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.

[Skater8100]

This really wouldn't be that hard... Can you give me a job? I can fix it in a day. This issue feels like our current Presidential situation. Like, really?!!

[mosch]

Since this is an issue for quite some time, someone could get the feeling that spotify does just do not want to implement it for some reason we could not think of and they could not tell us!

[ehudson7]

I am rather new to my premium subscription.   Whatever  "shuffle" or "random" feature Spotify uses seems awful to me so far. I listen almost all day at work in an environment where I can't be messing around with my phone very much. Would LOVE to be able to select a playlist, hit shuffle, and let it play without having to listen to the same songs over and over. For example, in an 8 hour shift listening to a 22 hour Playlist, it is extremely frustrating when I hear on average roughly 25-30 songs twice and roughly 5-10 songs three times. I don't understand how this benefits anyone. If someone likes a song so much that they want to listen to it over and over, they can put it on repeat. I feel like every shuffle function I've ever used elsewhere, plays each song once and then ends. Without playing a single song twice. 

[3mon]

It is certainly not random, and lately i have started noticing a clear pattern.

In a huge playlist of artists and albums, it seems to prefer in this order:

-Popular songs of the artist in the SAME ALBUM that is playing.

-Popular songs by the same artist in general.

-Popular songs by related artists


I am fairly certain that there is a selection algorythm based on things like these. And said algorythm is fundamentally the opposite of what shuffle should be (imho) What i am complaining about is that if i hit random, i want RANDOM, not "same album", not "related artist", no logic..... just effing real random playing over my list of thousands of songs. If i hit shuffle and only hear Nas, for instance, whats the point???

Shameful, really...

[3mon]

It is certainly not random, and lately i have started noticing a clear pattern.

In a huge playlist of artists and albums, it seems to prefer in this order:

-Popular songs of the artist in the SAME ALBUM that is playing.

-Popular songs by the same artist in general.

-Popular songs by related artists


I am fairly certain that there is a selection algorythm based on things like these. And said algorythm is fundamentally the opposite of what shuffle should be (imho) What i am complaining about is that if i hit random, i want RANDOM, not "same album", not "related artist", no logic..... just effing real random playing over my list of thousands of songs. If i hit shuffle and only hear Nas, for instance, whats the point???

Shameful, really...

[katiesuer]

I have a playlist that I work out to that includes mostly hip hop, but also 4 rock songs by the same artist. Every. Single. Time. I listen to this playlist on shuffle, it saves those 4 rock songs for the very end and plays them in the  order they are in my playlist. The rest of the songs get shuffled right away. This is seriously so annoying as I'd like to have those songs mixed in.

Also, sometimes with the iPhone app it says it's on shuffle, but it's really not and I have to restart the app.

Unrelated note, PLEASE get Beyonce's Lemonade album.

[LeoJLeBrut]

I've recently heard from Spotify on this problem, which I'll summarize here: 1) We know it's a problem, 2) We've fixed on the desktop and are working on it for other devices, and 3) We can't say when it will be released for the other devices.  In addition they provided me with a link to a page that attempts to explain what the problems are and why it is, in large part, due to a problem with user perception. I'll include the text of the emails below.

Here is the link that they sent:  https://labs.spotify.com/2014/02/28/how-to-shuffle-songs/

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Here is the first email response

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Hello Joel,

Thanks for getting in touch. We understand that our shuffle mode isn't performing well.

Right now, the right folks at Spotify are working to improve the Shuffle Play function. Unfortunately, we're unable to provide an exact time frame as to when the changes would be made.

We'd like you to check out this link if you haven't already. It can better explain how our Shuffle Play works and what can cause the songs to repeat, even though they shouldn't.

We appreciate your feedback and apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

All the best,

Gio

Spotify Customer Support

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I pressed the issue further on the release dates (I even asked if they could say when it wouldn't be ready, like a no-sooner-than date) and also with the blaming the users and got this response

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Hello Joel,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Regarding the article, it's the best explanation we have regarding the feature and why it acts the way it does. Though we understand where you're coming from, we did not mean for it to pass the buck in anyway.

The right folks who work on changes to our app are continuously working to get the Shuffle Play improved along with other Spotify functions. This can take time. Were unable to provide exact or estimated time frames to their progress, but as soon as we've got something to announce, we'll let everyone know on the Spotify blog.

We've also made sure our higher ups made more aware of the situation. Community feedback is one of our top priorities. Unfortunately, we do not have a dedicated telephone support service yet.

We appreciate your honesty and patient feedback regarding this issue. For now, we offer our sincerest apologies for the on going situation and for our shortcomings with the response.

Meanwhile, if you need any further help or have any more questions, don’t hesitate to get back in touch. We’re here for you.

All the best,

Gio

Spotify Customer Support

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All in all, this is unsatisfying -- especially as a premium customer.

[SeanT]

The link to their explanation is dated "February 28, 2014", they also say "Community feedback is one of our top priorities", if this is really the case then why has nothing been done about it in almost 3 years?
And the first response you got is exactly the same response i got when i contacted them. 

[SeanT]

The link to their explanation is dated "February 28, 2014", they also say "Community feedback is one of our top priorities", if this is really the case then why has nothing been done about it in almost 3 years?
And the first response you got is exactly the same response i got when i contacted them. 

[SeanT]

The link to their explanation is dated "February 28, 2014", they also say "Community feedback is one of our top priorities", if this is really the case then why has nothing been done about it in almost 3 years?
And the first response you got is exactly the same response i got when i contacted them.