Bug 141375

Summary: Context Browser Suggested Songs - not enough variety
Product: [Applications] amarok Reporter: Darren L. Ankney <soupnazi>
Component: generalAssignee: Amarok Developers <amarok-bugs-dist>
Status: RESOLVED FIXED    
Severity: wishlist CC: juanignaciosl
Priority: NOR    
Version: 1.4.5   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Ubuntu   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: Suggested Songs screen shot

Description Darren L. Ankney 2007-02-08 01:43:02 UTC 
Version:           1.4.5 (using KDE KDE 3.5.6)
Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages
OS:                Linux

I will include a screenshot of what I am talking about.

On this screenshot, you will see that the suggested songs (and consequently the suggested song dynamic playlist) does not give a good sampling of songs from related artists that I have in my collection.  It will usually show at most only 4 different aritsts with many songs by the same artist.  This causes the suggested songs dynamic playlist (I think) to play many of the same artist in a row.  

In the included screenshot, you will see that while playing polly by Nirvana, the suggested songs in the context browser shows 10 songs, all by Nine Inch Nails.    Yet, I have five of the related artists in my collection.  

On this same screenshot, you can see that the suggested songs dynamic playlist has HEAVILY favored System of a Down.  

I should think that an appropriate solution would be to select distinct from a list of tracks by each of the related artists (I assume that the suggested song dynamic playlist works from the list generated in the context browser).  That way it can give a variety.  Make it show always 5 songs or so maybe and only loop through the same artist again if not enough related artists are available in the collection.

Does that sound good?  Comments?
Comment 1 Darren L. Ankney 2007-02-08 01:44:29 UTC 
Created attachment 19585 [details]
Suggested Songs screen shot

This is a classic example of what I am saying.
Comment 2 Darren L. Ankney 2007-02-08 02:00:31 UTC 
I thought about this some more.  Perhaps I do not understand the philosophy behind the suggested songs dynamic playlist.

I imagine it as a cascade.  I play a song, it selects some suggested songs (of which, I would think a variety would be better as I stated before).  From each of these suggested songs, it retrieves the related artists from last.fm ... It repeats this process until the necessary list is full.  

That would be the ultimate way for it to work.  It would be an interesting journey of intermixed music via relationships defined by other last.fm users listening habits.  Right now, it seems to just be too narrow of a field.

Feel free to flame away if I am way off base with this :)
Comment 3 Mark Kretschmann 2007-07-27 20:31:16 UTC 
*** Bug 145046 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 4 Michiel 2007-08-15 13:39:54 UTC 
Here is my comment: the suggested songs which used to be brilliant now has a few issues.

It looks like it collects the similar artists for the first song played and then keeps getting similar artists for that first song played every time a new song starts. Which it why it drags up the same artists all the time.

I can duplicate this: I load a song (say, Beck) and start playing. I load the suggested songs dynamic playlist. It will retrieve a number of similar artists.
Now I turn it off again, and add something totally different to the playlist, say, B. Fleischmann and start playing it. If I now turn on the suggested song feature, it will still load similar artists to Beck! (and will continue to do so for every song played afterwards)

I've seen this behavior in 1.4.5 and 1.4.6, definitely not in 1.4.3 which I was running earlier.
Comment 6 Nacho 2007-11-01 21:40:28 UTC 
Which version has the fix?
Comment 7 Seb Ruiz 2007-11-01 21:42:34 UTC 
upcoming 1.4.8 release