Local college radio and other small stations tend to be great. Sure the music won't be custom tailored by either "what past-you liked" or neural networks expressly designed to increase Sweden's internal revenue, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the experience of listening all the same. As an extra plus you're likely to get relevant information on local news and events too.
> Sure the music won't be custom tailored by ... neural networks expressly designed to increase Sweden's internal revenue
hilarious take! I have found that any perfect recommendation takes the joy out of music listening for me. I feel like the highs and lows of good vs. bad songs are taken away and then its just a constant stream of background music.
They're few and far between, but a good radio station make this a non-issue. KEXP in Seattle is phenomenal; I listed to them just as much as Spotify or my local collection.
You could, but it's basically an echo chamber of music. I know services offer discovery, but I often switch songs instantly, whereas if its on the radio, I'm forced to listen to it, and songs often grow on me.
I like my collection, but I want it to grow, and over the years my musical tastes have matured and changed as I've discovered and listened to more varieties of more genres.
Something I've explained to my kids is that you need to know what you don't like in order to better refine and describe what you do like - and this means listening to music that doesn't 'spark joy', because it's educational, and I care about my musical knowledge and journey. Listening to music selected by someone else allows that journey to continue and branch off into unexpected places.
