Why I Built Tune Tracker: My Battle Against the Algorithm
Let's get straight to the point: I'm not your average listener. With over 150,000 minutes clocked on my Spotify Wrapped every year, music isn't just background noise to me. It's fuel.
You'd think that someone who listens that much would know exactly what's going on in the music world. That I'd be on top of every new single, album, or EP drop.
Yet, it kept happening. I'd be at a party or hanging out with friends, and someone would ask:
Hey, what do you think of that new track they dropped last week?
Silence. Last week?!
How could I have missed it? I listen to music all day long.
It was incredibly frustrating. As both a developer and a hardcore music fan, I asked myself: "Why is it still so hard in 2024 to simply know when my favorite artist releases something new?"
The Notification "Black Hole"
Don't get me wrong, Spotify is great. We depend on it. They offer things like Release Radar and the "What's New" bell icon.
But as someone who uses it heavily, I noticed pretty quickly that the system has some real gaps:
- It's Random: Why do I get a notification for an artist I liked three years ago, but zero alerts for my current favorite artist?
- It's Cluttered: My Release Radar is often filled with tracks from artists I listened to once by accident.
- Lack of Control: There's no filter. I want to know about albums and singles, but I don't need a push notification for every obscure "Live at Tokyo" version or a questionable remix.
The result? Even with 150,000 minutes of listening time, I was still relying on luck. I was tired of playing catch-up.
"If you want it done right..."
I tried everything. I everyday checked my favorite artists' social media. I subscribed to record label newsletters (and flooded my inbox). But nothing worked the way I needed it to.
So, as a developer, I decided: I'll build it myself.
That's how Tune Tracker was born. It didn't start as a product; it started as a necessity. I wanted a tool that communicates directly with Spotify but puts me back in the driver's seat.
What I Did Differently
When developing Tune Tracker, I focused on four principles based on my own frustrations:
- 100% Completeness: No algorithm deciding what's "relevant" for me. If I follow an artist, I want to know everything. Period.
- Instant Notifications: I want to be notified the moment a new release is available.
- Auto-Add to Playlists: Automatic addition of new releases directly to a specific playlist.
- Zero Clutter: The choice to ignore specific release types, like remixes or live versions, when adding to a playlist.
From Hobby Project to Tune Tracker
What started as something I built for myself has grown into a full platform once I realized I wasn't the only one dealing with "music FOMO".
Listening to music should feel fun, not like keeping up with a checklist. After I automated my own release tracking, I finally went back to being the friend who hears the new album first instead of last.
Once that part was solved, I wanted to add features that would benefit everyone, not just the die-hard collectors.
We all enjoy the rush of Spotify Wrapped, but it shouldn't be something you wait all year for. With Tune Tracker, you get monthly recaps that update on their own. Every day you can see your latest trends, detailed stats, and exactly how much time you spent listening each month and each day.
And because music is something we love to talk about, you can share your stats with a single tap with the monthly recap feature.
If you're tired of missing new releases from the artists you follow, Tune Tracker is built to keep you up to date.
