Personalized streaming makes listeners feel understood until it starts to feel predictable. I examine how content-based and collaborative filtering systems, designed to deepen engagement, quietly narrow musical taste over time by rewarding familiarity over discovery. These algorithms create self-reinforcing feedback loops that reduce serendipity and turn active listeners into passive consumers - a shift with real business consequences. Passive "lean-back" listeners don't buy tickets or merch; they don't become lifelong fans. I explore the rise of "algorithm A&Rs" replacing human intuition with data, the business cost of passive consumption, and the cultural risk of optimizing for engagement metrics over genuine connection. Spotify's personalization works almost too well: users feel understood, engagement spikes, but something crucial disappears. In the pursuit of comfort, streaming risks losing what makes music matter - the surprise of discovering something you didn't expect to love.
Phil Conil - Berklee College of Music