Connor Shea

Tim Clerico

Doug Turnbull

John Hunter

Brontë Cook

Vera Crabtree

The original Application Program Interface (API) for our Localify.org app was a bit of a mess. It was developed in an “evolutionary” manner as our frontend and backend were being created. That is, it was never really thought through with good RESTful design principles and it did not include any form of documentation. So, our team made it a priority this summer to rewrite our API to better suit the application’s needs as well as provide thorough documentation for our new set up. Our API refactor was greatly influenced by Spotify’s API, since Localify makes have use of their music information and playlisting resources.

One idea in particular that we inherited from the Spotify API was the idea of having objects. An object might be a user, an artist, a recommendation, an event, etc. 

We have simple and complex versions of each object. In certain scenarios, only a small amount of information associated with the object is necessary, so sending the front-end this simplified object efficiently and effectively gets the job done. For example, the simple artist object for The Beatles looks like this:

	'tags': ['psychedelic rock', 'classic rock', 'british invasion']

In other scenarios, the frontend requires more, and often nested, information. For example, we might list similar artists or events for a given artist.  An example of the complex object for the The Beatles would be something like this: 

	'tags': ['psychedelic rock', 'classic rock', 'british invasion'],

Incorporating simple and complex objects in our code helps improve the program’s overall simplicity and efficiency. This has also helped in preventing recursive information loops. For example, if we consider an artist A with a list of similar artists including artist B. We would not want to list the similar artists for artist B since it might include artist A, and so on. So in this case, we would provide a complex object for A and then create the list of similar artists with simple artist objects to break the recursive information loop.

When brainstorming to determine what information would be sent for each simple and complex object, I worked closely with our team’s lead frontend developer Nic Wands. Together, we identified which pieces of information were essential, which pieces would only be essential in certain scenarios, and which components the frontend never needed to see in order to properly render the web app. This discussion allowed us to pinpoint the data that would be sent for each object’s simplified and complex information. 

We identified six objects in particular that we were interested in refactoring to make Localify more efficient. The objects that I worked with the majority of the time were artists, events, scenes, venues, users, and recommendations. Check out our original API Design document if you are interested in seeing which pieces of information we initially chose to include for each object’s simple and complex forms.

Once determining how we wanted our new API to work, we shifted gears towards documentation. We utilized the website Apiary to document each object and each function as well as mockup sample HTTP requests and responses. We organized our functions into categories based on their purpose within Localify. This documentation is beneficial because it will allow future members of our team to easily grasp the format of our API. And hopefully, it will allow future outside developers to utilize our application’s API with clarity.

Most importantly, we have found it to be essential that we stay on top of updating our API documentation. We are always working to enhance Localify and the user experience. When changes are made that impact the structure of the API, it’s important to reflect these changes on our API documentation. 

Taking on this API refactor was very fulfilling for me. As a new member of the team, it gave me a better understanding of both the frontend and backend of Localify. The process helped me get familiar with the code and feel comfortable making adjustments to both ends of the program. This deep dive into the API helped to strengthen some of my technical skills as well since I have not worked this closely with APIs in the past.

Since taking on this API refactor, I have continued to work to enhance Localify as a full-stack developer, and plan to do so until the end of the year. I am currently looking for a tech internship related to music information retrieval for the upcoming summer. I look forward to taking the skills and knowledge I’ve learned while on the Localify team and utilizing them with my future endeavors. 

Our team made it a priority this summer to rewrite our API to better suit the application’s needs as well as provide thorough documentation for our new set up.

Refactoring The Localify API

I just finished watching The Social Dilemma and it rocked me to my core. It is a documentary about societal problems and how they are exacerbated by social media: childhood depression, suicide, political polarization, radicalization, etc.

The film is told from the perspective of Silicon Valley tech insiders who had helped to design and develop services like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. It also uses dramatic re-enactments to personify how a recommender system algorithm is designed to capture a user’s attention with sophisticated machine learning techniques not unlike the ones that I teach in some of my courses. 

These recommender systems have been trained on enormous amounts of personal data that is being collected while users engage with these addictive services. What The Social Dilemma points out is that these “free” services produce terrible externalities and face almost no regulations. They are being used both by advertisers and political actors to influence their users in often harmful ways without the users even knowing it.

When it comes to media recommendations (i.e., movies, TV shows, music), there is a less detrimental, but still significant, problem caused by commercial bias. The problem is the record labels pay streaming music services (e.g., Spotify, Apple Music) to surface the songs by their artists on high-traffic playlists and through personalized recommendations.  

As a result, users become unfairly exposed to specific songs, and due to the mere exposure effect, they will tend to prefer these more familiar “sponsored songs” over time.  This, in turn, prevents other talented artists from being discovered as they might in a more fair marketplace.

While this is not illegal, I would argue that it is unethical because

users are often unaware they are being fed “sponsored songs” instead of high-quality recommendations, and

it creates a “pay to play” barrier for many artists.

Together, these two problems combine to potentially create a homogenous music landscape in which a few wealthy record labels can dictate music tastes to large groups of users through the control of a small number of music streaming platforms.

A failed promise to “Democratize the Music Industry”

When I was starting out my academic career in music technology as an undergrad in the late 90s, there was a grand vision for a “Celestial Jukebox”. This service and/or device would give listeners instant access to any song anywhere anytime. The path started with peer-to-peer sharing on Napster then moved on to the Apple iTunes store, and finally reached the end game with music streaming apps like Spotify that are now installed on millions of smartphones.

The realization of this Celestial Jukebox along with the availability of inexpensive music recording software has been long thought to lead to the democratization of the music industry (Huffpost 2008.) However, having music be accessible, and having music be surfaced are two very different things. Music streaming services are the modern-day equivalent to radio DJs but unlike terrestrial radio, there are no laws that prevent streaming services from creating a pay-to-play marketplace.    

I have many friends, colleagues, and former students working for the big music streaming services. They are good people who love music and want to support artists. But as I watched The Social Dilemma, I was struck by the refrain from many designers and software developers: They all start out with beautiful ideas and the best of intentions but lament their creations once a greedy business model and the need to satisfy investors takes over. They feel a sense of guilt once their runaway social media companies lose their way and inflict harm on their users. Sadly, I believe that this may also be the case for many of the music streaming services as well.

Tristan Harris was one of the central voices featured in the Social Dilemma. He spent years working on various Google products before becoming disillusioned and starting the Center for Humane Technology. The center’s main goal is to educate people about the potential evils of social media. As a parent, technologist, and concerned citizen, I think this is a noble cause that we need now more than ever.

For the past few years, my students and I have been developing a locally-focused music recommendation system called Localify.org. The idea is to connect a listener’s favorite artists on Spotify with talented local artists through automatic playlist generation and live event recommendation. The idea that exposure to a local artist on Spotify will lead to interest in attending a recommended show, and ultimately supporting the local artist over a longer period of time.  

My hope is that Localify.org can serve as an example of humane technology. Our goal is to use music recommendation to lift up local music communities by surfacing music from hard-working artists. These artists might live in the community or come to town to share their musical talents through live shows.

Developing local music communities, in turn, helps to financially sustain both artists and small businesses (e.g., venues, recording studios.) It gets people out into the parks and bars and clubs to socialize and to dance. And speaking from personal experience, it motivates kids to learn to play music and to find friends to play music with.

As discussed in the documentary, we vote with our clicks so by choosing to stream local music is a way to show support for your local community.

The Music Streaming Dilemma

Back in March when COVID-19 effectively canceled all live music events for the foreseeable future, we were forced to take down Localify because much of our initial design we focused on event recommendation. 

We went back to the drawing board and decided to re-imagine Localify as a tool to help promote music scenes. Our big new improvements are:

Recommendation of artists who originate from or are based out of specific music scenes

Including colleges and universities as scenes

Detailed artist, venue, and scene pages for deeper exploration

Crowdscoring features to help us learn about which artists are part of which scenes. 

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Localify is back with a renewed focus on support local artists and local music scenes.

Relaunching Localify

Throughout the last few months, COVID-19 has had an intimate and growing impact on lives and industries across the globe. The number of cases in the U.S. now surpasses 240,000, and people across the states are increasingly practicing social distancing to help prevent the spread of the disease. While self-isolation is a necessary and proven tactic to “flatten the curve,” it also threatens industries that depend on in-person gatherings and live events, affecting many local musicians.  

Across the nation, musicians have been forced to cancel and postpone a variety of musical events. The majority of touring artists have canceled upcoming appearances, and large music festivals like South by Southwest, Ultra Miami, and Coachella have faced a similar fate. Many recording studios across the country have also been forced into temporary closure as artists, like millions of others across the nation, participate in self-isolation.

The cancellation of music events not only presents barriers to the industry as a whole but to individual artists themselves — especially those that don’t have significant funds or a large national following.

The cancellation of music events poses a unique threat to local artists, many of whom rely on in-person performances for their income and social traction in the industry. Without these events, they will likely face both social and financial hardships that will undoubtedly have ripple effects in years to come. 

The importance of social distancing and the desire to support local artists presents a unique paradox, as support often comes in the form of concert attendance. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to support local artists from the comfort of our own homes. 

How to support local artists – from afar

Making playlists — the ultimate quarantine activity

While the Corona virus-imposed social isolation is not necessarily ideal, it does provide a unique opportunity for us to clear our heads, engage with our creative spirits and spend some deeply personal time exploring new music and new artists. And, in today’s widely technological world, it is easier than ever to do so.

While we may be unable to see local artists perform in person, we can still support them by streaming and familiarizing ourselves with their music. This can come in many forms. For me, it meant taking a bit of time to create a new playlist that featured my favorite local artists, both from my hometown and my college town. I also reached beyond Spotify’s “Top 50” playlist in search of artists I had never before heard of, or maybe ones that I had heard but never paid much attention to. Every day, I make an effort to familiarize myself with new tunes, artists and musical styles that I never would have found on one of Spotify’s popular curated playlists. 

As a music fanatic, I am happy to spend hours upon hours scouring Spotify for hidden gems — but that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you lack the time, resources or desire to make a new playlist for yourself, many artists and organizations are offering up their own curated playlists that explore a variety of genres and tunes. 

Exploring unknown music also extends beyond just Spotify itself. Today, many upcoming artists release projects and EPs on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and a variety of other music streaming websites. Exploring these websites can be another great way to step out of our comfort zones all while providing support to artists who need it.

Audiences are much more likely to listen to music or artists if they are familiar with them or can connect to them on a personal level. So, in digging for new and relatively unexplored artists and familiarizing ourselves with them, we increase the likelihood we will attend their events and stream their music in the future. 

Artist livestreams — concerts from your couch

I’ll be the first to admit that making playlists on Spotify doesn’t always match the thrill and excitement of attending a concert. Concerts, especially for local artists, are defined by a sense of community and vulnerability that can’t always be emulated through music streaming websites. However, as artists increasingly cancel their live events, many are taking to the internet to share their performances via livestream — and it can be a great way to get to know them better.

With livestream concerts, there is little-to-no social risk when it comes to the spread of the virus — audience members can attend their performances without ever leaving the couch. They are usually convenient, affordable and provide a feasible way for people to watch their favorite artists in action. 

While many artists are providing free livestreams, others use virtual concerts as a way to raise money — either for their own benefit or for the benefit of others. Recently, British indie artist The Japanese House donated the proceeds from a virtual concert to The Outside Project, a London-based LGBTQIA+ organization that runs a shelter and community center.

If you can’t afford to pay a large sum for a virtual concert, not to worry — many artists are offering access to their performances on a “pay what you can” basis.

And, the best part? These performances aren’t very hard to find. In places like Pittsburg, PA, and Austin, TX and Brooklyn, NY local media outlets have taken it upon themselves to keep audiences updated on upcoming livestream concerts and events. Bigger outlets like Pitchfork have created calendars that share virtual events across all genres and interests. Additionally, many artists are offering up livestream information through their own websites and social media accounts. NPR even offers a Google Form that allows people to submit livestream concerts to be considered for their ever-growing list.

As I said, it can be hard for a virtual concert to match the thrill and excitement of an in-person one — but it also adds something new. Because of social-distancing, many artists stream from their own homes or small studios. This offers a chance for audiences to watch their favorite artists in a comfortable and vulnerable environment without the glitz and glamour of larger concert venues. 

As both a music fanatic and shopaholic, I know I will take advantage of almost any opportunity to buy artist merch — and now is the perfect time. Along with live performances and tours, artists make a significant portion of their revenue from merchandise sales. For many of these artists, a big chunk of their merchandise sales happen at concerts — concerts that, now, won’t be happening. 

So, if you’re looking to support one of your favorite artists (especially local ones), a good way to do so is to invest in their merchandise. Artist merchandise can often be found on the artists’ websites or on their social media pages. 

The financial impact of buying merch doesn’t end at the artists themselves. In mid-March, Bandcamp announced a campaign to waive its share of merchandise sales, instead of using the revenue to help support artists affected by COVID-19. In one day, fans purchased $4.3 million in merchandise — more than 15 times the website’s typical sales. So, if you’re looking to buy merch, keep an eye out for campaigns such as this one, as they could help you make an even greater impact on the artists you are looking to support. 

While the future of the virus and its impact on the music industry might be scary and ambiguous, we must remember to keep supporting artists from afar. Whether this means buying artist merchandise, donating concert ticket refunds back to the artists or making Spotify playlists curated to represent local artists themselves, every little bit helps — and it represents our dedication to our own communities. 

While Localify.org’s mission to bring light to local music events is temporarily obstructed, our dedication to bringing music communities together is still very much alive. In this time of isolation, building a sense of community is more important than ever. Messages about checking up on our neighbors and the need for communal well-being continue to flood social media sites, reminding us of the never-ending importance of keeping our spirits up and our communities close. This extends to our local music communities, as well.


For more information on Localify.org and our response to the global pandemic, check out our info page and recent statement on COVID-19.

Throughout the last few months, COVID-19 has had an intimate and growing impact on lives and industries across the globe.

Supporting Local Music During COVID-19

In the midst of this COVID- 19, the Localify team hopes everyone is taking care of themselves and their loved ones.  

Due to the effects of this pandemic, including the mass cancellations of local music events, we have decided to take Localify offline. Localify’s mission is to bring you music recommendations that will entice you to experience these local artists at their live shows. It would be irresponsible to continue that mission during the pandemic. During this hibernation, our team is working remotely and collaborating on exciting new features to bring to our listeners.

These days at home are the perfect time to discover new local artists in your area and take your mind off the craziness of COVID-19. Kick back, put your headphones on, throw a virtual dance party with your friends, and experience local musicians in the comfort of your home. 

While you jam out and work from home, local artists still need your support. Our team wants to encourage the continued support of local artists even if it means you can’t go see them live. 


Look out for online live stream events and support artists whenever possible!

If you are willing and able, instead of refunding your tickets to those local shows, we encourage you to donate that ticket money to the venue so that they are able to pay their employees and the musicians. 

If one of your favorite local artists has merch, show them some love and support by purchasing a new t-shirt or hoodie. 

Choose to listen to your favorite artists on music streaming services.

Live shows may be canceled, but listening to your favorite local artists and discovering new artists is not. 

Our COVID-19 Statement

“Buy local.” This is likely a phrase you’ve heard before. You might have seen it promoted in the storefront windows of small, independent businesses or heard it in passing at your neighborhood farmers market. You might have even seen it on a bumper sticker or on the label of your favorite local beer.

Throughout the last decade, the global presence of large corporations like Amazon has made it difficult for independent businesses to get the financial support they need, as they are often unable to compete with the cheap prices and mass production. So, across the nation, initiatives like Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs and “Small Business Saturday” have gained significant momentum and spread the idea that it’s important to give back to the community. 

Many studies show that shopping locally has a number of benefits, one being that it helps consumers build strong, positive connections with other people in their community. It’s also more eco-friendly than online or corporate retail shopping, as it limits the amount of waste produced and curbs carbon emissions from product transportation.

There are countless social and environmental benefits to local shopping. But most importantly, it’s proven to have profound impacts on the local economy. 

According to a recent Civics Economics study, $68 of every $100 spent at a local business filter back into the community. This money goes to the business owners and employees, and contributes to the upkeep of the business. However, when you shop at chain or department stores, the amount of money given back to the community drops to $43. In these situations, the majority of the profit tends to circulate within upper-level employees and fund the company’s regional, national or global expansion. 

People most frequently associate local spending with eating at local restaurants and shopping at small, locally-owned stores. What people don’t often think about, however, are the economic benefits of supporting local music. 

For centuries, music has played a crucial role in societies all over the world. Today, technology makes various musical styles and genres more accessible than ever before. As the entertainment industry continues to grow and expand, music and art scenes have become an extremely critical source of income for people and communities all over the country.

Financially supporting local artists, musicians, venues, and retailers is a crucial way people can give back to their communities. It not only benefits local artists and venues but consumers themselves and the community as a whole.

Take the idea of attending a local concert, for example. Throughout my time at Ithaca College, I’ve attended a number of concerts at The Haunt — a local venue that provides a space for local artists and musicians to share their craft with a local audience. 

When I go to these concerts, I typically pay anywhere from $10-25 for a ticket to the show. I’ll buy a few bucks worth of appetizers or drinks, and usually end up spending $20-30 on the artist’s merchandise. (No, I probably didn’t need that new hoodie, but tell that to my shopping addiction — and at least I’m supporting a local band!) If you apply the aforementioned Civics Economics study results to my spending, approximately 70% of the money I’ve spent on this experience is directly recirculated into the community. By the end of the night, I’ve financially contributed to local artists, venues and retailers — and I didn’t have to spend more than $50 to do so. 

This is vastly different than the experiences I’ve had attending concerts at bigger venues, like Madison Square Garden or, when I’m home in Minneapolis, the Xcel Energy Center. I’ve seen my fair share of big-name artists, including Taylor Swift (a big night for 14-year-old me), Ariana Grande, Louis the Child and Chance the Rapper. 

In my experience, tickets to see big-name performers like these ones cost well over $100, a price that many seem to be willing to pay to see someone who is featured on that month’s most popular Spotify playlist. On top of this already-inflated ticket price, attendees often also end up paying for artist merchandise (usually overpriced), drinks (definitely overpriced) and transportation which, for those located in Ithaca, can include a 5-hour bus to New York City. With all of these costs, the individual price of attending mainstream artist performances in well known venues like MSG can exceed $200 — approximately $175 more than I typically spend at The Haunt.

For many, an experience like this can seem worth it, especially if the performer is one of their favorite artists — but the public’s dedication to big-name artists and large venues is also a direct result of the brand-name consumerism that dominates today’s popular culture. This type of consumer culture is obvious in places like the fashion industry, demonstrated by the popularity and success of brands like Calvin Klein, Supreme and Gucci. But, in the music industry, its impact is often overlooked.

When attending concerts of this nature, consumers are financially contributing to venues, artists and labels that already make a significant profit off of the artist’s music and image. 

Local concerts: your support goes a long way

But local concerts are different, and your financial contributions can go a long way. Just as buying locally can help restaurants and businesses withstand potentially financial difficulties, contributing money to local musicians can help them make a living off of their craft — something they often strive for but have difficulty achieving. Plus, an increased audience sizes can increase the artist’s fan base, giving them the confidence and assurance they might need to pursue a career in music. 

If venues know that they have consistent financial support from those in the community, they will also be able to comfortably expand staff, hours and performances, helping them to grow and gain influence in the area. This will then allow them to showcase more local artists and ultimately draw in a wider audience, perpetuating a cycle of giving back to community-centered art and music. 

Next time you think of purchasing a ticket to a concert, consider looking up local performances in lieu of a weekend trip to New York City. If nothing else, it can be a fun way to spend an otherwise boring evening at a limited cost. Who knows — you might discover your new favorite artist who you just might even run into at a local coffee shop. 

This is exactly why we built Localify.org: to show folks that there are great musicians all around us. In reality, most artists do not have recording contracts with big-name labels or play in giant stadiums. They live, work and play in our communities. They’re playing at places like The Haunt, local auditoriums or bars, and coffee shops. 

By playing these local artists’ songs alongside tracks made by your favorite artists on Localify’s personalized Spotify playlists, we hope that people will recognize that you don’t have to travel far to find great music.

Buy Local, Listen Local

It’s an exceptionally warm Sunday in September, and the central neighborhoods of Ithaca, NY are more lively than usual. Shirtless toddlers dance barefoot on the warm pavement as college students cheerfully sip iced coffee in the shade of nearby trees. Elderly couples lounge in lawn chairs and families parade down the streets, singing and dancing to live music. Around them, the entire neighborhood pulsates with the sweet, jubilant sounds of local performers. 

This was Ithaca’s 13th annual Porchfest. Every year, homeowners in the city’s Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods dedicate their porches as stages for local artists. This year, local bands and musicians populated over 100 porches to share their music with the community, representing an extremely diverse range of genres including 60s Motown, Americana vocal soul, and improvisational funk- jazz-rock (just to name a few.)

Throughout the last decade, Porchfest has become one of the most anticipated events in the Ithaca community. It began in 2007, when two Fall Creek neighbors spontaneously raised the idea of bringing a local music event to the area. They gathered approximately 20 performers to play in the neighborhood, launching the first-ever official Porchfest event. Now, over a decade later, the festival consistently draws hundreds of acts. This year, over 170 musicians performed.

What began as a small festival in a relatively small town has inspired a widespread appreciation for local music; not just locally, but worldwide. 

In the last decade, Porchfest has spread to over 130 cities in North America. From Montreal to Sacramento, communities all over the continent have adopted the event as a platform to celebrate local music and community. This year, it even debuted in Morpeth, Australia! If you do the math, this means that Porchfest gives a stage to over 10,000 artists per year.

I attended Porchfest for the first time in 2017, when I was a freshman at Ithaca College. As a native midwesterner, I barely knew anything about Central New York, let alone Ithaca. I wanted to get to know the community I would be a part of for the next four years, and I figured attending Porchfest would be a great place to start.

The festival was nothing short of magical. Not only was I impressed by the abundance and variety of local artists, but also by the locals’ engagement and pride in their community. The festival opened my eyes to the presence of local art and music initiatives in Ithaca, and how they help cultivate a creative community like no other.

Ithaca has many organizations that support local artists.

Ithaca is known for its commitment to community-centered art; Porchfest is just one example. The town is also home to Ithaca Underground, a local nonprofit that aims to empower local artists, organizers, and community members by providing communal resources and support. The organization encourages locals to tap into music outside the mainstream and stages over 60 local shows a year. 

The city also houses events and collectives that provide opportunities for community members to engage with visual and performance art. The Cherry Arts Collective is a not-for-profit organization that supports a wide range of artists in a variety of disciplines. Recently, the Quinfolk Festival, a new film, arts and mental health festival dedicated to the celebration of queer and trans people of color, offered a respectful space for community members to engage with queer and trans artists. These don’t even begin to cover all the opportunities for community members to engage with local creatives — but they are a few great places to start. 

The presence of local creative spaces not only helps people find ways to engage with art but helps local artists themselves authentically engage with audiences and find their footing in the industry.

Localify.org is a “digital stage” for local artists

Today, streaming platforms dominate the way we consume music. They constantly introduce us to the latest “hits” and curate playlists to our liking. However, popular Spotify playlists are primarily dominated by commercial, mainstream artists. Many of these artists are already prominent in the music industry and have the financial backing of big record labels, leaving little space for local artists to be heard. 

This is exactly why we decided to create Localify. The app is similar to Spotify-curated playlists in that it uses your listening history to create personalized playlists and introduce listeners to music they might be unfamiliar with. However, unlike Spotify playlists that are dominated by mainstream artists, Localify gives local artists a chance to really gain visibility and be discovered within the Spotify ecosystem.

With the support of these audiences, smaller artists can really begin to gain traction. Wider audiences translate into more performances, bigger venues and subsequently bigger paychecks, making it more likely that performers will be able to financially sustain themselves through their craft. 


Events like Porchfest also help to bridge this gap. They provide an opportunity for locals, students and visitors alike to unplug their headphones, turn off their Kanye West or Rihanna-inspired Spotify playlists and get to know the very people who pour their heart, soul and music into the community. 

Porchfest’s international reach demonstrates just how important local music communities are not just to people in our own community, but to thousands of others. The need for local-music oriented communities exists everywhere; we must just take steps to either find them or create them ourselves. 

Community-oriented initiatives like Porchfest (and Localify.org) boost the visibility of local artists

Porchfest Gives Local Artists a Stage

When I was six years old, my grandparents took me to a bluegrass concert in the park near their apartment. We packed a picnic and I wore my favorite sundress. I drank lemonade in the sticky July heat, humming to the tune of the banjo. I convinced my grandfather to dance with me and giggled with delight as he spun me around on the “dancefloor” — a patch of grass near the makeshift stage. The band played until the fireflies came out, at which point I drifted into a sweet sleep under a blanket in my grandmother’s arms. 

I attended high school in Minneapolis, a city that takes great pride in it’s local music scene. In fact, it’s named the second best music scene in the country. This isn’t because it breeds big name artists — although it is home to Prince, Bob Dylan and Lizzo. It’s because Minneapolis-based artists have a unique connection and dedication to their city and community. 

In 2016, I attended three concerts that featured Hippo Campus, an indie boy band that graduated from a local high school just years before I did. Before Lizzo made it big, I saw her perform alongside a group of other local female artists at Rock the Garden, a summer music festival that brings national and local artists together for an afternoon of music appreciation, dancing and fun (and, the year I went, very sweaty mosh pits in 90༠ weather!)

Throughout my teenage years, I attended dozens of local concerts; each time growing more excited and connected to the art. When I was 16, I was introduced to Caroline Smith (now Your Smith), an indie-folk-pop singer who grew up in Minneapolis. She quickly became one of my favorite artists — she was also my best friend’s sister. 

Local music communities like this exist all over the world.  The majority of musicians aren’t heard on commercial radio stations; they’re heard in bars, train stations and community centers. They can be found at obscure festivals, local music venues and art fairs. They are the heartbeat of every community.

While local and community-centered musicians have always played a significant role in the music industry, the rise of technology has changed the way consume music in the 21st century. 

Today, Spotify is the world’s biggest and fastest-growing music streaming platform. In 2017, the app had 377 million song streams; in 2019, it had 217 million active monthly users. Between 2018 and 2019, the number of people using Spotify increased by 44 million. 

While Spotify allows users to create their own playlists, the app’s most popular playlists are curated by the streaming service itself. These playlists account for three-quarters of all followers of the platform’s top 1,000 tracks, demonstrating their influence on listeners’ music taste. 

However, these playlists don’t always authentically represent the diversity of the music industry.  In 2018, the world’s four biggest music labels, including Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, were responsible for nearly 90% of the content on Spotify. Today, these labels continue to dominate user streaming.

While this promotes artists with rising popularity across all genres, it also limits the visibility of smaller, local artists. But, they’re there. You just need to know where to look.

The nature of today’s streaming world makes it easier than ever for aspiring musicians to put their work out into the world. Localify presents a simple, accessible alternative to Spotify generated playlists that can help us discover them. And, it’s really important that we do so — for the artist’s sake and for our own. 

A number of studies show that playing music and participating in the local community has a positive impact on musicians. This isn’t surprising, as it gives these artists an opportunity to share a primary part of their identity with the world. But it also has the potential to significantly impact community members.

Right now, the U.S. is experiencing a loneliness epidemic. Experts say this is largely due to a lack of genuine, human connection, which could be attributed to the expansion of technology. So, while apps like Spotify provide a great platform to start finding new and unfamiliar music, our support for local artists shouldn’t end there. It’s important that we attend live performances and immerse ourselves in the unique culture these artists help cultivate in our communities.

As streaming platforms continue to dominate the way we listen to music, we must remain conscious of what we consume — and recognize what steps we can take to remain loyal to local artists and, in turn, to our communities and ourselves. 

This was my first experience with local music. The first one I remember, anyway. As I grew up, my community continued to shape and expand the way I thought about local music and taught me the meaningful impact it can have on a community.

Local Artists Promote Connection and Community

Localify is a web application designed to help people discover local artists and concerts based on the music they already like. It is built off of Spotify and uses their music library to generate playlists containing music for artists that our algorithms have determined are similar to the artists you already listen to. The application takes a users location and a distance they are willing to travel to use a radius to search for events, then using the users heavy rotation artists from Spotify and our machine learning algorithms it creates recommendations for upcoming events that are specific to each user.

When I first began working on the project back in the end of 2018 my main role was to come up with a way to collect data about events for cities across the country. We were already collecting information from the ticketing service Ticketfly, but wanted to expand to collecting events from Facebook due to it having smaller and more niche events. This proved to be quite the challenge for me, usually I would have been able to use Facebook’s API (Application Program Interface: something that would allow me access the information facebook has with ease), however after all the scandals that followed the 2016 election with Cambridge Analytica, Facebook closed off most of its API and what was left became placed behind complicated application processes. My solution to this was to use a programing library called Selenium which is something called a headless browser and works by automating the functions of a web browser. So I spent a good deal of time writing a robust script that would spoof a user looking at music events in different cities. ( For those interested here is a video of it running )

Then during the spring semester I worked primarily on small updates to the website for a better user experience but also worked a great deal on data analysis with my advisor Doug Turnbull and another student Daniel Akimchuk. Through our research we were able to write a research paper about playlist generation focused around local artists.

Once the summer started my focused shifted towards the machine learning side of things and began to work on an improved recommendation algorithm. Having just finished a Machine Learning course that semester I was rearing to go and spent the first week exploring the best options we had and determining the optimal route forward. I spent the next two weeks trying to implement the algorithm I had settled on for our purpose. We had a bit of a unique case in recommending artists based solely off of other artists we knew they were similar to. In most recommendation systems the data that the algorithms work off of is in a user x item fashion, where each row is a user and the column holds info about how much they liked or disliked a given item. In our case we were working with something more like an item x item dataset which caused some difficulty when trying to use algorithms designed for user x item datasets. However after a little tinkering I was able to get our first artist recommendations out of the model. From there on I shifted over to a more web development role. I spent some time replacing the old recommendation system we had in place with the new model I had created and once it was all set we said goodbye to the old version of Localify forever.

The rest of the summer was spent converting the current web application into an API so that the newly designed frontend of the website designed by another member of the team could interact with and use all the functionality of the app (and so others could as well in the future). And I am proud to say that after all that hard work the web app is currently live for all to try at localify.org

I will be continuing my work on this project for the next semester, until I graduate. Even though a very solid version of the app is currently live, there is still much to do. One of our largest goals is to collect data about how users interact with our site not only as a way to quantify how well the application is working, but also for academic research to be used by Ithaca and other institutions. This entails collecting implicit feedback which is the small interactions user have, something like pressing a button or listening to a track preview is very valuable information for us. We are also planning on sending the project to people who are part of the music streaming industry to get their opinions on it and hopefully gain some publicity for the application.

Finally, at the end of this semester I will officially be graduating from Ithaca College. I am planning on taking a prolonged break from the world of Academia and pursuing a career in the tech industry. However, I do see myself at some point in the future returning to Academia to gain an even higher education and immerse myself in research once again, but for now I am on the job hunt. If you are a current member of the tech industry or specifically work for a music tech company and are looking from someone with experience in Software Engineering, Web Development, and Machine Learning please reach out to me. I am always looking for new and interesting opportunities.

I will be continuing my work on this project for the next semester, until I graduate. Even though a very solid version of the app is currently live, there is still much to do.

Localify: A Student Experience

Ithaca has a superb local music scene. I grew up here and spent a good part of my youth going to late-night shows, outdoor music festivals, and free shows in the public parks. More often then not, the music that was spinning on my trusty Discman was a CD that I had picked up at one of these live music events.

But when I went off to college and then moved to various cities, I found it hard to get into the various local music scenes. It took much time and effort to find events, learn about local bands, and acquire a taste for the local sound.

At the same time, I was researching computational music analysis and reading a bit about music cognition as part of my Ph.D. studies. I began to envision a music recommendation system that would take a user’s mainstream music interests and use them to provide locally-focused artist recommendations.

Flash forward over a decade later through an unsuccessful start-up (Music Search, Inc.) and an 8-year academic project (MegsRadio.fm), I am excited to announce the latest attempt to get people to listen to local music: Localify.org

MegsRadio.fm used the standard personalized radio model (Pandora, Slacker) but the playlist algorithm mixed in songs by local artists with songs by mainstream artists. This might have been a good idea when we started in 2010 but it took us too long to develop the cross-platform app with a (frequently graduating) team of undergraduate students. In the meantime, on-demand celestial jukeboxes like Spotify and Apple Music became a reality and quickly have replaced the personalized radio player model as the dominant way to stream music.

Given the limitations of academic music licenses and the prohibitive costs of developing our own academic celestial jukebox, we decided to explore ways we could leverage existing commercial music streaming services to see if we could co-opt them to help promote local music. Lucky for us, Spotify provides extensive ways to integrate their platform using their expansive public API. So rather than beat them, we decide to join them.

You create a Localify account by logging in using your Spotify username and password.

We recommend upcoming music events in your city based on your “heavy rotation” artists on Spotify

We create personalized playlists that mix together your artists with similar local artists. This playlist is automatically updated every week.

We also send you a personalized email digest every week with shows that you have selected on our web app, as well as event recommendations for your city.

The idea is that there are great local artists all around us. They just need to be heard.By exposing them to you on a playlist along with your favorite artists, the local artists will become more familiar and preferred over time.Then, when you see an upcoming event featuring one of these local artists, you will be more likely to go check it out.

Supporting local farmers and small business owners is good for a number of economic, social and environmental reasons. So is supporting local artists. For example, if you go to 12 shows per year, on average you would spend $270 on local businesses and directly contribute $135 to salaries for people in your community. More importantly, supporting the local artistic community increases the quality of life for everyone! Just imagine life without music. 

Free-to-Use, Ad-Free, Non-for-profit Academic Project

Localify has been primarily designed and developed by students at Ithaca College and Cornell University. It is free-to-use and will never be supported by ads due to the generous support of the National Science Foundation.  In addition, Localify is a platform for research related to machine learning, recommender systems, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.

The idea is that there are great local artists all around us. They just need to be heard.