As a musician and record collector, I was never comfortable with the idea of an algorithm suggesting new music. As it turns out, I was too quick to judge—I’m now happy to let AI DJs take charge.
AI DJs Offer an Almost Limitless Variety
AI DJs are music discovery tools that provide recommendations and curate playlists that reflect our tastes based on search history, habits, and interaction with streaming services. They not only help artists by introducing them to a broader listener base that is likely to appreciate their music, but they also help subscribers by expanding our musical repertoire.
Most major music streaming services have over 100 million songs in their libraries, encompassing countless eras, cultural influences, and genres, most of which exist outside my radar. AI DJs analyze their databases to curate personalized playlists that often surprise me by being attuned to my musical preferences without necessarily conforming to the genres I habitually listen to. It removes me from my comfort zone and encourages new listening habits. The more I engage with the algorithm, the more diverse my musical journey becomes.
AI DJs Are Convenient and Save Time
Imagine your streaming service’s virtual record library occupying an actual store with physical products. It would be vast and would take forever to navigate. Even scanning a streaming service’s UI for new music can be tedious and time-consuming. AI DJs take a lot of the work out of discovering music, especially if I’m hoping to listen to something new on the fly.
There are also occasions, such as when I’m driving or exercising, when browsing music is highly inconvenient or possibly dangerous. In these instances, my AI DJ comes into its own as a virtual companion that helps me focus on the job at hand while providing background entertainment.
AI DJs Offer Personalized Playlists
The customization offered by AI DJs evolves quicker than my personal tastes and preferences. Their algorithms work with multiple data points, including my favorite genres, listening history, and even the time of day. As I skip tracks, repeat tracks, or add songs to playlists, the algorithm changes its behavior.
While the algorithm refines its results based on my habits and assesses my preferred genres and frames of mind, the AI DJ constructs playlists that uniquely resonate with me. Instead of albums that span various moods and styles, my virtual assistant works behind the scenes to compile cohesive and stylistically similar playlists using assorted tracks in real-time.
AI DJs Give Quality Recommendations
In addition to providing playlists based on my listening habits, an AI DJ presents recommendations using advanced data analysis. By identifying artists who align with my listening trends, AI DJs introduce me to many artists who would have otherwise gone unnoticed, especially those who don’t belong to the more commercially popular genres.
Suddenly, my music collection features Brazilian funk, Cuban bossa nova, Philadelphia soul, classic disco on obscure record labels, and many more interesting genres from diverse locations and in various languages. I am inspired to create playlists based on what I’m hearing, further fueling the algorithm’s accuracy. I have accounts with both Apple Music and Spotify, and while they differ in how they create recommendations, I have enjoyed nurturing their algorithms to provide me with new and interesting suggestions.
AI DJs Draw From Constantly Updated Content
As I reached my thirties, I realized it was much harder to keep my finger on the pulse of what was new and exciting on the music scene. My work and home life intervened, and I simply didn’t have time to keep up with what was current. Thankfully, technology has come to the rescue, and AI DJs help me stay ahead of the game with new releases, as their libraries are constantly updated with fresh content.
While I don’t enjoy most commercial chart music, I still regularly discover new artists’ music, which is often diverse and unique, thanks to my tailored recommendations and curated playlists. Music discovery on this scale would have been unthinkable before streaming algorithms when I mostly found new music via word of mouth.
It’s hard not to feel that AI is quietly stripping away our identities as it increasingly influences the world around us, including how AI influences music creation. However, I believe it is a valuable tool to help influence our decisions. An AI DJ may, on the face of it, sound like selling your soul, but it will save you time and energy, introduce you to new artists, and ultimately become a virtual mirror of your musical identity.
