Spotify unveiled a new blog that will focus on trends and concepts stemming from its various data collections. Dubbed Spotify Insights, the information will be a combination of the global listening numbers that Spotify tracks and the recommendation-based data from its subsidiary The Echo Nest.
Spotify tapped Eliot van Buskirk to run Insights. He’s a tech and music journalist who previously helmed Evolver.fm, a blog sponsored by Echo Nest, and has written for CNET and Wire. Van Buskirk’s first post under his official title as “in-house data storyteller” is an exploration of how different genres spread across the world from their sources in Berlin, London, and Paris.
This isn’t a new idea. Dating website OkCupid made a splash with its OkTrends blog, which also teased out interesting discoveries based on the huge amount of data it had about how people were presenting themselves and communicating on the site. The topic was fascinating to members and non-members alike for how scientific it made the seemingly intangible process of forming a romantic connection. Spotify’s stories will likely be similar, showcasing the myriad ways that listeners all around the world hear and respond to music. The conclusions drawn on the blog may not guiding any big business decisions for the company or its competitors. However, with listening habits in such a state of flux, making any sense of our behaviors should still prove educational and just plain cool.