Algorithms aren’t all bad. Millions of people love recommendation algorithms. But when it comes to music curation, auto-generated playlists cannot replace the shared experience of music discovery, when you listen to the radio.  

A couple months ago, our CEO and Founder Nico Perez had an insightful conversation with music economist Will Page at SXSW about music curation in the age of AI. 

There were many ideas to take away from this conversation. Particularly, the idea that community radio is one of the most powerful projects keeping the curation of music a human-to-human experience.  

In the conversation, Nico said one of the consequences of the algorithm is that “over the long term, we end up being a little more isolated as listeners, as people.” This echoes the work of American psychologist Sherry Turkle, whose studies into the man-machine relationship lead her to the conclusion that, thanks to digital interfaces, “we are alone together, each in our own bubble.”

“Forming small communities around music” is how we fight back against the algorithm, said Nico. It just so happens these often form around radio stations or other local music hubs, like venues. That’s why we love listening to local radio stations. It helps us feel more connected to the wider world around us and those nearby.

For radio stations like Kiosk or Newtown, it’s not about reaching millions of listeners. It’s about forming long-term relationships and a safe-space for their community. We want Mixcloud to be the place to form cozier, close-knit communities experiences. Where music has meaning and where every track chosen and shared is one that has moved another human being. Rather than robotically computed by a machine. 

Music lovers around the world are hungry for a change. There’s a growing trend in some countries for local-language music. This is evident when you look at the top ten charts in Brazil, Denmark and Sweden. People around the world are hungry for a more intimate experience in their music curation. We’re building tools to help you recommend shows to one another more directly on Mixcloud. 

If you’re experiencing the ‘claustrophobia of abundance’, where the entirety of humanity is hurled at your face when you roll out of bed in the morning and you’re overwhelmed: try listening to local radio. It’s a much more intimate experience. Because as Will Page points out, “you can’t scale intimacy”.