[All Platforms] Shuffle algorithm that favours "unpopular" songs

[fraktalisman]

As a paying Spotify premium customer, I need a shuffle algorithm different from the current, non-random shuffle that seems to favor "popular" songs, as has been pointed out by other customers who experimented with what is actually happening (see links to other posts below).

Currently there are only two possible ways to listen to music in playlists, either in the listed order, or shuffled by an algorithm that makes listeners miss out on about 20% to 30% of the songs in the list, favoring the ones that we already listened to hundreds or thousands of times.

I want to be able to choose another algorithm that does exactly the opposite: play songs in a pseudo-random order but leaving out the ones that already have been played frequently, and instead focusing on songs seldom listened to, in order to make me rediscover new songs and inspirations! This is even more important when listening to playlists made by other people, to help me discover new music.

The new algorithm could be called something like "serendipity shuffle" or "discover mode". This could be an option to activate in the user's settings, so the existing popularity shuffle would stay the default option.

In case a serendipity shuffle is too hard for you to implement, a simple randomized shuffle function would also be much better than the current one. This has already been pointed out in other posts in this forum.

See other posts in this community:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Shuffle-Is-Only-Going-Through-A-Handful-Of-Songs/idc...

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Please-stop-marking-shuffle-complaints-as-quot-not-a...

[Katerina]

Updated on 2020-01-07

Hello and thanks for bringing your feedback to the Idea Exchange. We've marked this as a new idea.

Spotify Staff will look into this idea once it reaches the necessary amount of votes. More information about how the Spotify Idea Exchange works can be found here.

[TripleDeckerPBJ]

I second this so much. I want shuffle to actually be shuffling any and all of the songs in a playlist. But instead, what I get is Spotify giving me the same exact artist (out of dozens and dozens) for 8 or more songs in a row.

I'd like to have different options of shuffle types at the very least. One of true, actually shuffle (just no repeats, but will play literally any song in actually random order - similar to Google play music I suppose), another of the "discover" mode that plays the least played songs in a playlist as mentioned by OP, and the current one that tends to play the same songs over and over again (if people like that).

[EmiPastor]

Hi as a premium user i realized that it would be great if you develop a RANDOM button (100% random without repieting any song until after some amount of songs for example is one idea) that only reproduces the artists that you follow (me in this case obviously jeje). I hope you hear this i think its a good idea ;)!

[Ppozniak]

I am glad more people are starting to notice issues with shuffle.

Sadly Spotify says everything is alright and refuses to do anything.

[Javierba]

This is been going on for ages in different threads but Spotify never cares. 

Maybe the new year brings them new forces to fix the problem 🤔

[rednblu]

In my opinion, a functional shuffle without any repeat in 9000 tracks contributes at least 90% of the value for all three of my active family accounts.

But the current Spotify shuffle works dependably for only about the first 50 tracks of play.

Especially, if you delete, add, or move the tracks in the playlist being shuffled, the current Spotify shuffle breaks unexpectedly by completely forgetting what tracks have played-- or by forgetting completely what playlist is supposed to be shuffled.

Using my friends' advice, I had to create my own basic shuffle, using the text randomizer at >> this link. <<  https://www.browserling.com/tools/random-lines

Sometimes, I use the randomizer in the Microsoft Excel product to get satisfactory results.

I voted for this "serendipity" kind of shuffle also-- to add to the already five different shuffles that my friends showed me how to do.

As a particular version of the "serendipity" kind of shuffle, from my friends' prototypes, I also created my own perpetually refreshed AllOfSpotify_Queue playlist that presents only tracks that have not played on any of my devices in the last 90 days.

[Jpgchief]

Love the idea I hope is implemented soon.  This is something that I'd defonitely use.

Cheers!!!

[ParentalControl]

Or a shuffle algorithm that you can set the preferences. Like have a popular song randomly paired with a unpopular every other song and alternate.

Strictly speaking if you had it favor all unpopular songs only the reverse horrible sideffect could happen. Never hearing your favorite songs ever again.

[wmerson1971]

Spotify staff does not need enough votes to look into this, this has been a longstanding issue with Spotify and the randomizing of songs.  I have over 2000 songs in my playlist, but for some reason, there are around 30 - 40 songs that get picked regularly in the shuffle option.  We need more shuffle options.

[Javierba]

Spotify is nobody cares!