Digressions: The algorithm life

This is a new series I am calling digressions. These are essays, opinions etc on ideas, concepts etc that are not just music focused. That isn't to say there isn't a connection to music. It just might be tangential.

If you see the tag, digressions and don't want to read my rambling thoughts on things like capitalism etc, then skip away.

The Past

I didn't embrace streaming music until 2016. Up until that time, I resisted – my chief complaint being the sound quality and how it reduced music even further into a commodity. I was the odd person still going to record stores, reading copious amounts on music and pursuing all kinds of oddities through mail order. For me, this is what being a collector meant - you had to hunt for the "good stuff".

That is all fine and dandy but it doesn't work as well when you are a grown ass adult with a wife and 3 small kids. Not to mention the fact, that it can be quite expensive to be a collector and you have to store your physical copies somewhere.

I know I said the sound quality was a factor but my issue wasn't with compression but how that compression was utilized. I have no issues with MP3s – I have tons of them. In 2016, services like Spotify were not streaming in the best quality yet (which has since changed but Spotify still lags behind their competition imo). Most times, when I bought a CD, I would just rip it to Mp3 (at some high bitrate) or flac and I would never actually listen to the CD. Or if I got a LP, I would download the digital version and listen to that primarily. Kind of silly.

So I made a decision, it was time to stop or severely slow down purchasing music. I got several trial accounts and settled on Amazon Music as my streamer. Not the best interface but the quality was better than most of the others (and eventually Amazon music moved to high quality streaming as the default). At first, I still purchased the physical releases of albums I really enjoyed – usually in vinyl format (hipster). But even then, I listened to the digital stream – still silly. And then one day I stopped purchasing (there was the odd release here and there but they were the exception). From there, I fell into what I now call the algorithm life - more on that in a moment.

The Now

So flash forward to late 2024 and find myself in a bad state - mentally speaking. Things felt like they were spiraling and when that happens, something has to change (or many somethings). I decided to immerse myself more fully into music listening – like I used to when I was younger and I decided I would once again try to restart music making (had a false start in 2023).

What was the catalyst for this particular change? The Aquarius Records documentary, It came from Aquarius Records. For those that don't know, this was one of the greatest record stores in the United States. A record store I would sometimes frequent either in person (when I lived in the bay area) or via mail order. After seeing this documentary, I realized we had lost so much with the extinction of record store culture. To fully understand this, you will need to understand how important Aquarius Records once was (and I would argue still are).

Aquarius Records

Aquarius was founded in 1970 in the Mission District of San Francisco. It would remain in the Mission (though not the same space) until it closed in 2016. During this time, Aquarius would have several owners and each owner or owners would leave an imprint on the store and the music they specialized in.

I first started going to Aquarius (virtually or otherwise) in the early 2000s and I still remember my first visit there. I was in the Bay Area for work and went out of my way to visit the store. Which doesn't sound like much but this was before smart phones and the like. You either had a map or you printed out directions from mapquest. Then you had to deal with a foreign city and their arcane parking regulations (which way do I turn the wheels on a down sloped hill?). But eventually I arrived and I was overwhelmed. Where to start? So much stuff I had never seen or just read about. This was back in the day when it was a big deal to buy a record from a store in another country.

Now to get something clear, I was used to really good record stores and in fact, had an amazing one in Austin, TX - the great End of an Ear (successor to 33 Degrees). Which of course begs the question, wasn't your home grown record store filled with obscurities? Yes it was but Aquarius had different obscurities lol. Besides, at this time they were specializing in genres/artists that were new/just starting to appeal to me. Genres like Drone, New Weird America, Psych rock, noise rock, black metal and artists like Circle or the Jeweled Antler Collective.

Anyhow, I am standing in the store and where do I start? Easy – over the years Aquarius had introduced employee reviews that were on little note cards beneath or attached to the release. These cards were a collector's treasure map and they hardly ever led you astray. There were literally thousands of these reviews and so there was always something to find. For me, these reviews represented Aquarius and really the spirit of record store culture. They became a staple of their weekly mail order email and set them apart online. Ironically, the internet would bring doom to Aquarius (and most other stores) but at first it helped propel its mystic status.

So what was special about these reviews? First they were handwritten (later transcribed for the weekly email) and they were deeply personal. Not to mention the fact that they brought obscure releases and genres into the light. So what do I mean by personal? They were not written to sell the release – they were written to explain the sonic experience in words. Which also means that the reviews weren't always positive but they were honest. In a lot of ways, these reviews were like having a big brother who could guide you through an unfamiliar musical landscape.

I know I am not doing it justice but this was an important store and experimental music owes a debt of gratitude as it does to all the record stores that have championed its sound over the years (stores like End of an Ear, Amoeba and Other Music (RIP)). Record stores help set the tone for collectors and artists alike. I know I owe a debt to Dan at End of the Year. His recommendations and friendship proved to be the foundations of my musical tastes today. So it is easy to see, without stores like these, artists/genres would be ignored, and people would be stuck in their musical echo chambers.

How did it do this? Because of the people – it was the personal touch, a sense of belonging and the odd friendship here or there. Even record stores known to be intimidating mattered; it was almost a badge of honor dealing with some of the record employee types (Bill's records comes to mind). Unfortunately, not every town had stores like Aquarius but the early internet helped extend this culture to rural areas. I want to call this out because it is important we don't blame technology on what happened to this culture — it was how the technology was used and how it was exploited.

The Past again

Before we get into exploitation, lets revisit the early MP3 scene. First and foremost MP3s gained popularity because of piracy. Before you get out your pitchforks, I am not saying piracy is bad. I personally believe that piracy has resulted in purchasing and following bands/labels that I would not have discovered before. However, I do not know how true that is for everyone. And for any younger readers out there (like I have readers lol), this was before streaming and monetization was just starting to happen. Outside of piracy, a lot of the early MP3 sharing were people's personal projects, bands etc. In fact, the original MP3.com was about democratizing the music industry. No need for a label, distribution etc. I still remember finding it weird people would buy music on iTunes – as I did not see it as another replacement musical medium (like how CDs replaced LPs). Instead I saw it as a supplement – a way to expand what I could hear, discover and physically purchase.

Eventually, I saw the need for monetization and how it was going to be the next medium (this became in focus as the quality increased). Worth noting that I am using MP3 as a generic term for digital music – at this point, lossless compression formats are more the medium than MP3. Regardless, I still greatly believed in the democratization that the digital medium offered. However, the capitalists did not and tore it down. In its place, they stood up the digital equivalent of the old model but this time, they would rip off the artists even more while increasing the number of their customers (all while delivering less). The counterpoint is that the democratization collapsed upon itself. Without the gatekeepers, too much fodder was pushed out and that devalued the medium and the art. Even if this is partially true, the system set in place has gone far beyond ensuring true art (whatever the hell that means) is supported/heard. This system is only interested in maximization of profits for the gatekeepers.

The Past again

Which now brings us back to 2016. As I mentioned, I was resistant to falling into all you can eat streaming music – trying to hold on to the "old" ways. But I felt internal pressure around cost (I always felt like I was spending too much money and that the expense was unwarranted), time (I took on a high pressure job with three small kids and did not manage it well) and lastly space (LPs and CDs take a lot of room and when you are just converting them to digital, it makes even less sense).

And so, I jumped head first into streaming and at first it was good. I still bought the occasional release but 95% of my music came from amazon music. Immediately it felt right – I had unlimited access to most new music I would want and could take chances while having access to a older/nostalgic music. Sounds like a win win and it would have been but the algorithm had other ideas.

The Algorithm Life

Despite what the CEO of Spotify will tell you, the algorithm has no interest in music discovery or a greater appreciation of music. Instead, it is only interested in maximization of profit. As such, it will direct you to the music it wants you to hear because it is better financially for the service. Take this article as an example of this. It honestly could care less about your musical passions, interests or needs. Much like social media, you are the product and you will be exploited as far as they possibly can. Maybe at some point it was different but not now.

So what does this look like in practice? The same type of music is pushed to you over and over again and recommendations are safe/geared toward ensuring you will listen to that stream. Perhaps the biggest crime is nostalgia and the relentless push of familiar music. Ensuring you are in musical echo chamber and the service is efficiently exploiting you. In the end, your collection will get smaller (despite all the musical adds), harder to organize, and ultimately your passion will be squashed. You will continue using the service unsatisfied but you won't be conscious of it.

I would be lying if I said there weren't any good things about streaming. Remember its not the technology but how the capitalists chose to wield it. I did discover some great bands (most notably The Idles – who have been life changing) but then I started to notice that I felt stagnate (musically speaking) and that the pleasure I once received wasn't there. This was something I did not understand - I mean, I had access to an infinite amount of music and there was plenty of discovery (or so I thought). I was fully immersed in the algorithm life. A life in which my passions and interests were being dictated/pushed on me. I stayed on this train until 2024.

The Now again

In 2024, I experienced depression like I had never before. It has been bad in 2023 but this was something entirely new. With that became the need to combat the depression; one of the first things I did was to try and rediscover/reclaim what gave me pleasure, contentment and a positive focus. Music was the number one answer but it required me to confront why I was not receiving this already.

Upon examination, I was able to see in between the lines. I saw how it was an illusion of choice and how the algorithm wasn't really recommending anything new. Sure it seemed liked it was but it was taking no chances. How could it? It needed me to listen and stay engaged. God forbid, I discover something outside of the service/rejected its recommendations. Better to be safe. I then thought about when I wasn't streaming and what music/discovery felt like. I then compared the kind of excitement and mind expansion that self directed discovery brought me and compared it to this "better world". There was no contest – the "better world" was hollow at best.

The Now: Changing things up

So if I was going to reclaim that joy (full or partially) it would require change and commitment. IE walk the walk and talk the talk and this is what that looks like:

• Provide direct (or as close to direct) monetary support
  • Purchase subscriptions to newsletters, sites that provide community and discovery
  • Purchase music - whether digitally or physically. Streaming is a tool to supplement and inform. It is not a replacement and if you find something that you have to have via streaming, buy it.
    • Purchase music whenever possible via independent sources and when not possible, purchase via retailers who have made some attempt to be fair.
• This one is difficult and there will be disagreements about which retailers are fair or not. Bandcamp being a good example of that. My answer is simply, nothing is perfect but it is better than Spotify etc
• Provide support via concert tickets, merch, patreon, pre-sales and other alternative methods.
• Budgets matter. Be smart and remember you can‘t buy everything (and that’s actually a good thing)
• Frequent your local establishments that help keep your passion alive.
  • Record stores, venues etc
• Revisit past communities, artists, genres that you followed or were interested in at one time. See where things are today and also discover the artists who were influenced by these past musical interests. The growth and evolution is often surprising
• Listen to the music you own and make sure you revisit past purchases. You will be surprised by how your perspectives have changed. Music once foreign, now makes sense and with experience, a new understanding of past sounds (and lyrics when present) may occur.
  • Incorporate music into your life – when possible and appropriate have something playing
    • A note about this: Find the easiest way to do this and IMHO, physical media should not be the primary way due to practicality (definitely a secondary source though, especially when it comes to experiencing vinyl (pretentious, I know)). For me, this was setting up my own plex server and using plexamp/various connectors (Sonos, WiiM, Airplay, Bluetooth).
• Seek out new music. Do not rely on the algorithm to push content to you. Explore your curiosities and ignore the AI summaries/suggestions. Read books/articles, listen to podcasts and watch documentaries. Find the things that feed your passion and give it meaning.
• Step outside of your comfort zones and explore new genres - even genres you traditionally have not liked.
• Finally, don't feel like you have to do all of this — just do what you can.

The Now: Present

This change in approach has been going on for a few months and it has been more successful than I could have imagined. I am excited by music again, I am actively seeking it out, I want to go to concerts, I am writing a music blog and starting to tinker (slowly) with making music again. Beyond that, this passion is helping me find my path out of depression and once again showing me how wondrous life can be.

We are a species built for destruction but art gives us hope this can change – that we also have the ability to create. However, this is being co-opted by the algorithm and it causing things to stall/become stagnant. AI will only make this worse unless those who are passionate about music/art resist the path of convenience and keep the faith. As hope will continue to grow and will eventually infect the populace that has been led astray.

Epilogue or that escalated quickly

The last paragraph above could be interpreted as a conspiracy theory but it is more banal than that. There was no concerted effort by a mysterious cabal to destroy music/art in order to control society (though that is an effective tool). Instead it is unchecked capitalism. This is capitalism without ethics and it is a meme at this point but just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Simply put, capitalism/greed doesn't care about the destruction of democracies or the arts – it only cares about the bottom line and how much of the pie you get. So we must hope that music and the arts can make us brave enough to re-examine capitalism and democracy in a greed fueled world.

Photo by Daniel De Los Santos, Athens, Greece