How to Use the Free Music Recommendations Software at Amazon

Music tastes vary and are very subjective, so often reading a rave review in a music magazine or hearing an album slammed by a friend won't actually indicate how well you might like that CD. An alternate way to get music recommendations is by using the free software at Amazon's website. With just a little time and effort on your part, this program can create a list of recommended music that's based off of your own taste and preferences. With it you can keep on top of all the new music from bands you love, as well as be introduced to new artists in the styles and genres you prefer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Create an account, if you don't have one already. You'll need an account so that Amazon can keep track of your purchases, ratings, and other information that feeds into the recommendations software.
2. When you log in, scan the top of your screen for a message from Amazon that greets you by name and lets you know there are recommendations for you. Click on the "recommendations" link in the message.
3. This should bring up a screen with a variety of recommendations. Scroll down the left side menu and click on the "Music" link to get your music suggestions.
4. Recategorize the list to look at new releases, items coming soon, or all the recommendations at once.
5. Look over the list of recommendations and make corrections. Amazon's software bases this list on a number of factors, some of which might bring unexpected or undesired results. The more purchases you make, and the more corrections to the suggestions list you apply, the better the software will work for you. The first way to correct the list is to check one of two boxes, one to indicate you already own the item, and another to say you're not interested.
6. Alter the program. You may have bought a classical album for your mom, or an industrial music CD for your brother, or on a whim bought the soundtrack for a musical you saw on Broadway. All of these purchases get factored in to your recommendations, and you can end up with a lot of suggestions for music you have no interest in. You can change those factors by clicking the "Fix this" button one one of the undesirable items in your list.
7. Look for a pop up window that will show you the item recommended, and below that, the reason *why* it was offered to you. Here you can mark the item as a gift, or just something that you don't want used to make suggestions. Once you check a box, you should get a small note in red that the update has been "Saved".
8. Improve the program's recommendations by rating the choices on your list. If one of the CDs is an item you own and enjoy, give it a three to five star rating before marking that you own it. If the item was a gift you purchased, and it's something you yourself would never listen to, make sure to rate the album with one star before marking "Not Interested". This will help ensure that the program doesn't bring up that type of music again.
9. After checking boxes and rating items, scroll to the bottom and click on the link for "Refresh your recommendations." This will get rid of any items you didn't like and will move new suggestions into the list.
10. When you find an item on your recommendations list that you're interested in, add it to your shopping cart for purchase, or put it on your wish list. Your wish list can be private, or shared with friends and family who need gift suggestions for you. Either choice will remove the item from your recommendations list, and your interest in the item will be factored into the program for future suggestions.
11. Rate items in the Amazon catalog. You don't have to make a lot of purchases to fine tune the recommendations software. Search through Amazon's site to find music you already own or are familiar with. Scroll down to the section appropriately titled "Rate This Item to Improve Your Recommendations". Here you can give the item a star rating to let Amazon know how much you enjoyed the CD and how high to rank it in the recommendations software. Marking that you own the item also makes sure that you won't see it turn up in the suggestions list.

Tips & Warnings

• Using the rating sections in the recommendations software is for your own personal use. It doesn't affect the album's posted star rating, so don't worry about downrating an album that might be fine for people who listen to that genre.
• Be aware that if you purchase an album by a particular artist, the software will likely then list every other album by that singer or band in your recommendations. If you're sure it's only the one album you'll ever be interested in, be sure to go in and use the "fix this" link to remove the album you've purchased from factoring into future suggestions.