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Exciting to see AI used this way. My main feedback is I'd look at incorporating other factors to rank results, not purely how similar it sounds. Audiophiles mig

Exciting to see AI used this way. My main feedback is I'd look at incorporating other factors to rank results, not purely how similar it sounds. Audiophiles might prefer a pure similarity ranking, but that could be offered as a non-default setting if anything. e.g. I'm sometimes seeing several essentially identical tracks at the top of recommendations (also mentioned in a comment by rayshan). You probably want to penalise tracks like that so they're pushed well down the list, i.e. penalise matches by metadata similarity (artist, title, etc). OTOH I think it should boost results from more popular songs/artists, so the top result is less likely to be an obscure result that happens to sound similar. Some might argue it's a good thing to discover/highlight obscure artists, but for most users, it's more practical to recommend results that are already "proven" to be appealing. More obscure results could still be blended in if highlighting them is seen as a goal of the project.

knaik94 4y ago
I think popularity based ranking should absolutely be optional and a toggle. I think it's reasonable to have default rank be popularity, but in my opinion, the value of a model like this is finding obscure tracks. I also would definitely like seeing an exposed toggle, and maybe automatically toggle it off when someone presses refresh?
- mmahemoff 4y ago
  Sure, a toggle is one option. The main point is to introduce popularity as a factor and ultimately the best UI and defaults are best decided through A-B testing. I'd also add that it's usually a good idea to incorporate this setting into the URL, regardless of the UI, so that a specific order can be bookmarked and shared.
emodendroket 4y ago
If the point was to surface popular recommendations why would I go to a different Web site instead of just using what Apple Music already gives me? It has to do something different to be interesting.
- mmahemoff 4y ago
  Not everyone is using Apple Music (or its competition). Even for those who are using a music platform, this project still has its unique algorithm that’s likely to surface distinct results. Partly because the developer can do their own innovation and partly because the platforms influence the algorithm in ways that aren’t necessarily aligned with users’ interests. e.g. promoting artists they have favorable relationships with. The developer can also offer features that Apple et al aren’t offering, perhaps because it would complicate their app too much or isn’t high priority, but makes sense for a specialized tool like this. e.g. fine grained settings to filter and sort results.
  - emodendroket 4y ago
    No, but the tool already features heavy integration with Apple Music, so I assumed that was the target demographic.

knaik94 4y ago

I think popularity based ranking should absolutely be optional and a toggle. I think it's reasonable to have default rank be popularity, but in my opinion, the value of a model like this is finding obscure tracks. I also would definitely like seeing an exposed toggle, and maybe automatically toggle it off when someone presses refresh?

mmahemoff 4y ago
Sure, a toggle is one option. The main point is to introduce popularity as a factor and ultimately the best UI and defaults are best decided through A-B testing. I'd also add that it's usually a good idea to incorporate this setting into the URL, regardless of the UI, so that a specific order can be bookmarked and shared.

emodendroket 4y ago

If the point was to surface popular recommendations why would I go to a different Web site instead of just using what Apple Music already gives me? It has to do something different to be interesting.

mmahemoff 4y ago
Not everyone is using Apple Music (or its competition). Even for those who are using a music platform, this project still has its unique algorithm that’s likely to surface distinct results. Partly because the developer can do their own innovation and partly because the platforms influence the algorithm in ways that aren’t necessarily aligned with users’ interests. e.g. promoting artists they have favorable relationships with. The developer can also offer features that Apple et al aren’t offering, perhaps because it would complicate their app too much or isn’t high priority, but makes sense for a specialized tool like this. e.g. fine grained settings to filter and sort results.
- emodendroket 4y ago
  No, but the tool already features heavy integration with Apple Music, so I assumed that was the target demographic.