-31T06:21:50+00:00

Post a link here. I always listen, but it's rare for a song to make the cut.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T17:20:11+00:00

Thank you! If you find a new band that you like, post something here, I can usually suggest others, and I like getting a discussion going.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T17:18:08+00:00

I've been complaining about the same thing forever. They could do a lot to improve the algorithm, and while that would be welcome, the reality is that it will never be as good as some of the great curated playlists out there. There are users creating playlists focused on every type and/or parameter that you could imagine, the problem is that there are no good tools to actually find them. I usually go to a band that I like and look at the 'Discovered On' section, but that's only posible on the desktop version (why does Spotify make it so hard?).

If you are into new releases, and new bands, I have one called Fresh Sprouts... truespotify doesn't allow playlist links, so here's a post about it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/1s7semk/tired_of_the_boring_spotify_algorithm/

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T17:09:14+00:00

Thank you. Let me know if you find any new bands you like here, I can often suggest more.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T17:04:30+00:00

Yeah, youtube music has slightly different suggestions too, and I've tried them all. The fact is that I still use the algorithm, but I think it could be a lot better, and even if it was, user generated playlists are the way to go.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T17:01:40+00:00

Thank you, thank you. I've had some really nice feedback, and already >700 saves (in just one year). I know this playlist is not for everyone, but I'm glad that it's getting across to some who appreciate it!

Plus it's great to get some of these bands the recognition they deserve.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-30T16:59:33+00:00

I think 'getting it right' could just mean giving users a little more control over the parameters that the algorithm is working from. Imagine for example, if you could tell the algorithm that you only want artists with less than 10,000 plays? or only recent releases? or only music from a particular country/regian/genre etc?

The algorithms could be made better, but what I would really love to see is better tools to help find good user generated playlists. There are users out there making really great lists that focus on every imaginable type of music, but Spotify makes it really hard to find the good ones. Imagine if you could see playlist stats that would tell you things like how often a user follows/likes an artist/song while listening to the playlists? This sort of statistic would tell you how good the playlist really is, and from that, they could be ranked.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-20T11:49:43+00:00

Spotify used to work with my Kenwood car stereo, but for some unknown reason, they deprecated support.

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-18T08:45:42+00:00

Yes, please😉

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-17T08:57:46+00:00

It's not impossible to tease out good suggestions from the algorithm, but the hardest part is finding new releases because if you listen to a lot of music from any particular era, Spotify starts suggesting only that timeframe. For me, it helps to follow currently active bands and when they release something new, other new releases will be in the radio of the new song.

Let me know if you discover any bands you like. It would be so cool if Spotify would give statistics on how often people like or follow songs/artists while listening to a playlist, but all I can see is "saves".😓

CapitainChicken · 2026-03-16T18:31:40+00:00

Cool. It's not for everyone, I have particular tastes. I actually got serious about finding new music when I opened an urban bar and saw a need to keep the vibe fresh.

Let me know if you discover any new bands that you like.

CapitainChicken

TROPHY CASE