“Curation is a specific mode of creativity that's more based in analogical thinking and juxtaposition and categorization. The best curators are critics too … It's not enough to be a great subject matter expert. You also have to have a deep understanding of the spheres of art, aesthetics, commerce and technology, and be someone who's constantly thinking about those things through multiple lenses.” — Meg Tarquinio, PhD

If you use Spotify, you know that the platform is a delightful mixture of human and algorithmic curation. There’s even a term for this: “algotorial.” Part editorial and part algorithmic, this approach combines the best of both worlds to create addictive listening experiences.

But try to look under the hood, and it’s often hard to tell what’s really going on. That’s why it was thrilling to find Spotify’s former Head of Curation Strategy, Meg Tarquinio, to talk about the craft of curation.

Meg speaks thoughtfully as a curation practitioner, strategist, and manager, as well as an academic who thinks deeply about these things.

Highlights, inspiration and key learnings:

The responsibility of curation and the ‘anxiety of influence’
Spotify playlists and the algotorial approach
Human vs algorithmic curation, and the myth of taste
Adapting to new curation models and landscapes
Why working on a tarmac is a terrific job for a grad student

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Ep. 12: Elections