Goodbye Last.fm

In June 2009 I created a profile with Last.fm. Today, well over 51000 plays later, I deleted it, and it must be one of the most cathartic things I have done in a long time.

Last.fm is, at it's heart, a very useful site. You play music, it records said plays, lets you see stats about your plays, suggests similar music you might like, etc. But for me it's a holdover from an era in my music education where liking music was something to be proven to people. It wasn't enough to enjoy the music, I had to maintain an accurate representation of my listening habits, lest anyone get the wrong idea about who I am. No, I'm not just a metalhead, look, look at the number of trip hop plays I have right next to the Iron Maiden!

It detracted from the experience of listening to music when every play at the back of my mind there was the satisfying knowledge that somewhere a number was increasing through my input, to the point where I would force myself to listen to a track that I might not have been enjoying entirely at the time so it would scrobble.

Sometime last week I decided to let the scrobbler update, and in doing so something stopped working. I don't know why, but it wouldn't connect to my account, and instead of looking for a solution, I thought to myself "Why should I?" The question rattled around my head, delighting in the echo of an age past, when I listened to music because I wanted to, not because I wanted to show people I wanted to. I realised I had become too attached to the numbers, the statistics that subtly coloured my last few years of musical experience. And now, a week after that first question, I have ended it.

Goodbye Last.fm. You were by no means a bad experience, and you introduced me to a lot of new music, but I sincerely hope I never sign up for you again.

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What Music Do You Listen To?

Asking someone what their favourite type of music is can be problematic for those of us not used to treating conversation as anything other than a method of divulging pertinent information. There seem to be only two accepted answers, both horribly lacking in information.

The first answer is "Single genre". Firstly, this will mean very little to you unless you also like that genre as well. You can express a negative opinion about it but if you don't like the genre then chances are that your concept of it is off. Countless metal fans have been angered by the insinuation that metal is all violence and Satan worshipping (Black Sabbath were predominantly Catholic). Equally as many have cried inwardly when suggesting the exquisite Juno Reactor or such like and been rebutted with a dismissive "I don't like that electronic shit". Secondly, with only one point of data you are going to have to employ some convergent iteration to get an idea of what area of [Genre] they actually like. As far as conversation goes this can be somewhat awkward. It is however information on which you can haphazardly expand, which is more than can be said about the alternative.

"I like a bit of everything" and it's likenesses are woefully inadequate as an answer and do nothing to help the asker ascertain whether or not they have anything to add to the conversation. It's like being asked what course you're studying and replying with the name of your university. While with the first answer you could conceivably start a conversation, as one might start a fire with application of friction to wood, this answer is like pissing on the tinder. You don't help matters and even if no one gets annoyed there is going to be one hell of an awkward silence to come. Ironically it is usually said by those who actually really want to let people know more about themselves. "I listen to certain genres predominantly but don't judge me on that. I probably listen to your music too!" the replier tries to say, but all we hear is "I don't want to continue this conversation."

Clearly the first answer is the better, but it is still infuriatingly lacking. I propose this. When asking, specify that you want 3 genres of music that the recipient listens to the most. When answering, assume that this is what the asker requested. This has the benefit of primarily giving information upon which a conversation can be expanded upon, but it also allows the asker a certain amount of leeway in their answer. "I listen to a lot of Metal, but I do often enjoy Electronic stuff, especially Trip-Hop. I do have a secret soft spot for that Carly Rae song, mind!" If needs be you/they can then clarify that while you/they predominantly listen to these genres y/t do enjoy other things as well. The point of this exercise is to get an idea of someone's taste in music, to establish some basis of a relationship, not to enforce rigid conversational law. And if they genuinely only listen to one genre, they can leave it there.

And if they still try to stall for an answer without offering anything to go on you can rest assured that you're talking to someone who is so lost for personality that they don't quite know which artificial one they want to portray to you.

And for fuck's sake, don't ask what someone's favourite film is. 9 times out of 10 all you're going to get as a reply is an awkward pause as they (I) work through a mental spreadsheet of Genre/Tone/Theme/Acting/Irony/etc. to come to a conclusion that they're (I'm) not sure they want to stick with.

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