‘AI playlist curation is harming UK festivals – here’s how we can fight back’

Rear view of woman with hands raised dancing at music concert during sunset — A long weekend spent camping and listening to music with your friends is a major appeal of festivals – but it seems to be lost (Picture: Getty)

The UK is famous for its music festivals.

Hundreds of thousands attend festival giant Glastonbury every year while newer events like All Points East have become calendar events in London.

But since 2019, 192 music festivals across the UK have disappeared. Last year alone, 60 festivals were cancelled or postponed.

What’s to blame? For Will Page, the former Chief Economist of Spotify, and Nico Perez, CEO of Mixcloud, it’s artificial intelligence.

Specifically, AI curation of playlists.

If you have Spotify, you’ve already seen AI at work on a popular music platform. Those ‘daily mixes’ and the personal DJ are forms of the technology at work, catering to users’ every need.

But just how far will AI go in the music world – and could it be the death blow to music festivals?

At SXSW London, Will and Nico sat down to chat about how AI has reshaped how we discover, personalise and consume music.

‘A playlist made for someone else’

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Glastonbury Festival 2023 - Day 5 — More attendees are opting for day passes, rather than spending the whole weekend (Picture: Jim Dyson)

There are a number of reasons why festivals have faced hardship in the past few years.

A pandemic, inflation, the cost-of-living, and what Will and Nico call a lack of connection.

Will pointed out: ‘I’m not seeing any ‘sold out’ stickers on festival posters in May, like they normally are.

‘Our music ‘Venn diagrams’ are not crossing. When you look at a festival lineup now, to many, it looks like a playlist made for someone else.’

In recent years, many festival-goers have opted to buy one-day tickets to see one or two artists they care about – a sharp contrast from festival culture just ten or fifteen years ago.

‘No one wants to take a risk on day two or three. We don’t take risks anymore when it comes to music,’ Will added.

How can we fight back against this lack of risk-taking, which is, as Nico and Will point out, threatening festivals?

Nico observed: ‘I always say, nobody will wait in line for an AI DJ in the rain.’

‘We have to remember it’s important not to seek those million subscribers, or a large number. There’s been such a focus on views and ratings, and in that process, we’ve lost sight of – are these quality artists?’

‘Form small communities. Stay connected with people. Oftentimes, these are focused around local radio stations or local music,’ Will said.

Personalisation turning into an echo chamber

spotify ai playlists, the AI DJ — Spotify AI is a great option for listening, but is often an ‘echo chamber’ (Picture: Spotify)

Personalised playlists using AI offer a wide selection of genres, artists and decades – but they’re not foolproof when it comes to expanding one’s horizons.

A quick look at Metro reporter Sarah Hooper’s Spotify, when she asked it to make a ‘Rainy Day’ AI playlist, offered 50 songs.

When she asked for a ‘Love Song’ mix, the same songs and artists on the ‘Rainy Day’ playlist were featured – again. With a noticeable lack of new music.

Nico explained: ‘What you’ll often find with these AI recommendations is that there’s a lack of serendipity that you lose in the process.’