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Spotify is a great way to discover music that you might enjoy, but its recommendations aren’t always on point. Here’s what I do to improve my Spotify recommendations so that the algorithm serves content I’m more likely to listen to.
1Excluding Certain Playlists From My Taste Profile
While I have playlists for different moods and scenarios, some are so specific that I don’t want them to impact my other recommendations. This is where the option to exclude something from your taste profile on Spotify comes in.
For example, when playing a PC puzzle game, I like to play lo-fi music in the background to help with the relaxing mood. But I don’t listen to lo-fi in general. The week I started doing this, Spotify started recommending lo-fi music across my Discover playlists and other recommended playlists. But excluding the lo-fi playlist from my taste profile sorted this out right away.
To exclude a playlist from your taste profile, right-click on the playlist in the web player and selectExclude from your taste profile.
If you’re using the mobile app, you will need to open the playlist, select thethree dots icon, and then selectExclude from your taste profile.
2Getting Rid of Recommendations From Certain Artists
Whatever your reason for not listening to a certain artist or band, it’s inconvenient when they show up in your generated playlists and recommended songs. But there’s a way to get rid of an artist or band’s songs completely.
To do this, go to the artist or band’s page. Select thethree dots iconbelow the band name and chooseDon’t play this artistfrom the options that appear. You use the same method on the web player and the mobile app.
3Hiding Songs I Don’t Like in My Recommendations
Unfortunately, the hide button is only available on the mobile app. But since Spotify seamlessly links between multiple devices, it’s easy to check your now playing list with your smartphone while listening to Spotify on your desktop. It’s one of thefeatures that keep me coming back to Spotify.
The hide button only appears in playlists like your Discover Playlists or in the queue that Spotify generates when your current playlist is finished—basically, it appears for recommended songs. To hide a song, click on the track that is playing and select the minus button.
Unfortunately the setting doesn’t seem to necessarily apply to all content generated from then on and some Spotify users report that the feature is glitchy. But it’s worth a try if specific songs keep showing up in your recommendations when you don’t want them to.
4Mindfully Working Through Discover Playlists
Spotify’s Discover playlists are a great way to find music that’s similar to what you’ve been listening to. But I’ve previously made the mistake of letting songs I don’t like play to completion, which leads to them being recommended again.
Now, when I listen to a Discover playlist, I verify to do so mindfully. If I hear a song I don’t like, I skip it. I also don’t leave my PC unattended while Spotify makes its way through the playlist. When I come across a song I like, I make sure to add it to one of my playlists.
5Keeping My Liked Songs Playlist Updated
I have a very specific music taste that changes over time. Sometimes I’ll enjoy a song, only to later grow tired of it. But if it sits on my Liked Songs playlist, it signals to Spotify that I’m interested in similar music.
Since Liked Songs build up over time (I have 116 liked songs currently), I make sure to keep my Liked Songs playlist updated. If I no longer like the song, or if I only want to listen to it when I’m in certain moods, I remove it from the playlist. You cancreate unique Spotify playliststo suit your different moods instead.
6Repeatedly Listening to Songs and Artists I Enjoy
There’s a reason I end up in the top 1% of listeners for my favorite artists when it comes to the yearly Spotify Wrapped summary. When I like certain songs, I listen to them repeatedly.
This signals to Spotify that I enjoy the artist and that it should recommend similar songs. It also means that the songs I enjoy the most show up in my Discover playlists too.
7Generating Playlists With the Song Radio Feature
Since my music taste spans various genres that often seem contradictory, I use the Song Radio feature to find more song recommendations that relate to a specific track that I enjoy.
For example, while I enjoy the flow of certain songs by Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar, I don’t listen to rap in general. So I’ll use the Song Radio feature to find songs that are specifically similar to the ones I enjoy.
To access this feature, right-click on a song and selectGo to song radio. On mobile, select the three-dot icon on a track and scroll down toGo to song radio.
This generates a playlist with similar tracks by different artists. While the feature is not perfect and sometimes swaps out songs while you’re listening to the playlist, it is a useful way to get better recommendations—especially for songs that fall outside of your usual genres. I make sure to listen to these playlists mindfully too, skipping what I don’t like and adding what I enjoy to specific playlists.
While there’s no way to truly reset your Spotify algorithm without creating a new account, these methods are a good way to improve your recommendations. They’ve worked for me and hopefully they work for you too.
