WhistleOut fast facts
- Spotify's AI Playlist feature is now available in beta for select Premium subscribers.
- The feature creates 30-song playlists based on user prompts.
- Spotify says they will continue to develop the feature before making it more widely available.
Spotify has been teasing AI features for the past year, hinting that a new suite of AI-powered tools will arrive with a new ultra-premium Spotify subscription. So far, that new subscription tier has not arrived, but now one of those features, the aptly-titled AI Playlist, is available for beta users in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
AI Playlist allows users to generate unique playlists based on user prompts. You can type in a highly-specific genre mash-up, like “60s garage meets 90s house,” or try something more vibes-based, like “ethereal soundscapes for exiting the dreamscape and entering the world.” AI Playlist will then generate a 30-song playlist based on the prompt and, it appears, your listening history.
Image: Kevin Kearney
I asked a friend to use the feature and he asked for “Mellow hip hop to play in background while I cook.” In seconds, the app fed him a playlist called “Cooking Vibes: Mellow Hip Hop” that ran over two hours, with tracks from Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Outkast, and Slum Village. In that respect, it met the mark, though he pointed out that these were primarily artists he already liked and had listened to in the past. It seemed that AI Playlist had chosen his favorite hip-hop artists’ slower tracks, likely by analyzing his listening history, genre tags, and those tracks’ beats per minute (BPM).
AI playlist is still in beta, which means the technology will likely grow more sophisticated and, hopefully, allow for more music discovery. “We’ll keep iterating and innovating on this experience to better serve our listeners,” Spotify said in a statement, “so stay tuned for so much more to come.”
Do I have Spotify AI Playlist?
Image: Kevin Kearney
The feature is not yet available for all Premium subscribers. To see if you’re one of the select beta users, go to Your Library, then tap the + icon in the upper right corner of the app. If you’re one of the lucky few, you’ll see the option to create an AI Playlist. If you’re not, you’ll see the normal choices to create a new playlist or Blend a shared playlist with your friends.
Kevin Kearney
Kevin is an experienced journalist and writer whose musings on tech, education, and culture have appeared in Stereogum, InsideHook, The Millions, and elsewhere. As Deputy Editor for WhistleOut, he offers unique expertise on the inner workings of the mobile industry, and has a particular passion for emerging efficiencies within smartphone apps. When he’s not researching the telecom market, he enjoys reading, running, and playing music.
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