The New Spotify Technology Turns Your Listening Data Into Prediction Algorithm for New Artists

The music streaming company Spotify has come up with a novel solution to this problem with its patented A&R system. In an article published by Music Business Weekly, Spotify claims to have developed A&R technology that predicts the success levels of “relatively unknown” musicians who “are likely to break” in the near future.

They have devised a “system and method for breaking artist prediction in a media content environment,” according to their patent, which was granted on Tuesday (March 1, 2022). Based on the listening patterns from its user data, the patent’s prediction logic can forecast future breaking artists based on additional playback requests from an early adopter who interacts with their media device via the software application, as explained in the patent’s description.

Any user who falls into the category of early adopters would be completely unaware that they are actually part of Spotify’s new A&R process – computers have completely taken over our perception of reality.

This technology, on the other hand, is nothing new. Instrumental, which was acquired by Warner Music, Meddling, which was employed by Republic Records, and Interscope have all been involved in the talent discovery process.

For record labels, this might represent the beginning of a new era in which new dynamics between artists, labels, and streaming services are introduced. Labels are able to sign an artist early as a result of this data collection, and they may push marketing and promotional efforts in the appropriate direction as a result of these forecasts.