When it comes to the most-loved features on Spotify, personalization tops many users’ lists. Through Spotify playlists like Discover Weekly and daylist, editorially curated standouts like Fresh Finds, and new playlist-enhancing features like Smart Shuffle and Jam, we love helping listeners discover something new. And our listeners’ thirst for auditory adventures continues to grow, with nearly two billion music discoveries happening on Spotify daily.
Creators around the world also love discovery and turn on their fans to favorite playlists, products, and people. In For the Record’s ongoing Discovery Monday series, we connect with content creators and pick their brains about recent finds, whether it’s new music, podcasts, TV, food, beauty, technology, or fashion.
This month, we talked to Daniel Mac, a personality you probably recognize from his viral videos in which he boldly walks up to high-end car owners—many well-known—and asks; “What do you do for a living?” When he’s not busy filming his social media shorts, the 26-year-old hosts The Daniel Mac Show podcast, where he invites his guests to share more about their careers and income.
How did your love of luxury cars lead to your infamous car videos?
It was straight up curiosity from the start. Growing up, I was always into Hot Wheels, RC cars, stuff like that. After I graduated college, I moved to Dallas working a job in finance and that was the first time I saw a bunch of super cars. I was like, “How do I get that? How does someone afford a Ferrari?” And the most logical thing for me to do was literally just walk up and ask someone. So, it really just started with curiosity and a love for cars paired with my financial brain.
You’ve hosted many influential people including business tycoons, entertainers, and the current U.S. president. Do you have a favorite?
There have definitely been some interesting ones. Probably my most famous one and the best one would be Horacio Pagani, the CEO and founder of Pagani. I didn’t know what he looked like, and while it’s funny in retrospect, it was really embarrassing at the time. I was at Monterey Car Week, and I kind of snuck into the VIP lot and saw this crazy Pagani Huayra Roadster BC rolling up on the grass. It’s like $4 million and I’ve never seen one in person before. So I run over to this car and ask the driver what he does for a living. And it’s literally Pagani. So that one got me some flak. But it was like a legit run-in, like, not planned in any capacity.
Switching gears to music discovery, what’s your favorite way to discover new music on Spotify?
I find music through Discovery Weekly. I also hit the Smart Shuffle button, and I like to see what songs Spotify recommends to my existing playlists. But there’s also a lot of mixes that Spotify creates too, like Indie Mix or House Mix, and I like that it has a lot of songs that I already listen to.
I also really like to collaborate with friends on playlists or use Blend. It’s cool to see what you both listen to, and you find out what kind of stuff they’re listening to.
What about our Niche Mixes? Any genres you’re into?
I like EDM music a lot, so I’ve been diving into a lot of techno. I’m getting really into melodic techno, which is more synthy style of house. I also have a playlist I created called Silky Techno that has some artists like Monolink, ARTBAT, Tale Of Us, Ben Böhmer, and RÜFÜS DU SOL. I’ve also been into a lot of psychedelic pop and rock recently. Mildlife STRFKR, Com Truise, and Metronomy—all good artists. That’s been my niche vibe recently.
What about a recently discovered podcast?
I have been binging The Joe Rogan Experience; I like him a lot. I also like The Tim Dillon Show. He’s a comedian and he’s really funny. We’re actually friends now, and we’ve filmed some videos together. It’s cool because I was listening to him on Spotify first and then we became friends in person.
You also connect with fans via The Daniel Mac Show podcast. What does the podcast format allow you to do that other mediums don’t?
It’s really hard to dive into how someone really makes money during the time they sit at a stoplight. Having the podcast has allowed me to dive into a 30- or 45-minute episode to really get into the nitty gritty of, “How do you do it? How do we replicate it?” It lets me have a long, deep conversation with some really influential people that you just can’t do in a short video.
Turning back to cars, the Formula One Grand Prix revs up in Las Vegas later this month. What are you most excited to see?
I really like night races a lot, and I love Vegas. I see this being the event of the year worldwide for all sports; the amount of money they’re pouring into it is insane. So I’m very interested to see the city in general. And I’m excited to see McLaren, who’s been making big moves recently because Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have been just inching up and going crazy. I feel like Vegas will be their time to shine. Not like they haven’t been recently, but it’s interesting seeing some added pressure on Red Bull that didn’t exist five or six races ago.
Dig in deeper with Daniel on his podcast The Daniel Mac Show.
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