Implement an actual shuffle function

[RoninTheOrigina]

Yes, you read that right.  The "shuffle" function in Spotify is nothing more than a randomizer.  There's a difference?  YES.

RANDOM - Play one song.  The next song can be ANY song in your playlist.  Including the one you just listened to.  Though I've never had this specifically happen, I literally just heard the same song that I heard 2 songs ago.  This is how Spotify's "shuffle" currently functions.

SHUFFLE - Take your entire list, shuffle them (like cards), and play the first song in the shuffle.  Once finished, move that song off the pile.  Once the pile is depleted, shuffle the deck again and start over (maybe pop a message up).

I know enough about programming (not much) to know that shuffling is probably a bit harder than random, but come on.  I may be in the minority, but I don't have a lot of little playlists.  I have one list with nearly a thousand songs in it, because I like all the music, and am rarely not in the mood for one of those songs.  But what I can't stand is hearing the same song over and over again.  I think there may even be songs in my list I haven't heard yet, while I've heard others 4-5 times.

I know it may not matter much, but I would probably lay down the money for at least a year subscription if this feature was implemented.

EDIT: Another user pointed out that I can see what all is queued up in my shuffle by clicking the Play Queue link, and that Spotify supposedly sets up a rolling shuffle of 50 songs.  It would be nice if this range could be expanded to say 50-100% of your playlist.

EDIT 4/6/12: I just dealt with the same song 16 tracks later.  The song played the first time yesterday afternoon.  I went home, listened for a bit on my home PC (just a few songs), then started listening again this morning.  If the list recycles itself after a day, or if you log in from another computer, I see that as an area for improvement.

[wmerson1971]

I've used the shuffle function since I first installed Spotify, and for some reason, the more songs I add, the more songs it repeats.  Never mind trying to do an "intelligent algorithm" , just randomize all songs when requested.

[rednblu]

[I make this stubPost as a "programming fix" for a posting bug in this "whiteWash" Lithium interface.]

[rednblu]

@wmerson1971 said wisely-- "just randomize all songs when requested."

That is exactly >> what I get << from using the method of @Tobraham's >> true Spotify Shuffler-- << until Spotify somehow pulled the rug out from under @Tobraham's edifice.  I don't know the particulars . . . .

By using the method that @Tobraham showed to us, I get zero repeats in any 30 day period-- except for the "Requested repeats" that I deliberately insert to my Play queue.

Plus, @Tobraham's solution shows Spotify how to make a simple "programming fix" to the flawed and dysfunctional 10,000 track limit on "Your music".

[caryholt]

i agree with the shuffle repeating songs  it does not happen offten to me but my spotify when i shuffle play all songs it tends to play only the music ive been listening to recently in the last few days. i use spotify all day every day and would love if i could pick shuffle all and have it actually shuffle through all of my music not just recently played or getting stuck on a few bands

[rednblu]

[I make this stubPost as a "programming fix" to the posting bug in this "whitewash" Litium interface]

(laughing)

Has anybody figured out how to *Revert to the previous fully functional Litium interface?

[rednblu]

Yes! Of course!

's/Litium/Lithium/g'

(I laugh)

-- Just another 80% of the functionality-- [the Edit of comment]-- that "was forbidden" to us with the "imposition" of this trash of a "whitewash" Lithium interface

-- But (quickly correcting the mistake in "hearing") -- Please don't "correct" or "adjust" or whatever you want to call it this hopeless "whitewash" Lithium interface.  Revert to the previous fully functional 06/12/2016 Lithium interface, please.  And thanks.

[wmerson1971]

I get the "Algorythem" approach...  I think most of us have a vast library , and maybe we may not want to hear something hard rock followed by jazz....  I get that...  I love Spotify and refuse to move to anything else,  but some times I just want to suffle everything, regardless of the beats per minute or whatever patttern it searches for.  Don't complicate an easy function.  If I don't like it, i'll skip it.

[duderino666]

Is this ever going to be fixed? I'm not paying for a software that's not even able to randomize a couple hundred songs.

[Viidakkopartio]

It really can't be that hard as even "ancient" WinAMP could do it since the beginning of the time.

As now you can sort playlist to name and date and performer etc. how about add one more sort or should I say unsort - "shuffle" and it shuffles the whole playlist and then you could just play it from the top to the bottom. Repeat it or shuffle again.

Unsort algorithm would have to run just once and shuffle the playlist. No need to randomize or reshuffle in between unless user wants to reshuffle whole playlist.

[byrne87]

The randomisation on my playlist is really poor. Some songs have never been shuffled to, while others I hear more than once in a day. 

It would be excellent if work was put into making the randomisation of 'Your music' songs more random and including the whole playlist.