The curious case of Feg Hero
I could easily pile on the legit concerns of musicians and writers about Spotify looking like a Trojan Road to a long-devalued destination called “exposure” …
I mean, if Spotify’s paying creators chewing gum money, what other reason would bands have to stay on this platform?
It’s the reanimation of gaslighting — albeit in sparkly digital wrappings, probably coordinated by an entry-level marketing employee who makes more money than the average guitarist on the platform.
But that’s not why I’m here today.
I want to talk about a strange practice I observed on Spotify where either the artist I observed cracked the code to get more exposure than most, or there’s some other funny business going on.
I’ve been quietly using Spotify for more than two years — long enough to get a feel for how Spotify recommends music to me.
And hey, I can’t write about stuff I haven’t experienced. I arguably used the app more than most.
My normal practice is to use their Release Radar playlist and press the “like” — really the “+” sign — on the app for just about anything Spotify threw at me. The hope was that Spotify will be encouraged to keep recommending a wide range of new music my way.
The wide range happened and didn’t at the same time, but that’s not this story.
I want to rap about a real artist who I will fictionally name Feg Hero.
Spotify served a Feg Hero song to me one Friday. And as usual, I pressed the “like” button.
The following week, Spotify put another Feg Hero song on the playlist. And I pressed “like”.
I began to notice that Feg Hero managed to play on a new song every week, and be listed in the credits as one of the recording artists. Every solo single, every group collaboration, every duet — you name it — had Feg Hero’s name listed in the artist credits.
So, guess what happened when Spotify gave me their annual Wrapped report that year?
Yup, Feg Hero was my top streamed artist.
My reaction: “What the puck … ”.
Feg Hero is not a bad artist, but is far from my favorite and never became a top-of-mind choice — even after hearing him fed to me by Spotify all year.
This year, Spotify kept feeding me Feg Hero, save for a low single-digit number of weeks. I deliberately skipped Feg Hero-affiliated songs to limit the number of minutes I spent with them.
Spotify’s response, for whatever reason and despite my clearly recorded preference, is to keep feeding me Feg Hero’s music.
It’s like a wannabe lover who won’t go away.
I’m writing in the present tense because Spotify is still sending Feg Hero’s new music to me.
He’s in the artist credits every week! Busy person.
I won’t knock Feg Hero’s hustle. Not my job.
But the experience leaves me with little faith that Spotify has taken an honest look at my music preferences.
There are professional reasons for why I maintain a Spotify membership.
Still, I quietly purchase music on Bandcamp — a reflection of my belief that artists should make more than exposure from their work. I also follow independent artists, small labels, even smaller shops, and artists’ merch.
You may have other ideas for how to support artists in a way that places a higher value on their craft. I’d like to hear about them.
Who’s your Feg Hero? I can’t be the only one with a Feg Hero in my life. Is Spotify trying to slide a Feg Hero in your brain? Is there a Spotify pattern here that’s worth uncovering? Share your story! I’d love to hear and share it …
song currently stuck in my head: “kalo livadi” – ruby rushton
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