It’s a discovery engine. It is as likely to show you what you might like, instead of what you know you like. Try stuff out. Like it or not, give the robot feedback. It will get better.
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Hello there, I stepped away from Spotify to Roon+Tidal three month ago. So far I feel the same about recommendations. Absolute Mainstream stuff.
Still I really love to follow the pathes of participants, sometimes influences (that’s more often than not an attributed one by the media). But with participants one sort of follows through a social graph that reveals very often suprisingly connections into different genres or just unknown artists.
As a teenager I learned that Suzanne Vega was a background singer on the live recordings of the “Delicate Sound of Thunder” recordings of Pink Floyd. Since then I read booklets more closely (to whom artists express gratitude, who mixed/produced an album), who would create remixes, …
Actually as an IT-person, who also developes/applies AI, I love doing this music discovery consciously by walking instead of getting beamed somewhere ‘artificially intelligent’ 
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It’s doesn’t though.
I think what you’re describing is often my preferred way of navigating music. Going through detailed personnel credits often leads to excellent discoveries. However, the issue at hand is that ‘method’ doesn’t exactly get to the heart of the issue in the thread, what “similar to X” entity results should be and why they’re basically useless in Roon.
White middle aged man music. Seems about right.
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Middle aged to older male is Roon’s user base…
That’s exactly my point
The thing is though, these ‘similar to x’ are basically always serving up stuff, anyone who listens to music a decent amount (as in, Roon users) would already be aware of.
I have a music taste that probably doesn’t match up with the demo I technically fit into but like, my taste could be described as middle aged man adjacent.
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As it should be… but it’s a younger person’s game. I’m too middle-aged and (I’d argue) time poor to do more than a perfunctory hunt.
Credit where credit is due: the Roon and Allmusic integration is very convenient.
I listen to a huge range of music, and it’s very rarely AC/DC white man adjacent.
My “listen to this” recommendations are usually fantastic.
For me the fact that OG poster thinks Bowie and AC/DC aren’t adjacent is hilarious.
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Such insight
How are they adjacent?
I mean, David Bowie and Iggy Pop shared the studio many times, covered each other’s songs, and Iggy Pop was once asked to join AC/DC.
David Bowie and AC/DC were both represented by Perryscope Productions, a New York-based licensing and merchandising company.
It’s not even difficult to find connections.
The algorithms give recommendations based on the data they have. White middle aged men play AC/DC and then play Bowie and then The Eagles. Those things are all mainstream, popular, from a very similar time, guitar/rock based. They are closer than they are different.
I don’t even know what OG was expecting to see. More AC/DC perhaps?
I doubt that.
Bowie is the 2nd recommendation in the OPs screenshot, linking him to AC/DC because he shared a studio with Iggy Pop, who claims to have been asked to join AC/DC at some unspecified point is hilarious.
Iggy Pop is a closer recommendation and is weak.
I don’t get why you keep mentioning “white middle aged men” do you think Roon recommends music based on ethnicity or gender of the listener?
If so can you show where this is confirmed?
I’d argue that Bowie and The Eagles are in no way similar to AC/DC musically and lyrically.
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If you listen to AC/DC chances are you are a white middled aged man. So I was using that to refer to categories of behaviour and taste. It was my way of specifying that the OG taste in music is pretty mainstream, unsurprising, predictable, average etc.
I still have no idea what OG thinks some “good” recommendations would be.
Did you read my post?
Did I mention Bowie?
What’s an OG?
.sjb
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Nobody can fight Father Time, and yes common people like common music. Predictable sounds like a value judgment, but I guess it can also be a fact.
I think, though, that our issue is not with being boring white men, but that Valence was marketed as AI-brilliance. The more I experience this AI garbage, the more I’m appalled. Paying good money to prop up garbage is sadly all too common, too.
But Roon is clearly more than just Valence, even if I’m not sure exactly how it helps my music consumption.
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Not a universe populated by rational festival promoters who know what bands are liked by AC/DC fans prepared to pay up to $1,400 a pop. Doesn’t look like Goldenvoice are using roon’s recommendation engine.
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Good point.
I’ve been going to metal festivals since 1982 I think, I never saw Bowie there.
The audience was always a mix of both males and females of all ages, not just “middle aged white men”.
Same goes for regular metal gigs in the UK.
User said
What is the age, gender and economic class of the AC/DC fanbase?
ChatGPT said:
AC/DC’s fanbase is diverse, spanning various age groups, genders, and economic backgrounds.
Age: The band’s music appeals to multiple generations. Fans who experienced AC/DC’s rise in the 1970s and 1980s are now in their 50s and 60s. However, their enduring popularity has attracted younger listeners, including those in their 20s and 30s, who discover the band’s music through streaming platforms and cultural references.
Gender: While rock music has traditionally attracted a male-dominated audience, AC/DC’s energetic performances and universal themes have garnered a significant female following. Concert attendance and fan communities reflect a balanced gender representation.
Economic Class: AC/DC’s straightforward rock style resonates across various socioeconomic groups. Their global reach means fans come from diverse economic backgrounds, from working-class individuals to affluent listeners.
In summary, AC/DC’s fanbase is characterized by its broad age range, balanced gender distribution, and wide economic diversity, underscoring the band’s universal appeal.
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