As a non-Spotify user, I’m sort of surprised this wasn’t a thing already, but apparently the Stockholm-based streaming service was so caught up in perfecting algorithms and dealing with the devilish wrath of an increasingly powerful Swift monster that they forgot to develop something that should conceivably put an appreciative smile on most artists’ faces. Presumably, the revenue dent isn’t quite as serious as the company’s never-ending struggle to deliver on royalty demands, and music-lovers everywhere now have an additional reason to stay warm and cozy inside a single app; Spotify just rolled out concert recommendations. They depend on your listening habits, and as those evolve over time, so do the upcoming shows that the app highlights.
The feature formally goes by the name “Concerts,” and in addition to following your perceived taste in music, users also have the ability to change locations on the fly in order to check out recommended events elsewhere or if you’re traveling. Songkick reportedly helped out with the feature’s development, and I’m betting it’s a bit better than what last.fm has been offering, since their recs depend on users entering events into the system. Who knows what you might be missing!
Then there’s the relatively popular (and more obvious competitor) Bandsintown, which can actually pull your “taste” from a variety of sources. Is switching apps worth the finger effort, though?
