Music recommendations need heart - not AI

In this week's newsletter:

• Why ChatGPT's partnership with Spotify has made me roll my eyes
• Track of the Week is from one of our favourite newcomers from Reading
• The No Music For Genocide campaign is picking up steam

"AI is here to replace your cool friends in suggesting new music." This is how Spotify's marketing spiel would read if it were telling the unfiltered truth, having announced a partnership with Chat-GPT where users can connect their accounts for it to suggest more personalised music and podcast recommendations. It's actually the sub-headline on a news item from Consequence, written by Scott Sterling, and it turned my stomach. Blunt and cynical a proclamation it may be, but the insidiousness of it is incredibly plausible.

Think of it like this – Spotify wants to erode the idea of music as a communal medium. There’s no connection and no joy in a playlist Chat-GPT has spat at you; it’s music as utility, not a binding force. AI cannot tell you what a particular song or album means to it. You’re not going to think of it as the beat kicks in. You can’t imagine how a song would sound in AI’s ears. Imagine saying this out loud to someone asking you how you found your favourite band. “Oh yeah, Chat-GPT recommended it.” With its AI DJ feature, it created a soulless substitute for the warmth of the real-life radio DJ chatting between songs – a voice more and more people are turning to by turning on their radio for connection in a lonely, disconnected world.

Then again, we know Spotify cares little for music anyway, whether it’s in its miniscule payments to artists (and that’s excluding the ones whose music it has demonetised), or comments from outgoing CEO Daniel Ek that are damning evidence that he regards music as ‘content’ (whose cost of creation is 'close to zero' apparently) and not as part of culture or a form of art. Maybe this was inevitable from a company whose CEO funneled his millions into AI war drones.  They profit off draining the humanity from one of the most powerful mediums of expression that we have. It Is fundamentally an anti-art mindset.

In this, however, I want to believe there’s an opportunity. I can’t be the only one who doesn’t want AI to replace the cool friends who know all the music there is. I can’t be the only one sick of the obnoxious ubiquity of AI on any tech platform I open. (When I opened Microsoft Word, Copilot offered to do my writing for me. Nope. Go away.) With my optimist hat on, I want to believe that that means the value of human recommendation, through word of mouth or through music outlets like ours, will be replenished.

It feels strange knowing that being human could end up becoming a USP but I’ll take anything as an advantage over being part of a machine run by, well, other machines. AI is a tool to save time on mundane tasks, not a replacement of human skill, ingenuity or emotion. A world in which corporate giants get it to run the show is a joyless one and we will all be emotionally and culturally impoverished as a result of it. If you agree, we’re with you.

Huck's having a party - and you're invited

Not so long ago I mentioned that Sean had a piece celebrating Drowned In Sound's 25th birthday in Huck's new music-themed issue. They're throwing a party launching the issue at the Photobook Cafe in Shoreditch, East London, on 22nd October, where they'll be hosting a Q&A with cover star Kojey Radical and High Vis frontman Graham Sayle. And it's free!

Track Of The Week

'Out In The Garden' by Sofia Isella

When Sean and I were at Reading to record a DiSpatch episode in August, we were blown away by just how accomplished Sofia Isella's performance was. One minute she was shredding on a guitar, the next she was swapping it for a violin, twitching as she crept across the stage. She was a magnetic, theatrical performer - and then rocked up for an interview with Sean freshly coated in mud. As you do.

Her latest single, therefore, just had to be Track Of The Week. If Billie Eilish joined a witch's coven and found an electric guitar in the potions cupboard, this is what it would sound like - haunting, cloaked in mystery and impossible not to be drawn into.

If you like what you hear, she's just announced a UK and Europe tour for May and June 2026 - check out the full list of dates here.

Also subscribe to our 2025 Favourites playlist on YouTube for more recent tracks of the week.

Community Prompt

The campaign to cancel Brand New's comeback

The emerging No Stage For Abusers campaign is taking venues to task for platforming bands with members subject to allegations of sexual misconduct. They and Men Challenging Sexism led a campaign to cancel Marilyn Manson's show in Brighton and now, they're calling for venues putting on Brand New's comeback shows to be held accountable.

For those who weren't aware, the band's vocalist Jesse Lacey was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in 2017, shortly after which two more women came forward with allegations. After Lacey offered an apology for "the actions of my past", Brand New went on hiatus. Eight years on, despite it being one of the most cut-and-dried cases of sexual misconduct in rock music, the band are now playing live again. They toured the US earlier this year, but not before new allegations from a different woman surfaced. (Lacey has not responded to these).

No Stage For Abusers are now encouraging fans to contact venues to share their dismay at giving Brand New a platform. "Email them. Call them. Message them on social media. Share our posts. Ask your friends to do the same."

Hopeful Stories of the Week

Palestinian solidarity and more £1 gig tickets

Yes, I've got two for you this week, because we all need a double dose of hope. The first relates to the huge amount of steam the No Music For Genocide campaign is picking up. Artists are geo-blocking their music in Israel as conjunction with the cultural boycott over the genocide in Palestine. Over 1000 artists have now joined in the last week, including names as huge as Lorde, Bjork and IDLES.

Meanwhile, the Waterbear College Of Music is putting the next generation of artists onto stages for the Keeping Music Live tour, showing them what the live circuit really looks like. The tour includes dates in Hull, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich, London and Brighton and tickets cost just £1. All proceeds go to the Music Venue Trust.

And now, Hayley

I had to leave you with this video of Hayley Williams' spine-chilling performance earlier this week on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. To get up and play 'True Believer' - her most political song to date - with an all-POC orchestra (who play 'Strange Fruit' as an outro) is such a beautifully defiant statement in a time of division and hate. She really is the best of us, eh?

Related Read

Decoding Hayley Williams’ 17-Song Masterpiece

Why Hayley’s format-breaking release is essential listening for doomscrollers. Rating: 10/10

Drowned in SoundSean Adams