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Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

by Liz Pelly

Atria/One Signal Publishers ·2025 ·288 pages ·Music
Near the Top
Near the Top
I Index
63/99
Near the Top

64/99

Critics

Near the Top

62/99

Readers

n/a

Scholars

50/99

Rating

77/99

Volume

32/99

Rating

91/99

Volume

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About This Book

With unprecedented access and unsparing analysis, this is the definitive investigation into Spotify, weaving interviews with incisive cultural criticism, and illuminating how streaming has reshaped music for listeners and artists alike.Flush with testimony from over a hundred industry insiders, former Spotify employees, and musicians, Mood Machine takes us into the inner workings of the highly consolidated modern music business and how it has become personalized, playlisted, autoplayed, and algorithmic. With an expert's eye, music journalist Liz Pelly reveals how Spotify's two-sided marketplace—the listeners who pay with their dollars and data, and the musicians who provide the material powering it all—has changed music media forever. She also explores how musicians and listeners are coming together to fight this era of musical individualism and advocate for artists' futures. Amazon Unbound and Weapons of Math Destruction for the music industry, Mood Machine is a timely and unputdownable exploration of a company that has become synonymous with music.


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Reviews

"A little friction, it seems, can be good to hang on to."

Frank Rose· The Wall Street Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"A provocative, insightful, disturbing, and well-researched indictment of Spotify, the music industry, and streaming platforms, which daily mine billions of data bits from users to maximize profits and churn out musical formulas."

Dr. Dave Szatmary· Library Journal Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"It's about how we have come to view art and creativity, what it means to be an individual, and what we learn when we first hum along to a beloved pop song."

Hua Hsu· The New Yorker Read review ↗ Near the Top

"The result is a perceptive assessment of the current musical landscape and an eye-opening glimpse into its possible future."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Near the Top

"A strong indictment to rouse consumers into considering just where our commitment to music is headed."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Doesn't leave you filled with optimism for the future."

Alexis Petridis· The Guardian Read review ↗ Near the Top

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