blends showing exact same songs across different people

[chameo]

All the blends I've created with different people have the exact same songs contributed just in different orders and they don't reflect the taste match percentage. My song contributions with 59%, 77%, and 83% matches are all the same, and hardly any of them are shared between us. Instead of showing what we both listen to, it seems to be mostly showing everything that's different.

[Alex]

Hi there @chameo,

Thanks for the post.

The Blend playlists are automatically generated based on what both users are listening to. The algorithm won't always create a 50/50 playlist, as some of your songs and recommendations might overlap, and some might be very far from each other. It's all based on data that the app can gather about yours and your friend's listening activity. Some users don't necessarily follow all the artists they listen to or like their songs/ albums, which would result in those songs not showing up in Blends as often.

It is expected to see somewhat the same songs across Blends, as the algorithm picks the songs you've liked and listened to.

Hope this info clears things up.

[chameo]

Hi, thanks for your response!

So does that mean that even if we listen to a lot of the same types of songs, none of them might show up on the playlist? I admit I expected there to be more overlap. It doesn't seem to be tailored to each pair. Does the algorithm just pick up anything you've been listening to and contribute that for everyone instead of seeing what's in common with the other person?

[AlejaR]

Hey @chameo,

Thanks for your reply.

A blend is a playlist which combines the music you and other people in the Blend listen to. In that sense, you can see tracks in the blend you both listen to or that you both might like. Usually, you can see your profile image and the one of the other person in those songs. So, to answer your question, yes, the algorithm takes into account what you have in common 🙂 It looks like this:

The blend also includes songs you or the other person have listened to previously, and based on both your listening experiences is a match. These are the songs in which you see just your profile image or just the one of the other person in the blend. Since they could be compatible with what you or the other person have listened to and liked, they are there.

On another note, blends have Social recommendations. That being said, it's possible to see some tracks you both never listened to, but are recommended by the app based on your compatible listening experience and likes. You can read more about it in this article.

Keep in mind blends update daily. So, to make your blends more accurate through time, we suggest you both make sure the Private Session is off, so the algorithm can gather enough info about your most recent listening activity. Also, make sure you're listening to music not only from other recommended playlists like Discover Weekly or Daily Mix, but through the Search option as well.

We hope you found this helpful. We're always here to help.

[chameo]

Thanks for explaining!

Sorry, I'm just confused since all the songs added don't seem to be a match between us. In most blends, there were very few to no recommendations or song genres we both liked. There was a vast difference between what was added on my end and on their end. Most of my blends don't show any songs with both of our profiles, even if we are a relatively high match. In addition, the songs that were generated with my profile were the exact same songs that were generated for all my other blends even though my friends have different music tastes and the percentage matches vary.

I've never turned on the private session and I usually listen to music through search a lot, so I'm not sure why this is happening on my end. My friends have also commented that they expected to see more of the matching songs on the playlist and that it didn't reflect their current listening activity either.

I appreciate all the help though. Thank you!

[Lyubka · Accepted solution]

Hey @chameo,

Thanks for getting back to us! 

The algorithms have their own way, but we're sure that the more you and your friend listen to music, the better the matches and recommendations will be. It's also a good idea to expand your music library by following more artists. That way you'll give the algorithm a boost. Keep in mind that it might take up to a couple of weeks for the changes to take effect.

We are constantly working on making the algorithm better. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and we will make sure to pass it onto the right team, as Spotify always strives to improve your experience.

Cheers!

[8l3z57wj4kimdyy]

i have the same problem and i follow like 300 artists and listen to alot of different genres..

[user205]

Hi, quick question about the pfps next to each song in Spotify blend. Im assuming for the songs where both people's pfps show up it means they both listen to the song or spotify thinks they will both like it? What about the placement of the pfps - does the person who's pfp is on the left listen to the song more than the person on the right? Or vice versa. Just curious of the left/right placement has any significance to it.

I've noticed that in a playlist I have with a friend, my pfp nearly always shows up on the left side and theirs is on the right for the songs where both of our pfps are next to the song. Does this placement mean anything??

[tromaster]

Plan: Premium. Country: Chile. Device: Android x2, Roku x2, Windows, whatever. Not relevant.

I have a blend with a friend, and the same artists and songs come up daily. Supposedly the mix is updated every day (so it says), but the AI is giving us the same songs/artists day after after day. I have 580+ songs in my Favorites, plus plenty of other lists/radios in my library, but nevertheless only a tiny fraction of that music shows up in the blend. I guess something is wrong with the AI that puts together the blend.

The idea (as I see it) is to know new music (from your  partner), but that is not happening.

I read through some posts made a couple of years ago, and they complain about the same issue. So, Spotify, being a known issue/problem/bug, would you guys care to do something about it? Fix the algorithm, please.

I am paying for a good experience, not just for the music (which I have in FLAC on my PC anyway).