Transforming music listeners to subscribers: music recommendation system’s impact on customer subscription intention with the mediating role of customer experience

Purpose Exploring the critical role of recommendation system characteristics (Accuracy, Novelty, and Diversity) in shaping customer experience and their subsequent impact on customers’ intention to subscribe to online music streaming services, by addressing the gap in existing literature and focusing on their nontechnical implications. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework was developed to investigate the proposed direct and indirect relationships. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from 400 respondents who have used music streaming platforms. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypotheses and examine the fit of the conceptual model. Findings The findings highlight the substantial direct and indirect effects of recommendation system accuracy on customer subscription intention and experience. In contrast, novelty and diversity have less direct impacts on subscription intention. However, they influence it indirectly through the mediating role of customer experience. Originality/value The originality of this research lies in its focus on the intersection of consumer behavior and technology adoption within the music streaming sector. Unlike traditional studies that emphasize algorithmic or technical aspects of recommendation systems, this paper shifts the focus to psychological and behavioral outcomes, such as customer experience and subscription intention. This perspective is underexplored and offers a novel contribution to both academia and industry.