Spotivey: A web application for simplified use of the Spotify application programming interface in online questionnaire studies

Abstract

Everyday music listening has become an important research topic during the last decades. However, self-reporting through questionnaire surveys, the received approach for studying individual music consumption, presents methodological challenges. The rise of mobile music streaming and open application programming interfaces introduces new opportunities to address these productively. Spotivey is a free research software that integrates music streaming provider API functionalities into online surveys and in this way allows to connect digital behavioral traces with self-reported questionnaire data. The current version effortlessly retrieves comprehensive information about respondents’ past music listening on Spotify while they fill an online survey. Through an informed consent procedure, General Date Protection Regulation compliance for this new form of digital data donation is ensured. Methodical challenges include participant dropout and the need for robust statistical analysis methods. Planned future enhancements encompass expanding application programming interfaces support, enriching retrieved data with information from other music databases, and compatibility with diverse online survey design systems.