Search is getting usless

[RIPears]

Spotify has taken control out of the hands of users when it comes to the search function, which now seems to prioritise what the app ‘thinks’ you want (based on popularity), more than what you actually state you want.

As unpopular as it might be, I’m into exploring classical music. I’ve used Spotify for nearly ten years to discover a wealth of music. But in the last couple of years I’ve lost the ability to search for particular

works from a composer with any precision.

for example, I’m searching for a recording of the composer Holst’s entitled ‘Hyms from the Rig Veda’ and, despite typing ‘Holst - hymns from the rig Veda’ in search, it doesn’t even show up (at all!) in the ‘album’ results. Instead, Spotify gives me a wealth of recordings of Holst’a ‘Planets’, which is much more popular- and even irrelevant recordings from other composers above what I’ve actually searched for. Indeed, like I’ve said, the album doesn’t appear in the “album” search results, despite having typed the title of the album. 

This is extremely frustrating, and even a bit insulting, as it seems to holding listeners to what is ‘popular’ more and more. Screen shots attached- showing irrelevant results and a screenshot of the album (which search doesn’t find) so you can see the title exactly matches what I search for, despite search being useless.

If Spotify wants to keep its algorithm prioritising popularity over search ability, it should introduce an advanced search function. 

[andreacochran]

I have been begging for a better search situation for over a year. I hear ya!

[TheOwnLeeWon]

Call me old-fashioned, but when I search for a song, album, or artist on Spotify, I expect the app to give me a result either exactly matching my query, or as closely matching it as possible.

Spelling and typing errors happen, and sometimes the nice ai features have to feed us a result that's not exactly what we searched for, because we wrote too fast, or don't know how to spell a name or word, that's fine by me.

But when I search directly for a song named "Thor and the Cat", I expect Spotify services to run that line through their database, and give me any results it gets, to show my any and all songs named "Thor and the Cat", and I of course also expect it to look for "Thor and his cat", "Thor and his Cot", "Thor the Cat" and similar fun little adjustsments it can get away with.
I even expect it to offer me a few songs named something with Thor's Hammer or similar, I don't mind that.

Unfortunately, what happens when I search for "Thor and the Cat" on Spotify desktop app, I get this result:

Three songs I already have on playlists (one of them so nice it was listed twice), and a song by an artist I like but it doesn't have anything to do with what I searched for. Even scrolling down further, the song I'm searching for, isn't there. 

You'll forgive me for making assumptions again, but I will wager most people would make the same assumption at this point: This song is simply not on Spotify, how unfortunate. That happens, and I would accept that. IF IT WERE TRUE.

Because I happen to have listened to that song on Spotify before. 5 minutes ago in fact, and if I painstakingly search for the album (Valhalla) and scroll down the list of songs, wouldn't you know it, there it is, the song matching the exact search I made.

It IS on Spotify, but the search function doesn't offer it to me. Isn't that EXACTLY what the search function is supposed to do? I understand the holy algorithm, and pushing music we don't listen to or asked for onto us for advertising money and listening numbers, but not even bothering to actually look for what I searched for is wild.

How many songs and artists have I searched for wanting to listen to them, and Spotify has completely disregarded my search, tried to feed me something not remotely similar, and I've been led to believe that what I wanted simply isn't on Spotify at all?
If I hadn't noticed that Spotify isn't giving me the results I ask for with a search, I would have just assumed that Spotify's library just doesn't have what I want, and as it continues to happen, I might end up terminating my premium service, because other services actually have what I'm looking for and want to listen to, but now that I know that Spotify actually DOES have some of the things I've been wanting to listen to, and have been forced to find elsewhere instead, I'm absolutely baffled.

This is actively detrimental to the platform, pretending it doesn't have things that it does. Imagine if a grocery store hid their milk when you came in asking where the milk is, but offering you a variety of energy drinks and some tampons instead. I'd go somewhere else for milk, and then eventually when I've been offered the wrong products for a while I'd just shop somewhere else for all my purchases. It's just weird to me. And useless, honestly.

[Philosopher115]

same thing here. search function is completely useless for this exact reason. sure, i can give the exact name of the song and the exact artist and the exact album, then it will give what im looking for. but if im searching keywords, or just the song title to find similar artists covers for it or just the song itself, useless. needs to be fixed asap, will be moving to another music host if this does not improve.

[andreacochran]

When is this going to get fixed??? There is literally no reason the search function should be so dreadful. Like how???? Are there sneaky goblins planning a prank on all your users? Or do the developers secretly want everyone to hate the app? Fix it asap because it makes y’all look like amateurs lol