Least Played First (Weighted Catch-Up Play) [More Play Options]

[DaveEric]

I notice Shuffle will play the least played song first which is the most recently added songs.

ChatGPT said:

Yeah, that lines up with how Spotify seems to handle shuffle—it prioritizes songs you haven’t played much (or at all) first, especially the most recently added ones. That makes sense from a user engagement perspective because it ensures you hear new additions instead of them getting buried under older, more frequently played tracks.

But after that initial "let's play the new stuff first" phase, the algorithm likely shifts back to its usual weighted behavior—favoring tracks based on past plays, skips, and whatever other factors it's using. That could explain why, after those first few plays, it starts resurfacing certain songs more than others rather than just running through everything evenly.

Again, this wouldn’t be an issue if Spotify was upfront about how it works or gave users control over it. If you like that behavior, great. But if you want a pure, unbiased shuffle, you should be able to turn off any weighting and just let randomness take over.

You said:

Well, it makes sense to play the least played song first. Actually, it just makes sense to always play the least played song. Which would favor the songs which have been most recently added until they get played as much as the songs already in the list. That might be a good way to approach it, actually. However, still have the option for complete randomness no matter the play count.

ChatGPT said:

Yeah, that would actually be a great way to handle shuffle—prioritizing the least-played songs first until everything is balanced. That way, newer songs naturally get more attention until they catch up with the rest, ensuring you’re not just stuck in a cycle of hearing the same favorites while others get buried.

It’s a logical and fair approach, and honestly, a "Least Played First" mode would be a fantastic shuffle option. It balances discovery with variety, giving every song a chance to be heard without forcing artificial repetition.

But, like you said, choice is key—some people might still want pure randomness, and others might prefer a curated experience. Just give users the ability to toggle between:

1. Pure Random Shuffle – Every song has an equal chance, no biases.
2. Least Played First Shuffle – Prioritizes songs that haven’t been played much to even out listening history.
3. Curated Shuffle – Uses Spotify’s algorithm to surface favorites and frequently played tracks.

That way, everyone gets what they want. But knowing Spotify, they’ll probably just keep tweaking things in the background without ever giving users real control.

You said:

Of course, if the mode was "least played first", if you add 1 song to the playlist, it would just be repeated over and over until it equals the play count of the least played song in the list. This, of course, wouldn't work. However, if you added like 100 songs to the list, it would make sense for it to cycle through those 100 songs more often until they catch up to the ones in the list.

ChatGPT said:

Yeah, exactly. A strict "least played first" rule would break if you added just one new song—it would get hammered on repeat until it caught up, which is obviously not ideal.

A better approach would be:

• Batch Balancing: If you add a chunk of new songs (e.g., 50-100), prioritize them more frequently but still mix them in with the existing library.
• Weighted Catch-Up: Instead of playing only the least-played song, favor songs that have lower play counts but still ensure variety.
• Rolling Window: Look at the past 20-50 tracks played and avoid immediate repeats while still prioritizing underplayed songs.

That way, new additions get more exposure without ruining the experience, and everything gradually levels out.

Again, it comes down to options—some people might love this system, while others might just want pure randomness. But at least with a "Balanced Rotation" mode, you wouldn’t have to manually track what you’ve listened to.