This week we’re joined by friend of the pod Dr. Jason Costello, as we take a slight diversion for the usual format and discuss algorithms, Spotify and the future of music.

It may come as a surprise to some people, but algorithmic music has been around in various forms since the 1950s. The first instance of computer-generated composition dates back to 1955-56, where Lejaren Hiller and Leonard Issacson at the University of Illinois used a high-speed computer to create the Illiac Suite. The piece itself was composed by a computer and later performed by a string quartet.

So the concept of computer generated music pre-dates a lot of the music we all know and love. And computers have been used to create, and aid in the creation of music for decades.

Similarly, algorithms have been used for many, many years to do any number ...