Spotify SongDNA lets you discover how your favourite songs are linked

Source: Spotify

If you're a music lover who enjoys doing deep dives into your favourite tracks, Spotify has started to roll out the beta version of its SongDNA feature. Available for Spotify Premium subscribers on iOS and Android, SongDNA shows you more than the singer, songwriter or producers. The beta feature expounds on the existing About the Song feature. It displays other connections, including covers of the track, information on samples, interpolations, and other projects in which the song's collaborators are involved. Spotify plans to complete the rollout of SongDNA sometime in April.

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Spotify tests custom prompts for creating personalized playlists

Source: Spotify

Spotify is testing out a new artificial intelligence-backed method to create personalized playlists on the platform. The streaming service's Prompted Playlist beta feature has started rolling out in New Zealand on December 11. It allows you to create a custom prompt to describe the type of music you want in a new playlist. It takes into consideration your individual taste but also "taps into your entire Spotify listening history, all the way back to day one."

The prompts can be as broad or specific as you like, and you can instruct Spotify to automatically update the playlist with new songs. There is an "ideas" tab in the playlist's setup screen, so you can get inspiration for the kinds of things you can prompt. Each song will have a short description to explain why the algorithm picked a particular track, so that you can fine-tune your prompt in the future. It is currently only available in English, but the company plans to introduce more options in the future.

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Spotify updates control features for easy navigation

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Spotify updated several control features to make it easier to use the app, with many gradually rolling out to the service. Premium users are getting a redesigned queue interface, which now has quick access to shuffle, smart shuffle, repeat, and sleep timer controls. You'll also see what the streaming service recommends after your queued tracks are done. Premium users can also access its Jam feature to listen with friends in real-time and its AI Playlist feature.

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Spotify plans to pay creators of popular videos

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Spotify wants to go head-to-head with YouTube. It plans to start paying creators who post popular videos based on the engagement they get from paid subscribers. The streaming service also intends to eliminate automated ad breaks for paid subscribers to encourage them to watch more videos. These changes will take effect starting January 2, 2025, in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia. This incentive will pit them directly against YouTube, which is also leaning heavily on video podcasts and paying creators in shared ad revenues.

Spotify creators can access their payout details in a hub called Spotify for Creators. The platform can also show if they're eligible for the payments, display more detailed analytics, and offer the option to upload short, vertical videos. It's unclear how much Spotify plans to pay the video content creators on its platform. However, Spotify spokesperson Grey Munford said creators will see their breakdowns in the hub. And Spotify co-president Gustav Söderström told The Verge that the rate will be competitive and consumption-based because "it makes no sense for them" otherwise.

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