All posts in: Spotify

14 Apr 2021

Spotify’s Car Thing

Well, it’s certainly one way to name a new product. In Spotify’s latest release, “Car Thing” is a smart player that mounts to your dash easily allowing you to play your music while driving. I personally already have a set up that allows me to do just that with my phone attaching to the dash as well. The biggest difference here though is that the smart player is voice activated and can hear your commands leaving you fully hands-free, or rather, hands off of the phone. That’s one thing that my set up can’t solve for at the moment. Spotify Car Thing will likely retail for $80, but right now if you’re selected by Spotify to try out the product, you’ll get it for free not including the $7 shipping/handling fee. Add your name to the list [here].

[Source]

23 Dec 2020

Judge My Spotify

If there’s something I’ve discovered in years of perusing time waster sites, it’s that people love being made fun of. It’s a very strange concept that human beings are attracted to. Across my feeds today were plenty of people sharing a new site called “Judge My Spotify.” It’s exactly what you would expect it to be, but in more defining terms – an AI bot that combs through your Spotify playlists to tell you who you are. People love things like this because it’s something that they can continue to share or pass on. Another reason why people love Spotify Unwrapped if you will.

Here’s a snippet of my results above. They aren’t wrong about the song choices, but I haven’t actually listened to that much Taylor Swift this year even with two album releases. You know that people are going to eat up the low percentage “basic” rating. If there’s anything I do find strange though, it’s the call out to Dustin Tavella. While I did go through a heavy phase of listening to that song (went through a breakup myself like Selena Gomez) I can’t recall a single time I listened to that this year.

It’s unclear if this bot is supposed to detect all of your years in music listening or just this year. The reason why I’m struggling with that is because K-Pop was only popular on my playlist this year. The rest doesn’t seem to quite match up. To try this out yourself, visit the site [here]

05 Dec 2020

Some Thoughts About Spotify Wrapped

I didn’t feel the need to share my Spotify 2020 Wrapped with people this year like I had in previous years. People that follow me know that my likely #1 was BTS. Sure enough, my 2020 wrapped confirmed this. What I have always known about this release is that it has been a great marketing tool for Spotify. Users love it and look forward to it. This year, along with visuals and the music, there was even an interactive component where you could predict who your top artist/band was before it was revealed to you.

As consumers, we love yearly recaps. In a year as challenging as 2020, people needed to know what music got them through this difficult time. However, one thing we’re not prepared for is how embarrassing our music choices are. That data, alone, could impact your decision to share. From my 2020 Wrapped, I learned that Justin Bieber came sliding into 3rd place. I’d be lying to you if I said that didn’t slight me even though admittedly, I really loved “Changes.” What did I have to be embarrassed about here? I also listened to 54,568 minutes of music which in comparison to my friends who shared their own Wrapped is higher than theirs. Is that too much time to be listening to music?

While Spotify’s Wrapped is all fun and shareable, what about the artists? An Instagram story from Hollis Wong-Wear (someone we previously interviewed on Yow Yow) showed me another side to consider. Unless you’re a mainstream artist, you’re not making much off every stream. Artists themselves also receive stats. The embarrassment I feel from having Bieber as a third top artist doesn’t compare when you’re an aspiring artist seeing that your own stats don’t measure up to your expectations or peers.

Spotify Wrapped in 2020 showed me two things. You are not defined by the music you listen to. I love using the playlist of my top songs as a guide for the post that I write on Yow Yow! every year, but I don’t rely on it 100%. And lastly, as consumers of music, we need to find a way to bridge this gap. Not everyone can be a mainstream artist, but can we do a better job of showing our support? In challenging times of COVID where shows cannot exist, how can we do more instead of only reaping the benefits of getting music from our favorite artists and musicians?

30 Nov 2020

Blog Roundup

  • The Boundless Optimism of BTS [Esquire]
  • 12 Incredibly Useful Gmail Settings You Didn’t Know You Needed [Fast Company]
  • No, A Negative Coronavirus Test Does Not Mean You Can Safely Socialize [The New York Times]
  • 3 Brilliant Ways to Transform Leftover Stuffing [The New York Times]
  • Support Small Businesses This Holiday Season [Put This On]
  • 10 Essential Movies About Chess [Vulture] I just started The Queen’s Gambit this week!
  • Snapchat Has Announced A TikTok-Style App Called Spotlight [Fader]
  • 10 New Holiday Traditions to Try This Year [The Every Girl]
  • BTS’s “Life Goes On” Did the Impossible [The Atlantic]
  • Cloth Masks to Shop Now [Vogue]
  • I can’t believe I was going to carve out time in my Monday night to watch what is half of a performance! Please, they should’ve given them a whole special.
  • Spotify Tests A Story Feature For Some Playlists [Hypebeast]
17 Nov 2020

A Promised Land Playlist

In other news, our favorite former President has just published his memoir “A Promised Land” today. Since we recently finished “Know My Name,” this memoir along with many others are at the top of my list for what’s to read next. One thing that I’ve always loved about Barack Obama as President is that he was the most relatable to my generation. He was kind, earnest, genuine, and warm. More importantly, he had exceptional taste. Previously, we’ve always shared his playlists and now with the memoir out, we’ve got another one! Today, I’m enjoying this as the backdrop to our rainy work day indoors, but I hope you can enjoy this wherever you may be.

12 Jul 2020

This Weekend:

At this point, it doesn’t even feel like we’re in quarantine anymore unless it is by choice. And for the most part, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Parts of the country are re-opening up, but it hasn’t been successful. After several months of this, I generally feel like I’m doing okay so we stay indoors and limit ourselves to the deck attached to my apartment. I did, however, run a few more errands than I normally do this weekend which was a welcomed surprise because I love taking longer drives.

What We’re Watching: The Claudia Kishi Club

I binge watched Netflix’s revival of “The Babysitters Club” in two days and could not get enough of Claudia Kishi. She was my favorite character back then in the books and she’s even cooler in 2020. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the series and Claudia playing a young Japanese American girl with her creative flair resonated deeply with me. She was the opposite of the stereotype that we have all become familiar with and some of us needed her character to pave the way ourselves. Netflix’s “The Claudia Kishi Club” says it’s a documentary, but it’s only 17 minutes and we wish it were longer. The special features six Asian American creatives discussing what Claudia Kishi meant to them growing up and it’s the most heartwarming thing you’ll watch all weekend.

What We’re Listening To: JoJo – good to know (Acoustic)

Before I knew we were going to write this post this weekend, I already [shared] that I was listening to JoJo’s acoustic release of her “good to know” album. Two days later and we’ve still got this on repeat. I always love original albums, but there’s something about one that is stripped down that really tugs at the heart strings. We’re just so excited about her come back.

What We’re Wearing: [Leith Ruched Body-Con Tank Dress] – $56 – $29.93

I’ve been having a lazy week lounging in leggings, but because yesterday was Saturday, we pulled on this latest dress that we purchased. Since I’m new to becoming a regular at online shopping, I never know how my purchases will turn out, but I’m glad that this was a perfect fit. Now looking back on it, I wish I had purchased this in several colors! It’s the perfect day to night dress and one that I know I would’ve loved wearing around the office. For now, we’ll just wear it around at home, but we’re okay with that.

What We’re Eating: Soondubu

Ever since Kevin and I discovered the Soft Tofu Kit at the Korean Market that we go to in Daly City, it has become our favorite thing to make! The kit itself just holds the tofu and the sauce, but all you have to do is add water and your favorite toppings and you’ve got a meal. My usual adds:

  • 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Soy Sauce
  • Sugar
  • Bell Peppers
  • Peas
  • 2 eggs
  • Mushrooms
  • Green Onions
  • Black Pepper

Cook it all up and serve it over rice and it’s the perfect comfort meal.

What We’re Drinking: Yakult Soju

This is the easiest cocktail to make! Normally, I don’t drink by myself at home, but since we’re not going out to bars, I figured this could take the place of my happy hours. I was introduced to this combo at a bachelorette party earlier this year so ever since, I’ve just had it on hand in my fridge. All you have to do is mix soju with the Yakult yogurt drink. I’m told it’s even better if you add Sprite, but we have yet to try that!

27 Jun 2020

This Weekend:

San Francisco summer has arrived! The fog has rolled in and the skies are a deep gray. I got out this morning for a little bit to pick up flowers, coffee and pastries, but I’ve basically been sitting on my couch for the past few hours with the candle burning. How is it that San Francisco’s spring season is so much more forgiving to us than summer? I’ll never understand it.

What We’re Watching: Sorry to Bother You

Ok, we’re cheating a little bit because technically we watched this last night. “Sorry to Bother You” has been on my list for some time and I decided I wanted to make time for it last night and take a break from K-dramas. The film is smart, witty, and overly quirky. While it leans more on the humorous side, there’s a bigger message in here to grasp. We’re also huge fans of Lakeith Stanfield. You can watch the film currently on Hulu.

What We’re Listening To: Teyana Taylor – The Album

This came out just last week, but I’m excited to dive into this. We’ve been long time fans of Teyana and seeing all of the collaborators on this album – Kehlani, Big Sean, Eryka Badu gives us promise.

What We’re Wearing – [TNA Atmosphere Legging] – $68

I ordered this pair and another last month, but this was the first time I’d ever purchased this kind. My normal leggings from Aritzia are usually less than $30 so for the longest time I would ask myself why I needed to shell out over double for a pair that was likely going to be the same. Turns out, the jokes on me because they are very different! The fabric is so light and smooth. For a day of errands or even just wearing them around the house, I’ve felt comfortable all day. In fact, I like these so much that I don’t even want to change out of them for bed.

What We’re Eating: The Pasta Shop’s Ravioli

We’ve done our fair share of cooking this week so when it came time to head into the weekend, I really wanted to make things easy for myself. I picked up a package of [The Pasta Shop’s] ravioli at Bi-Rite along with a Bi-Rite Romesco sauce to pair it with. The Pasta Shop is based out of Oakland and while this was my first time trying this brand, I was impressed. For being a packaged product, it’s quite fresh and comes in so many varieties. There’s really something for everyone.

07 Jun 2020

What We’re Listening to This Weekend:

“Normal People” on Hulu is easily one of my favorite shows that I’ve watched while in quarantine. Since I finished the series in just two days (it goes quick!) I was immediately feeling the withdrawals. Lucky for me, the show released their soundtrack on Spotify. I’m surprised by how many songs are featured in the series because they are just 30 minute episodes and it felt like everything passed so quickly. This soundtrack is helping to fill that void since I finished and is great for weekend listening while I’m working.

Start from the top or shuffle it on random.

18 May 2020

What We’re Listening To Today:

We’re already feeling withdrawals from the final two episodes of The Last Dance yesterday evening. As a gift to us, Spotify created a playlist featuring every song that was played during the documentary. We’ve only just started to press play, but this is exactly the Monday motivation we needed.