Tag: generative AI

AI Playlist Is Rolling Out in Beta in the US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand—Get Started With These Pro Tips

September 24, 2024

In April, Spotify introduced AI Playlist in beta, providing our Premium subscribers in the U.K. and Australia with another tool to fuel discovery and music curation. Now we’re expanding the feature, giving more users another opportunity to express themselves through the music they love. Starting today, AI Playlist in English is rolling out in beta to Premium users on Android and iOS devices in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

AI Playlist combines Spotify’s powerful personalization technology with generative AI so users can turn their most creative ideas into playlists. Whether you’re totally new to the game or a prolific playlist creator, this feature offers a fun, easy way to create and curate that perfect musical mix, just for you.

Playlists on Spotify are hotbeds for discovery, fostering deep relationships between artists and fans. In fact, there are over 22 billion new artist discoveries a month on Spotify, with two billion of these turning into more lasting connections between fans and artists.

It didn’t take long for AI Playlist to make its mark after launching in the U.K. and Australia—to date, users have created millions of playlists that they keep coming back to. With AI Playlist, you can flex your creative muscles, crafting the ideal vibe for any particular moment or mood.

The magic of AI Playlist

Creating a playlist with AI Playlist is as easy as entering a unique prompt into the chat, like “upbeat pop music for my European summer vacation” or “a romantic playlist for date night at home.” Spotify will then offer a personalized selection of songs that match the vibe you’re going for, which you can revise and refine by typing in additional prompts.

The more specific you can be, the better. The most successful playlists are generated with prompts that contain a mix of genres, moods, artists, or decades, so get creative! You can also reference places, animals, activities, movie characters, colors, and even emojis.

With AI Playlist hitting four new markets, For the Record asked a few of the Spotify bandmates behind the feature about the prompts they use to create the AI-powered soundtracks to their lives.

Frankie Shlain, On-Platform Marketing Lead

“I prompted AI Playlist to give me a playlist of rom-com soundtracks from the ’90s and ’00s, and it delivered! My playlist was made up of tracks from some of my favorite movies from back in the day, proving AI Playlist definitely understood the assignment.”

Erick Morales, Product Marketing Lead

“I went on holiday to Tulum, and as I was packing and preparing for my trip, I asked for chilled electronic music to manifest my dream life in the Caribbean. AI Playlist helped me create a Caribbean Dreams playlist with some pretty sweet music I had never listened to before, along with some personal favorites.”

Annabelle Rolland, Senior Data Scientist

“Prompt: ‘Give me some funky and upbeat songs to help me unpack my boxes in my new home.’ The resulting playlist was called Energized Unpacking Grooves, and I also created another playlist that day called Moving Day Melodies. We had just moved into our new home and I needed an upbeat playlist to give me some energy to unpack a mountain worth of boxes!”

Renato Gamboa, Senior iOS Engineer

“Driving through the desert roads of Joshua Tree National Park in California was an unforgettable experience. To relive those magical moments, I used the prompt, ‘Desert house music for driving through Joshua Tree.’ I knew AI Playlist nailed it when it suggested some of my favorite tracks. Wanting to hear some fresh desert house tracks, I refined my prompt to include only tracks released within the last month. Now I’m back on those desert drives with brand-new hits, making the journey feel even more special!”

Get started with AI Playlist

Head to the Spotify mobile app and search “AI Playlist” to bring up the feature. You can also select “Your Library” at the bottom-right corner of your screen, and from there, tap the “+” button at the top-right corner and select “AI Playlist.”

- Next, select one of the suggested prompts or type your own. Remember, get creative and be specific!
- Just like that, Spotify will curate a personalized playlist featuring the tracks, artists, and genres we think you’ll like.
- From there, you can easily manage the selection of songs by previewing and deleting tracks, or ask Spotify to refine the playlist with additional prompts.
- Tap “Create,” and your new playlist will be saved automatically in Your Library.

While AI Playlist is designed to be fun, this feature is still in beta and won’t produce results for non-music-related prompts, like current events or specific brands. We also have measures in place around prompts that are offensive, so please prompt responsibly.

With this expansion, we’re excited to bring AI Playlist to more users so they can express themselves in creative ways and explore new music. We’ll keep iterating and innovating on this experience to better serve our listeners, so stay tuned for so much more to come.

Spotify Expands DJ to Now Be Available in 50 Markets Around the World. Here’s How To Find It

August 8, 2023

In February, Spotify debuted DJ in beta. DJ is a personalized AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well it can choose what to play for you. DJ provides a new and different way for fans and artists to connect. Since launch, DJ has become the most discussed Spotify feature on social media among users.*

Fans across the U.S. and Canada jumped at the opportunity to hear commentary alongside personalized music recommendations. Then, in May, we brought the experience to the U.K. and Ireland, continuing the excitement about our latest innovation. Now, the moment fans have been waiting for has arrived: We’re rolling out DJ in beta to even more countries around the world.

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Starting today, Spotify Premium users in select markets** in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as those in Australia and New Zealand, can access DJ in the English version of the app. Tune in for a chance to hear more about the music you’ve been listening to and to get recommendations for artists you’re bound to love but have yet to discover.

The initial voice model for DJ is based on Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan. Now, listeners in select markets around the world will have the option to hear commentary in English and get recommendations from their personal DJ.

At its core, DJ is all about connection and discovery. DJ’s powerful combination of our personalization technology, generative AI in the hands of our music experts, and a dynamic AI voice makes it possible for listening to feel even more personal, and fans keep coming back for more.

We’ve found that when DJ listeners hear commentary alongside personal music recommendations, they’re more willing to try something new (or listen to a song they may have otherwise skipped). And as we bring DJ to new markets, we’re seeing users tune in even more, with fans spending nearly one-third of their listening time with DJ.***

How To Access Your DJ

As long as you’re using Spotify Premium in a market where DJ is available, you can find your personal DJ by simply opening the Spotify mobile app on your iOS/iPhone or Android device. From there, head to the Music feed on Home and tap DJ, or find it in the Made for You hub within the Search tab. Then let Spotify do the rest!

DJ will serve up a lineup of music picked just for you, alongside short English-language commentary on the songs and artists. And if you’re not feeling the vibe, just hit the DJ button at the bottom right of the screen to be taken to a different genre, artist, or mood.

Since DJ is still in beta, we’ll continue to iterate and innovate to evolve the experience over time, so stay tuned for more.

*Results based on posts on X (previously Twitter) between January 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023, from users with a publicly identifiable location globally.

**Available markets as of August 8, 2023: Antigua, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Botswana, Burundi, Canada, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

***Results based on eligible DJ users (Premium users in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Ireland on mobile) and collected from July 19, 2023, to July 25, 2023.

Spotify’s AI DJ Brings a Personalized Listening Experience to Fans in the UK and Ireland

May 16, 2023

In February we unveiled DJ, a personalized AI guide that understands you and your music taste so well that it does the choosing for you. Now we’re excited to start rolling out DJ in beta to Premium users across the U.K. and Ireland.

At its core, DJ is all about connection and discovery. And thanks to DJ’s powerful combination of Spotify’s personalization technology, generative AI through the use of OpenAI technology in the hands of our music experts, and a dynamic AI voice, listening has never felt so personal.

When we were deciding where to offer DJ next, the U.K. and Ireland just made sense. We have a team of local music experts on the ground in the region, and it’s where some of DJ’s fundamental technology has been developed.

We also know there’s demand: While we’ve seen fans across the globe asking for DJ, it was most commonly requested by users on social media in the U.K. and Ireland.* But don’t just take it from us . . .

When users in the U.K. and Ireland tune in they will be greeted by a stunningly realistic AI voice, modeled after Spotify’s own Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan. Plus, they’ll be served songs and context geared towards them. For example, users who tune in right around launch may hear about how Arlo Parks is releasing her newest album, My Soft Machine, at the end of May alongside her collab, “Phoenix,” with friend and longtime role model Phoebe Bridgers. And when it comes to an engaging listening experience, these moments of relevant context are winning DJ users over.

We’ve found that when DJ listeners hear commentary alongside personal music recommendations, they’re more willing to try something new (or listen to a song they may have otherwise skipped). On days when users tune in, fans spend 25% of their listening time with DJ—and they keep coming back. More than half of first-time listeners come back to listen to DJ the very next day.**

And DJ has especially resonated with Gen Z and Millennials, who make up 87% of DJ users.***

But this is just the beginning. DJ is still in beta, and we’ll continue to iterate and innovate to evolve the experience over time.

Ready to give DJ a try? Just head to your Music Feed on Home in mobile.

*Results based on tweets between February 22, 2023 – May 11, 2023 from users with a publicly identifiable location.

**Results are based on eligible DJ users (Premium users in the U.S. and Canada on mobile) and collected from February 22, 2023 to March 1, 2023.

***Results are based on eligible DJ users (Premium users in the U.S. and Canada on mobile) and collected from April 28, 2023 to May 4, 2023.

Responsibly Balancing What Goes Into Your Personalized Recommendations

March 6, 2023

Every month, tens of billions of discoveries happen on Spotify. Personalized recommendations play an important role in our ability to match listeners around the world with the right content, tracks, artists, or creators at the right moment. Behind the scenes, we combine human editorial expertise with a multitude of signals and systems with the aim of providing every listener with a unique and safe experience.

At Spotify we focus on delivering recommendations that are relevant, encourage diversity in listening, and provide the opportunities for artist and creator discovery. We spoke with Henriette Cramer, Director of Algorithmic Impact, and Amar Ashar, Head of Algorithmic Policy—both members of the Trust & Safety team—for a deeper look at algorithmic impact and safety.

Why focus on algorithmic impact?

Henriette: Algorithmically programmed experiences like Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and Made for You Mixes, or even Search, provide opportunities for artists and podcast creators to grow their fan bases. But while machine learning and algorithms enable these really important opportunities, we know we have a responsibility to mitigate unintended harms, ensure we represent a very wide range of global creators on our platform, and understand our impact.

Understanding our algorithmic impact requires extensive internal and external collaboration, and we approach this space through three channels: research, product engagement, and collaboration with external partners. It’s an ever-evolving field, and we’re proactively working with Spotify teams and external stakeholders to continuously improve our approach as we continue to learn.

What makes Spotify unique, from an algorithmic perspective?

Amar: People often talk about the “Spotify Algorithm,” but that’s an oversimplification. In fact, Spotify’s personalization is a combination of a variety of algorithms, along with editorial and data curation teams, all contributing to a unique experience for each listener.

Spotify editors play a crucial role within this space by using their expert judgment to curate playlists and help artists find new fans. They also work with algorithms to create highly situational and personalized experiences. We call this “algotorial”—bringing both the editorial and algorithmic worlds together. This collaboration is critical to the Spotify experience. Think of it this way: Algorithms don’t go out to concerts, people do, which is why human expertise is an essential ingredient in our recommendations.

We just released a new AI DJ that delivers a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists. How are teams at Spotify working together to make sure the safety of recommendations is prioritized?

Henriette: In general, ensuring we approach Spotify recommendations responsibly requires close coordination between lots of teams across product, policy, legal, and research. We work with each of them to provide guidance that’s reflective of our algorithmic equity and safety goals, and we use various tools, such as algorithmic assessments, that help us identify and solve problems before they happen.

Spotify’s DJ takes a unique approach by combining Spotify’s personalization technology, generative AI in the hands of music editors, and voice technology. The expertise of our editors is something that’s really important to our philosophy. As we launch new features, we aim for appropriate safety measures and processes to be in place. The product has been tested in a closed environment for a while, and now that we have launched this product as a beta, we’ll continue to study and improve the experience.

How does your team work with external partners to improve Spotify’s personalized experience?

Amar: Engaging with research communities outside of Spotify is imperative to do our work. That’s why we also continue to share our findings with the wider community, collaborate across sectors, and ensure, as an industry, that we keep learning and evolving existing practices.

We also work closely with external partners through Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council, which includes an interdisciplinary group of experts who advise us on safety topics and bring expertise on recommendations, responsibility, and safety from a global perspective.

What’s your go-to playlist?

Amar: Discover Weekly, not only because it’s consistently a great playlist that has introduced me to new artists and genres, but also because I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with the team that’s built this flagship product.

Henriette: So many! I love editorial playlists like Techno Bunker, Queens of the Blues, or New Orleans Brass to really get into a genre. Since I worked on voice projects in the past, it’s been really nice to play with the new DJ beta and see editorial, tech, and design work shine together as we continue to study how we can use new techniques responsibly.

Spotify Debuts a New AI DJ, Right in Your Pocket

February 22, 2023

Personalization is at the heart of what we do at Spotify—just think of fan-favorite playlists like Discover Weekly, or our annual Wrapped campaign. The beauty of these experiences is our ability to deliver the right piece of music for that exact moment in time, and maybe even connect you with your next favorite artist in the process. We’re building on that innovation by harnessing the power of AI in an entirely new way. And today, we’re excited to share that we’re taking our personalization to a whole new level with DJ.

Ready for a brand-new way to listen on Spotify and connect even more deeply with the artists you love? The DJ is a personalized AI guide that knows you and your music taste so well that it can choose what to play for you. This feature, first rolling out in beta, will deliver a curated lineup of music alongside commentary around the tracks and artists we think you’ll like in a stunningly realistic voice.

It will sort through the latest music and look back at some of your old favorites—maybe even resurfacing that song you haven’t listened to for years. It will then review what you might enjoy and deliver a stream of songs picked just for you. And what’s more, it constantly refreshes the lineup based on your feedback.

If you’re not feeling the vibe, just tap the DJ button and it will switch it up. The more you listen and tell the DJ what you like (and don’t like!), the better its recommendations get. Think of it as the very best of Spotify’s personalization—but as an AI DJ in your pocket.

How our AI DJ works

To create the DJ we reimagined the way users listen on Spotify. The DJ knows you and your music taste so well that it will scan the latest releases we know you’ll like, or take you back to that nostalgic playlist you had on repeat last year. Never before has listening felt so completely personal to each and every user, thanks to the powerful combination of:

Spotify’s personalization technology, which gives you a lineup of music recommendations based on what we know you like.

Generative AI through the use of OpenAI technology. We put this in the hands of our music editors to provide you with insightful facts about the music, artists, or genres you’re listening to. The expertise of our editors is something that’s really important to our philosophy at Spotify.

We have experts in genres who know music and culture inside and out. And no one knows the music scene better than they do. With this generative AI tooling, our editors are able to scale their innate knowledge in ways never before possible.

A dynamic AI voice platform from our Sonantic acquisition that brings to life stunningly realistic voices from text.

To create the voice model for the DJ, we partnered with our own Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan. Previously, X served as one of the hosts on Spotify’s first (and personalized) morning show, The Get Up. His personality and voice resonated with our listeners and resulted in a loyal following for the podcast. His voice is the first model for the DJ, and we’ll continue to iterate and innovate, as we do with all our products.

Where to find the DJ

Ready to have the DJ soundtrack your day? It’s rolling out in English starting today for Spotify Premium users in the U.S. and Canada.

Head to your Music Feed on Home in the Spotify mobile app on your iOS or Android device.
Tap Play on the DJ card.
Let Spotify do the rest! The DJ will serve a lineup of music alongside short commentary on the songs and artists, picked just for you.
Not feeling the vibe? Just hit the DJ button at the bottom right of the screen to be taken to a different genre, artist, or mood.

At Spotify we’re uniquely positioned to transform audio. We’re always looking for innovative new ways to improve our users’ listening experiences to meet their needs—so stay tuned for more.

*Update May 16, 2023: DJ is now rolling out in the UK and Ireland

*Update August 8, 2023: DJ is now rolling out in 46 more markets around the world