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The Latest Breaking News from Liz Pelly

Spotify has ruined mood playlists – so our critics have made some better ones instead

Whether made by human hand or shady algorithm, emotion-based playlists are everywhere. But if you’re looking for a superior soundtrack to ‘all the feels’, get your ears round these selections from our music writers

The Guardian - UK

Five of the best music books of 2025

From an enraging indictment of Spotify to Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie’s account of Parkinson’s and a compelling biography of Tupac Shakur, here are five titles that strike a chord

The Guardian - UK

‘Death to Spotify’: the DIY movement to get artists and fans to quit the music app

Musicians have long criticized the streaming service’s paltry payouts, but a new wave of boycotts is emerging

The Guardian - US

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Review: In Defense of Spotify

Liz Pelly's Mood Machine book bemoans the music giant but overlooks how useful it is for listeners.

Reason

An AI-generated band got 1m plays on Spotify. Now music insiders say listeners should be warned

The Velvet Sundown released two albums before admitting their music, images and backstory were created by AI

The Guardian - UK

Spotify continues to change music. What’s next – will AI musicians replace music made by humans?

Spotify was started, according to its official claims, because its founders “love music and piracy was killing it”. In Mood Machine, music journalist Liz Pelly argues this is rewriting history.

The Conversation

‘One minute it’s “would you like to listen to Galaxie 500?”, the next humanity’s enslaved’: can anyone escape Spotify?

As a new book skewers Spotify’s effect on music, two Guardian music writers spent a week assessing the limits of living with and without it

The Guardian - UK

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Spotify’s biggest sin? Its algorithms have pushed artists to make joyless, toothless music

Most musicians can only make money on the platform by writing songs inoffensive enough to get on to one of its vapid playlists, says Guardian columnist John Harris

The Guardian - UK

Mood Machine by Liz Pelly review – a savage indictment of Spotify

The global streaming behemoth has made music blander and life harder for artists, according to this enraging portrait

The Guardian - UK

The Guide #173: Why Netflix and Spotify don’t seem to care if we are paying attention

In this week’s newsletter: From Spotify’s bland ghost artists to Netflix’s ‘will this do?’ roster of movies, have audiences succumbed to the age of distraction?

The Guardian - UK

Spotify accused of pushing ghost artists into our playlists — here's what's going on

Spotify is reportedly being cheap and filling up playlists with fake artists and generic music.

Tom’s Guide

Spotify has been filling your recommendations with fake artists and music it barely pays for, according to in-depth report

Who's making the music in your Spotify streams?

TechRadar

“What I uncovered was an elaborate internal program”: Is Spotify creating fake artists to flood its editorial playlists?

An investigation in a new book sheds light on the alarming rise of dubious real 'artists' peppering Spotify's editorial playlists

MusicRadar

You use Spotify to listen to music. Here’s how money from ads and subscription fees flows to artists

Every day, millions of people stream music on Spotify

The Independent UK

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