Amazon’s music recommendations – spectacularly wrong

Amazon automatically suggests product you might wish to buy, based on previous transactions/searches. Sometimes it works, selling you stuff you hadn’t thought of buying.

But mostly, in my case, the predictions are risible – the clever software suggests stuff I wouldn’t have in the house even if it was free.

Amazon’s latest suggestions made me laugh out loud – it’s as if some darkly comic software has been programmed to suggest music guaranteed to make me contemplate suicide:



Hello, Mr Smith, Amazon.co.uk has new recommendations for you based on items you purchased or told us you own. We recommended the items because you purchased or rated:
› Van Morrison - Live At Montreux 1974/1980
› Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back (65 Tour Deluxe Edition) [1965]

(Amazon suggestions)

· Chrome Dreams II: +DVD
· The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Limited Edition) (3CD)
· In Concert November 1975 by Richard and Linda Thompson
· I'm Not There (OST)
· Just Roll Tape: 26 Apr 1968/Studio Demos by Stephen Stills
· Live At The BBC by Sandy Denny
· Under the Blacklight by Rilo Kiley

Crikey! A more laughable wants list would be difficult to compile for me.



Gerry Smith