Musica Analytica: The Datafication of Listening

Abstract

In this chapter, Robert Prey explores what he calls the datafication of listening. On contemporary music streaming services, every song we listen to, every song we skip, every thumb up or thumb down, is tracked and fed into an algorithm. Prey provides a detailed description of how data is collected and used to personalise the listening and advertising experience at two leading streaming platforms, Spotify and Pandora Internet Radio. ‘Musica Analytica: The Datafication of Listening’ concludes by discussing some of the broader social implications of this transformation in music consumption.