About the algorithm for listening to new music

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   Hello everyone!
This is my third post on this awesome forum. He will be a little about thinking and asking a question for you.
Recently, I have become more selective in my musical preferences. But until recently, I was consuming music on a gigantic scale. Moreover, I got to know music chaotically, whenever I liked, without taking into account the mood, time of day and the place where I was. But it was not always so.

Back in the era of CDs, it was different. Yes, I still found the time when we did not have the Internet in Ukraine and we bought cassettes and CDs. It was very interesting then when you got your hands on a new album. I listened to it most often alone, this is the only way to properly appreciate the music. I retired, in the afternoon or more often in the evening in my room, turned on the disc, and listened to it from beginning to end.

Was cool. I liked a lot of things. Of course, then my taste was still forming.
But with the advent of the Internet, everything became available. The music collection was expanding, the albums began to scroll after listening for 30-40 seconds. So I was looking for something that could hook me.
Time passed and this availability left its mark.

No, I certainly didn’t fall out of love with music, but listening to such an amount led to a certain apathy. It seemed that it would never end without something new. And only now, after 20 years of passion for music (I soon turned 36), I began to think that it was time to stop.
When is it necessary? What am I running for, or what?

I am haunted by the fear of missed opportunities.
When I listen to 1-2 songs and I really like them, I immediately want to download the entire discography of the artist, which in very rare cases I listen completely.
Fear of missed opportunities is when you see how much is available around you, and you are afraid of missing out on something important. But if you think about it seriously, I will never listen to all the music :)
And also these habits - go to the site "...." add 10-20 albums to bookmarks, download them, listen. As if someone is forcing me to do it. Obsession.

And so the music collection has been collecting for years. And only now I started revising it and realized that a lot is no longer a pleasure. And that's probably okay. After all, our preferences change with age.
I used to listen to Heavy / Power / Thrash / Alternative metal music. But for 5 years now my main genres are Progressive Metal / Progressive Rock.

And what I discovered is that I began to consume less music, get rid of past preferences more, but Progressive music lives in me.
I like neo-prog, post rock more and more. And now I am bringing my text to completion: quite recently, while organizing my music collection, I asked myself: I wonder how other connoisseurs of progressive music listen to music? Do they have special listening rituals (time of day, location, with headphones or speakers)? How is their listening algorithm built?

In addition to these considerations, below I will give a list of questions to which I would be interested to get an answer from you:
Do you have special rituals for listening to new music or a long-awaited album of your favorite band?
what are the criteria for choosing new music? (does the name of the band, album, cover play an important role?) do you read reviews, and can they be a real indicator that you should definitely listen to some album?
I began to think that I should reconsider my chaotic music consumption algorithm. After all, I feel that I am doing something wrong, not rationally.

After all, you cannot judge the music, the artist by the cover or one track listened to on YouTube. Maybe you should pay attention to user reviews, ratings?
Speaking of ratings, I recently listened to the top 100 albums in various subgenres of progressive rock according to progarchives. What we liked and what not.
Probably worth uploading already :)

I apologize for such a large text and translation from google translator.
I would be glad if there are those who would like to share their thoughts on the topic I raised and answer questions.

Thanks for attention.

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Foliant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 18 2020 Location: Ukraine Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote Foliant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: About the algorithm for listening to new music Posted: December 22 2020 at 14:04
	Hello everyone! This is my third post on this awesome forum. He will be a little about thinking and asking a question for you. Recently, I have become more selective in my musical preferences. But until recently, I was consuming music on a gigantic scale. Moreover, I got to know music chaotically, whenever I liked, without taking into account the mood, time of day and the place where I was. But it was not always so. Back in the era of CDs, it was different. Yes, I still found the time when we did not have the Internet in Ukraine and we bought cassettes and CDs. It was very interesting then when you got your hands on a new album. I listened to it most often alone, this is the only way to properly appreciate the music. I retired, in the afternoon or more often in the evening in my room, turned on the disc, and listened to it from beginning to end. Was cool. I liked a lot of things. Of course, then my taste was still forming. But with the advent of the Internet, everything became available. The music collection was expanding, the albums began to scroll after listening for 30-40 seconds. So I was looking for something that could hook me. Time passed and this availability left its mark. No, I certainly didn’t fall out of love with music, but listening to such an amount led to a certain apathy. It seemed that it would never end without something new. And only now, after 20 years of passion for music (I soon turned 36), I began to think that it was time to stop. When is it necessary? What am I running for, or what? I am haunted by the fear of missed opportunities. When I listen to 1-2 songs and I really like them, I immediately want to download the entire discography of the artist, which in very rare cases I listen completely. Fear of missed opportunities is when you see how much is available around you, and you are afraid of missing out on something important. But if you think about it seriously, I will never listen to all the music :) And also these habits - go to the site "...." add 10-20 albums to bookmarks, download them, listen. As if someone is forcing me to do it. Obsession. And so the music collection has been collecting for years. And only now I started revising it and realized that a lot is no longer a pleasure. And that's probably okay. After all, our preferences change with age. I used to listen to Heavy / Power / Thrash / Alternative metal music. But for 5 years now my main genres are Progressive Metal / Progressive Rock. And what I discovered is that I began to consume less music, get rid of past preferences more, but Progressive music lives in me. I like neo-prog, post rock more and more. And now I am bringing my text to completion: quite recently, while organizing my music collection, I asked myself: I wonder how other connoisseurs of progressive music listen to music? Do they have special listening rituals (time of day, location, with headphones or speakers)? How is their listening algorithm built? In addition to these considerations, below I will give a list of questions to which I would be interested to get an answer from you: Do you have special rituals for listening to new music or a long-awaited album of your favorite band? what are the criteria for choosing new music? (does the name of the band, album, cover play an important role?) do you read reviews, and can they be a real indicator that you should definitely listen to some album? I began to think that I should reconsider my chaotic music consumption algorithm. After all, I feel that I am doing something wrong, not rationally. After all, you cannot judge the music, the artist by the cover or one track listened to on YouTube. Maybe you should pay attention to user reviews, ratings? Speaking of ratings, I recently listened to the top 100 albums in various subgenres of progressive rock according to progarchives. What we liked and what not. Probably worth uploading already :) I apologize for such a large text and translation from google translator. I would be glad if there are those who would like to share their thoughts on the topic I raised and answer questions. Thanks for attention.

wiz_d_kidd Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: January 13 2018 Location: EllicottCityMD Status: Offline Points: 1471	Post Options Post Reply Quote wiz_d_kidd Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 08:18
	I'm probably at the other end of the spectrum. Rather then scooping up an entire discography because of "fear of missing out", I am very selective, and I take my good old time making up my mind. The music will be there tomorrow! It's not going anywhere. So here's my "ritual"... 1. Every month, I go to New Prog Releases (and ProgGnossis and a few others), and see what's new. 2. I read the descriptions or reviews -- not for whether the music is good or bad -- but to get a better sense of the style or genre. There's far too much music coming out to listen to everything. 3. If the description (or lineup, or just the band name) sounds interesting to me, I listen to samples. Little bits throughout every track, if available. I can quickly get a sense of whether I like the rhythm, timbre, style, composition, etc. -- or whether it has features that turn me off (like too much metal, sappy lyrics, emotive vocals, poor composition, nerve jangling noise, etc). 4. If the samples pass my "sniff test", or otherwise pique my interest, I'll listen some more. Otherwise, I move on. 5. If I know the band and like the music a lot, I might buy it on the spot. Otherwise, I typically put it on my "wish list". Bandcamp has that as a built-in feature. 6. Every so often, when I have sufficient $$ in my pocket, I revisit my wish list, re-listen to things, rank them according to how well I like them, then start buying things, top-down, until the $$ runs out. 7. Repeat. If I don't buy something right now, it'll be there next time I come 'round. Sometimes it takes 2-3 listens before I purchase. If it hangs around the bottom of my wish list too long, I decide that it just wasn't for me after all and delete it. I don't feel the need to own everything or be a completionist. If the music doesn't move me, why own it? The procedure above keeps me up to date with what's being released, prevents me from making spurious purchases that I'll later regret, and keeps me within budget. I'm retired and on fixed income, so a budget is important. It probably sounds very regimented, but it works for me. Like your subject line says... it's my "algorithm". Edited by wiz_d_kidd - December 23 2020 at 08:18

Foliant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 18 2020 Location: Ukraine Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote Foliant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 08:54
	Thank you for your interest and attention! Yours is well thought out, orderly and really sounds mindful. I hope I will be able to achieve something like this someday.

Catcher10 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member VIP Member Joined: December 23 2009 Location: Emerald City Status: Offline Points: 17988	Post Options Post Reply Quote Catcher10 Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 09:51
	What you describe Foliant is very common occurrence when people build a music catalog. You stress out because you feel you'll never have the time to listen to it all, so you rush thru an album not really paying much attention and you force yourself to listen to music. Sometimes I find myself there too, when I do I never listen to music, because I want to enjoy it, music is a hobby it should not be work. I have been into music my whole life almost, so collecting music has ben fun, but I think what has helped me is I listen to a lot of different genres not just progressive rock. I like Jazz, Funk/R&B, Metal, Classic Rock and some Pop as well. So collecting is more of finding what I like rather than a completist, don't get me wrong I have artists where I feel I should have the whole catalog (Rush, Genesis, Porcupine Tree, Led Zeppelin, Scorpions, Earth Wind & Fire, Art Blakey....). I feel in the next 3-5yrs I will get to the point where mathematically I will not have time to listen to everything and enjoy it. I have slowed down in buying music, I am 95% LPs (vinyl), very few CDs because they suck sound wise!! While raising our family, that gave me a long break from music just no time really, other than in the car going to work. Now that they are on their own, I have more time and I am enjoying it like never before, well never like when I was a teenager and Rush was putting out new albums or Scorpions, talk about anticipation!! If I like a band, normally I will auto buy a new release. I do also go to online stores like LaserCD/LasersEdge, Burning Shed, KScope, Synphonic music (Greg Walker) to see what they have and is coming out new.


Foliant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 18 2020 Location: Ukraine Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote Foliant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 11:52
	thanks for sharing your experience. It would be great if it is interesting to read! Edited by Foliant - December 23 2020 at 11:53

JD Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: February 07 2009 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 18446	Post Options Post Reply Quote JD Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 12:16
	I'm in between Mark and José on this one. I like to listen to as much as I can before putting out my hard earned cash. I've been collecting music (LP's, cassettes, CD's) since 1969-1970. These days I have 1524 LP's, 1225 CD's and countless digital files. While it used to be a lot of word of mouth suggestions, both before and since the internet, now I review sites with new release information then jump on Youtube to see if there are any tracks. 95% of the time there is and sometimes the whole album. Like José said, there is NO WAY I'll ever hear every title I have ever again. I've got too many years behind me and not enough ahead. I'm actually culling my archives these days with a much higher degree of discretion since my listening time is far more valuable now. I'm only a completest on a few bands, mostly the original sinners, ELP, YES, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues etc. For everything else...assorted track CD's
	Thank you for supporting independently produced music

Foliant Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 18 2020 Location: Ukraine Status: Offline Points: 17	Post Options Post Reply Quote Foliant Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: December 23 2020 at 12:21
	Thank you. I'm already starting to understand more that I can't keep up with everything, and it's better to focus on what I like, what I have already listened to before, as well as listen to all the great albums that I need to listen to. Only with the latter I have problems, because I rarely like what most people like, even if progressive music. :)