Spotify helps you create a personalized workout playlist

A sample Spotify workout playlist we created using the new generator

Spotify has a new playlist generator to help curate your next workout playlist. It combines your taste and your quiz answers to build the playlist for you. It asks you how long your workout session is, with the selection ranging from 15 minutes to two hours; whether you want it to be a mix of music and podcasts or not; and if you're okay with adding explicit content.  

You need to put what kind of workout you're going to do. There are options like yoga, cardio, biking, lifting, dance, and more. It'll then inquire if you're working out by yourself, with a partner, with kids, and the like. The quiz generator will then ask for the "workout vibe" you're going for, options include "Totally Zen," "Get Movin'," "Pumped Up," and more. You then need to pick one to two genres you'd like to listen to. 

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Spotify tests redesign of desktop app, looks similar to web player

Spotify might be thinking to unify its desktop app and web player. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong spotted the potential redesign, which she noted looks almost the same as the web player. Controls are more or less the same, but this means it could be less confusing to jump from the web app to the desktop app. 

Some users have already reported getting the new interface, but are complaining about things like not being able to sort playlists by name, song date, etc.; search for songs within playlists; or receive a warning if you're adding a duplicate song to the playlist. But again, this is still a test, and we hope Spotify improves usability. It isn't clear yet if more users will be getting the new version. Wong also mentions that lyrics are coming to the desktop, too.

Spotify Premium Duo launches in Canada, costs $12.99 per month

Spotify Premium Duo is now available in Canada for $12.99 a month. It targets partners or roommates looking to save some money on their subscription. The company has been testing the feature in other markets and now comes to 55 more markets. Canadian Spotify Premium subscribers usually pay $9.99 a month, and with this plan, you would save around $7 monthly.

If you haven't tried Premium before, Spotify throws in a free month before it charges you the monthly fee. Pairs also get a personalized Duo Mix playlist that combines you and your partner's music preferences. You each get individual accounts, but you would share the expense. If you're both Premium users already, you can change to a Duo plan to keep your existing libraries.

Source: Spotify

Apple Music, Spotify supports #BlackLivesMatter in an unprecedented fashion

Apple Music is using its platform to stand with #TheShowMustBePaused and #BlackLivesMatter social equality movements in response to widespread unrest, violent protests, and riots that have affected various American cities. The past few days have seen a swell of civic unrest after the death of George Floyd, a black man that died while being restrained by police officers in Minneapolis. Visiting Apple Music and going to any of its stations or the Browse section leads to the above page and a Listen Together call to action which plays only black music, much of which is timely in this time of protest. 

Update on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at 8:55AM by Nicole Batac

Spotify, for its part, placed black filter over the covers of some of its prominent playlists and podcasts, while adding eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence to these participating playlists and podcasts—which is the length of time officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck.