Instagram Investigates Excess Creed Song Recommendations

Instagram acknowledged on October 9 that its platform had been recommending Creed’s 1999 song “Higher” to more users than intended, and said it was continuing to investigate how the recommendations occurred. The track had repeatedly appeared among suggested music for Instagram posts and Stories, including for users who said it did not relate to what they were sharing. The company’s statement confirms the unusual recommendations but does not identify their technical cause or say whether they have stopped. Pamela Ross, a communications specialist, told CNN that “Higher” appeared as a suggestion when she posted pictures of dinner plates or her cat. She said she did not follow Creed or listen to the band. Other users described seeing the song repeatedly and posted about it on social media in August and September. Instagram’s music suggestions can draw on factors such as a user’s previous song selections and details in the image or video being posted. The company did not explain why “Higher” was being recommended so broadly. Its spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing; reports also said engineers were working on a fix, but no resolution was confirmed.