After a busy year, Spotify has confirmed that it is testing a new feature that uses generative AI to organise playlists. This comes after they introduced Spotify DJ in February 2023, an AI-powered tool that analyses your catalogue and recommends similar music. The music streamer is also expanding its podcast selection after reaching an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, with new podcasts confirmed to be on the way.
Introducing DJ – an entirely new way to play your Spotify, powered by AI. Now rolling out to Premium users in the US and Canada. #SpotifyDJ pic.twitter.com/mVjHnLMcYX
— Spotify (@Spotify) February 22, 2023
New Podcast Signings
Starting in 2015, Spotify has made a big push toward podcast content. Broadening their catalogue from music to generalised audio helped them ride the streaming wave, as other streamers like Netflix also came to prominence after offering original content. That wave hasn’t stopped, as streamed entertainment still grows across a variety of sectors.
Alongside video-on-demand, live streaming allows individuals and companies to host interactive events too. This can be seen in iGaming and similar industries that exist wholly online, where site visitors can play Crazy Time at Paddy’s and other game shows. As more of the entertainment industry moves online, the popularity of streaming on-demand and live content will continue to increase.
After launching their podcasting service, Spotify went through something other streamers have experienced. That was the need for exclusivity, to create original content that makes Spotify the place to be over competitors like iTunes. The company spent $1 billion (£780,000) building its podcast platform, to limited success as explained by Insider Intelligence.
Now Spotify has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to bring high-profile podcasts onto Megaphone, their non-music hosting and monetisation arm. As part of the deal, CNN podcasts like ‘All There Is with Anderson Cooper’ and ‘Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta’ will be hosted by Spotify. So will ‘The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon’ from HBO, ahead of the hit show’s second season. Ultimately, the deal encompasses podcasts from CNN, HBO, Max, Bleacher Report, Adult Swim, and TruTV.
Experimental AI-Generated Playlists
On the musical side of the business, Spotify is continuing its experimentation with generative AI, to improve the users’ experience of their services. After launching Spotify DJ earlier in 2023, they have now confirmed that they are testing AI-generated playlists. The DJ analyses your catalogue and listening habits and then suggests similar songs based on your activity. The new tool being developed aims to create a playlist from a whole lot less than that.
Specifically, it aims to use text prompts to curate a new playlist of songs. This feature has a limited rollout to randomly selected test users, where it should be available in Your Library if you try to create a new playlist.
Prompts work by using words, phrases, or sentences that evoke certain emotions and genres. Prompting AI can be tricky, as detailed here by Harvard’s IT department. That’s probably why Spotify suggests prompts – things like “Get pumped up with fun, upbeat, and positive songs” – which are then used to cobble together songs that should match.
If you’re one of the lucky test subjects, you can also write your own prompts where using genres and emotive phrases will get the best results. It’s unconfirmed, but assumed, that the feature will roll out to everyone if it’s a success.
Source: Unsplash
