Is it time for return of the independent tastemaker?
4 min read
Discovery, Curation, Platforms, Communities, Personalisation, Trust
Algorithmic curation has flattened discovery. Independent tastemakers once drove serendipity, trust, and cultural depth. It may be time to bring them back.
Rethinking discovery on your platform?
A few days ago, my business partner Rob called me with rare enthusiasm. He’d stumbled across a user on Spotify who was curating playlists that genuinely aligned with his taste. He was discovering artists he hadn’t heard before, not because an algorithm nudged him there, but because someone else had taken the time to curate with intent.
Moments like that used to be common. Now they’re rare.
There was a time when discovery was driven by people. Radio programmers, DJs, writers, and passionate fans shaped taste and introduced audiences to the unexpected. Early streaming platforms carried some of that spirit too. User-generated playlists played a meaningful role in helping listeners find new music through trusted curators.
Over time, that shifted.
As platforms took tighter control of their browse and discovery surfaces, user-led curation was pushed aside in favour of centrally managed, performance-optimised playlists. The result is efficiency, but also sameness. Discovery becomes predictable. Serendipity disappears.
What we’ve lost isn’t just variety, it’s visibility. It’s hard to know who has great taste anymore. There’s no clear way to follow, trust, or support independent tastemakers. Discovery becomes a matter of luck, not design.
This is one of the few cases where looking backwards might help us move forward.
Independent tastemakers still exist. They’re curating quietly, without recognition or reward. Platforms could surface them, give them identity, and acknowledge their role in shaping culture. Badges, visibility, early access, or simple attribution would go a long way.
The best discovery experiences come from the unexpected. People introduce us to things we didn’t know we were looking for. If platforms want to rebuild trust and depth, celebrating human curation alongside algorithms feels like a necessary step.
The question isn’t whether algorithms are useful. It’s whether we’ve allowed them to crowd out the very thing that made discovery exciting in the first place.