Spotify killed the thrill of the hunt
So I was reading a post from another user about canceling their Spotify, and it caught my attention because it came entirely from a fan’s perspective.[1] As a small artist, I’ve got my own issues with Spotify. The way they operate just isn’t great for anyone involved, but this was different. It made me stop and consider how someone who isn’t making music experiences all of this.
When I think about Spotify, my reactions are almost entirely shaped by being an artist. As a listener, I don’t even really like streaming services. I’ve always preferred owning my music. That’s just how I’ve always been.
What stood out in that post was the idea that Spotify’s algorithm wasn’t serving them well, and more importantly, that the sheer over-availability of music was actually reducing their appreciation for it. That stuck with me.
I started thinking back to coming up in the metal scene in the late ’90s and early 2000s, when finding music actually took effort. There were no streaming platforms. You had to dig. You had to seek out small, specialized record stores or spend time on shady forums. You’d track down obscure distros just to order releases you couldn’t get any other way.
Sometimes that meant sending a money order, or "well hidden cash" and just waiting, hoping something would come back. And yeah, I get why that sounds ridiculous now, maybe even stressful. But it created something that’s hard to replicate: a real sense of accomplishment, and a sense of community around the music.
You’d uncover these incredibly obscure bands, and chances are you didn’t know anyone else who had even heard of them. There was something powerful about that. It felt like you had discovered something genuinely hidden.
Now, it’s completely different. The moment some obscure demo drops, it’s everywhere, Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, whatever. Everyone knows about it instantly. That sense of discovery, of finding a truly underground gem, just isn’t the same anymore. It’s too easy now.
You can go on YouTube right now, search for any niche genre, and instantly access thousands of artists. And while that’s undeniably convenient, I do think it cheapens the experience. I haven’t discovered a band in a long time that’s stuck with me the way those older discoveries did.
I still have these obscure shirts from bands that only did a single run 25 years ago. That was it, no reprints, no restocks. And those artifacts carry weight in a way that’s hard to recreate today.
It’s just… not the same anymore. And I’m not entirely sure how to explain that feeling, but it’s there.
-Wræcca