Beyond the Algorithm: Takeaways from the Athens Music Week Panel
Last week, we had the chance to organize and participate in a panel at Athens Music Week titled Beyond the Algorithm – Curators, Collectors & Community.
The discussion touched on a question we have been pondering:
What happens when the tools we use to listen to music are designed primarily to maximise engagement rather than help us build a deeper relationship with music?
This post aims to capture some of the thoughts and insights gained through our discussion.
Great music discovery still starts with people
As DJs, collectors, and music nerds, our goal has never been to play only what everyone already knows.
The real thrill is finding and playing out tunes that make people wonder, ‘What‘s this??’
The process is still the same, only the tools and platforms change.
You gotta stay relevant with what’s being released, what other people play and still dig deeper to unearth tracks that need to be out there more and resonate with your sound.
Most of the digging is still through people we trust – record stores, friends in the past; browsing Bandcamp purchase lists now (we all agreed this is one of the best new ways).
A nice trick is to start from an under-appreciated track you love and look at what else people who bought it are listening to.
The problem is not access
Today we have access to almost everything. That’s not the problem.
The problem is that the overall experience offered by most platforms is designed to keep us engaged, not necessarily to help us discover music that matters.
There is a big difference. The more passive we become, the easier it is for good music to get buried.
Young people are still building music communities
One interesting point raised during the panel was that many younger listeners are forming private communities to share music in places like Discord and even Roblox.
Again, platforms and tools change, but it seems like behaviour stays the same.
People still want to discover music through other people they trust.
AI lowers the bar, but will make taste even more important
AI will make it trivial to generate music, playlists, and content. That does not mean it will create more work that resonates with people. Human connection is what drives passion for music.
When content becomes abundant, taste becomes more valuable. The same way fast fashion did not eliminate craftsmanship, AI will not eliminate the need for distinctive curatorial voices.
What can we do?
A few simple things:
- Use streaming as a discovery tool, not as your entire relationship with music.
- Buy music directly from artists and labels on Bandcamp, Subvert and direct-to-artist platforms.
- Go to concerts, especially of independent artists. Buy merch.
- Follow and appreciate curators whose taste you trust.
- Build your own personal collection – if a record really matters to you, own it.
And more broadly: use technology with agency and purpose.
This touches on one of the reasons we started building Crates: to help people become less dependent on massive platforms and build a deeper relationship with music, while giving tastemakers a more central role in discovery.