# The iTunes Genius is not a true genius **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 13, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489 "2008-09-13T21:43:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/1 "2008-09-13T21:43:37Z")
So my iTunes updated itself last night (and in the process bricked both of my optical drives - I had to do some googling to sort that out), and apparently it has a new feature, called the Genius. It’s supposed to recommend music based on a song you have chosen. Anyway, I question its genius status. Under “top songs you are missing” it frequently shows songs that I already have, and its recommendations are often bizarre. I selected “Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin, and the so-called genius recommended an album called Austropop Kult by Stefanie Werger. Apparently the connection is that that album contains a version of Mercedes Benz; the rest of the album is German-language pop. So I was curious enough to listen to the sample snippet, and this is what I heard, in a badly-faked American accent: > [@Stefanie Werger](#): > > Oh lord, won’t you buy me a color TV, > Dialing for Dollars is trying to find me, > I went for my livery each day until three, > So lord won’t you buy me a color TV “I went for my livery”? What? I guess I can’t blame that on the genius, but still, “I went for my livery”? ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/2 "2008-09-13T21:45:27Z")
Genius tells me that Billy Idol’s “Sweet Sixteen” is a perfect playlist match for Rammstein’s “Engel”. Go fig. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/3 "2008-09-13T22:15:02Z")
Sounds like it needs either more data, or some tweaking. Is there a method to give it feedback? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/4 "2008-09-13T23:06:21Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Sounds like it needs either more data, or some tweaking. Is there a method to give it feedback? Yes. As more and more users opt-in to the genius feature, it gathers more data as to how people are listening to music, and will get smarter and smarter. Give it time, it’s new. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/5 "2008-09-13T23:44:04Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > Sounds like it needs either more data, or some tweaking. Is there a method to give it feedback? Uninstalling it is a pretty good start. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/6 "2008-09-13T23:53:10Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Uninstalling it is a pretty good start. GASP! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/7 "2008-09-14T00:03:00Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > GASP! :eek: Oh, stop being such a baby. You won’t hurt its feelings. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/8 "2008-09-14T00:05:55Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Oh, stop being such a baby. You won’t hurt its feelings. So, you mean I can stop hugging my Mac every day, and whispering sweet nothings into its USB port? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/9 "2008-09-14T00:07:20Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > So, you mean I can stop hugging my Mac every day, and whispering sweet nothings into its USB port? So it’s white in color for a different reason then, eh? Stop licking it. I saw what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/10 "2008-09-14T00:12:30Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > So it’s white in color for a different reason then, eh? > Stop licking it. I saw what you did there. Fuck! The one time I left my curtains open… ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/11 "2008-09-14T00:17:38Z")
I’ve been hiding the genius sidebar but I’ve used some of the playlists it’s made up from the library based on a particular song. If you haven’t tried it, you highlight the song and press the genius symbol in the lower right-hand corner, it returns a playlist based on that song. Some of them have been pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/12 "2008-09-14T00:34:11Z")
Yeh, I’ve been using it. It gets pretty close to the “base” song, but even when it misses, that’s okay. It’s a nice feature if you like to shuffle your music but want to keep it within a certain mood. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/13 "2008-09-14T01:17:32Z")
Yeah, Smart Shuffle would’ve described better than Genius Playlist for sure but considering how bad the regular shuffle is it _is_ an improvement there. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/14 "2008-09-27T00:14:34Z")
So I finally decided to check out the new itunes/genius. And the friggin thing doesn’t even work with my ipod!!! It only works with songs on my computer’s harddrive, of which I have none. Man, what a waste…Apple still has the mentality that everybody uses auto sync and therefore MUST have a 1:1 mirror on their harddrive? ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/15 "2008-09-27T07:12:40Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > I’ve been hiding the genius sidebar but I’ve used some of the playlists it’s made up from the library based on a particular song. If you haven’t tried it, you highlight the song and press the genius symbol in the lower right-hand corner, it returns a playlist based on that song. Some of them have been pretty good. Ditto that. The genius sidebar isn’t any different than the old music recommendation thing that was at the bottom. The real innovation is the genius playlist creator. It’s come up with some interesting ideas for me. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/16 "2008-09-27T07:15:35Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > So I finally decided to check out the new itunes/genius. And the friggin thing doesn’t even work with my ipod!!! It only works with songs on my computer’s harddrive, of which I have none. Man, what a waste…Apple still has the mentality that everybody uses auto sync and therefore MUST have a 1:1 mirror on their harddrive? It works fine with my ipod. Like any playlist (other than on the go), I have to create the playlist on the computer first and sync it to my ipod, but it shows up just fine. Or were you hoping there would be a genius-on-the-go option? I don’t think that’s possible since genius requires access to the itunes internet database. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/17 "2008-09-27T10:07:46Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > It works fine with my ipod. Like any playlist (other than on the go), I have to create the playlist on the computer first and sync it to my ipod, but it shows up just fine. Or were you hoping there would be a genius-on-the-go option? I don’t think that’s possible since genius requires access to the itunes internet database. You can actually get “genius on the go”, or at least you can with the iPhone.. I’ve used it now and then, just hit the little atom icon when a song is playing, and I get a playlist. Doesn’t mean it’ll be a \*good \*playlist, but it’s \*a \*playlist… ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/18 "2008-09-27T18:16:01Z")
I’m talking about opening itunes on my computer, selecting my ipod, and playing a song from it. It has genius disabled for songs I play from my ipod while connected to my computer. It will only generate from the HARD DRIVE’s library, not the ipods. And since I keep all of my music on my ipod rather than my computer harddrive, Genius is braindead. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/19 "2008-09-27T20:30:29Z")
> [@fusoya](#): > > So I finally decided to check out the new itunes/genius. And the friggin thing doesn’t even work with my ipod!!! It only works with songs on my computer’s harddrive, of which I have none. Man, what a waste…Apple still has the mentality that everybody uses auto sync and therefore MUST have a 1:1 mirror on their harddrive? Yes. What are you going to do when you drop your iPod into a toilet or something? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489/20 "2008-09-27T20:48:56Z")
thats why i love pandora radio [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-itunes-genius-is-not-a-true-genius/463489.md?page=2)