Tag: product listicle

Spotify’s Discovery-Driven Playlists Keep Your Weekly Music Rotation Feeling Fresh

July 10, 2026

Discovery has always been a core part of the Spotify experience. Whether you’re diving into curated editorial playlists like Artists To Watch or using personalization features like DJ, there’s always something new to explore.

Playlists that refresh weekly—including Release Radar, New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, and Discover Weekly—take discovery even further, helping listeners stay on top of new releases, find breakout tracks before they go mainstream, and simply switch up their rotation with music that fits the moment.

This month, we’re giving Release Radar a little update with new controls and a new look—all in the spirit of giving listeners more ways to find their next favorite song.

Release Radar

Every Friday, Release Radar delivers the latest drops from artists you love, alongside new singles picked just for you based on your taste. Reaching nearly 9 million listeners every single week, Release Radar has become a global destination for new music discovery.

This month, we’re introducing refined session controls that give you a new way to shape your listening experience. With these controls, you can adjust the playlist so that it narrows in on a specific genre, focuses exclusively on new-to-you artists, or only serves up other personalized options tailored to your taste. Choose from up to five options, such as ‘Discover new artists’, ‘Editors’ picks, ‘Pop,’ and more. The new controls are now rolling out across both mobile and desktop, and you can find them right at the top of your Release Radar playlist.

And that’s not all. We’re making Release Radar even more relevant with sharper, more personalized recommendations to make sure you see tracks that best fit your taste. Plus, the playlist is getting a fresh look with new cover and header art that captures the classic energy of Release Radar—reflecting a continuous scan for new music to ensure your Friday drop looks as good as it sounds.

Look for Release Radar in the Fresh New Music shelf on Home every Friday, or find it anytime in the Made For You hub.

New Music Friday

Every week, millions of listeners around the world turn to New Music Friday to discover the hottest new releases.

Last month, we took the playlist a step further by introducing editor-led video recommendations. These curated insights from our editorial team highlight standout songs, spotlight rising artists, and explore the stories behind the tracks everyone’s buzzing about.

With a blend of expert perspectives and hand-picked selections, New Music Friday continues to be a go-to destination for music fans who want to stay ahead of what’s new, now, and next.

Fresh Finds

For over a decade, Fresh Finds playlists have served as a launchpad for emerging independent artists, helping them break through and connect with new audiences. Best New Artist winners including Japanese Breakfast, Ice Spice, Omar Apollo, Doechii, and Wet Leg were all featured across Fresh Finds before earning their nominations.

Along with the flagship playlist, Fresh Finds also includes more than a dozen genre-specific lists spanning styles from country and rock to jazz and hip-hop.

Behind the scenes, more than 30 Spotify editors curate each playlist, helping listeners around the world find exciting new names every week.

Discover Weekly

If a certain orange cat with a fondness for lasagna used Discover Weekly, we think he’d hate Mondays a little less.

Spotify’s first-ever personalized playlist revolutionized how people find new music, making it both effortless and personal. Since its debut over a decade ago, listeners have collectively streamed more than 100 billion tracks from the playlist.

Last year, we leveled up this fan favorite by adding customizable options that let listeners select up to five genres based on their streaming history. With these upgrades, Discover Weekly continues to guide listeners’ music journeys, helping them uncover their next favorites.

With playlists like Release Radar, New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, and Discover Weekly, Spotify is helping keep listeners’ music rotations fresh, personal, and exciting every single week.

3 New Ways to Dive Deeper Into the Music You Love

April 20, 2026

A song that captures a moment can feel like magic. But when you uncover the story behind it—who made it, what inspired it, and the meaning woven into the lyrics—it becomes something even deeper. That’s why we’ve been building new ways to help you go beyond the surface of your favorite tracks. Here are three new features designed to bring you closer to the music you love.

About the Song: The stories behind the music

Every track has a story, and About the Song brings that context right into your listening experience. This beta feature delivers short, swipeable story cards—summarized from third-party sources—that cover the inspiration behind a track, behind-the-scenes moments, and the cultural context around it. It’s available to Premium users in U.S., U.K., Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Nigeria, and South Africa.

How to find About the Song:

- Open the Now Playing view while listening in the Spotify mobile app
- Scroll down to find the About the Song card on supported tracks
- Swipe through to explore

Ask DJ: Your personal music expert, now even smarter

DJ is one of our most popular features, built around personalized listening sessions and music requests. Now you can have a conversation with DJ as you listen, getting recommendations, music facts, or context about what’s playing, right from your Spotify homepage. The rollout begins in English for Premium users ages 18 and over in the U.S., Ireland, and Sweden.

Need inspiration? Try asking things like “Start a session with new releases for my Sunday” or “When was this song first released?”

This updated DJ experience is in beta and won’t always get it right, and responses may not always be accurate or complete. We’re continuing to improve the experience over time, and listener feedback will help shape what comes next.

SongDNA: Trace a song’s creative roots

Every track is connected to the songs, samples, and artists that came before it. SongDNA makes those connections visible in an interactive map inside your Now Playing view.

Powered by WhoSampled (now part of Spotify), SongDNA lets Premium listeners explore the creative network behind a track while helping ensure the people who contributed get recognized. Follow the thread from a sample to its source, discover a cover you didn’t know existed, or trace a producer’s fingerprint across decades of recordings.

These three features are part of our ongoing work to bring you closer to the music, podcasts, and audiobooks you love. We’ll keep building on each experience based on how listeners use the features, and continue exploring new ways to unlock discovery.

5 Ideas for Bringing the Music You Love Into Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2026

Valentine’s Day often comes with a soundtrack. In fact, Spotify data shows that more people used Blend, our shared playlist feature, on February 14, 2025, than on any other day in the past year. This year, whether you’re heading out on a date, hanging with friends, or flying solo, here are five ideas for bringing music into the moment.

Create a playlist for two

You and your boo can finally have a playlist you agree on. Just tap the “Create” button to invite that special someone to Blend, and Spotify will automatically mix your two music worlds. You’ll get to see where your tastes overlap (and where they diverge) as your shared playlist updates daily.

Set the vibe with your galentines

With Jam, everyone can listen together and add songs to the queue in real time. Premium users can start a Jam by tapping the “Create” button and inviting others to join. It’s ideal for Galentine’s hangs or group dinners—your friend with the control issues will love it.

See a live show in your area

Nothing beats the magic of live music. Use the Live Events hub and your personalized Concerts Near You playlist to discover local shows; perfect for date night with your crush or a solo adventure.

Soundtrack a cozy night in

Sometimes, Valentine’s Day calls for staying in. With Prompted Playlist, you can describe what you want to listen to in your own words and Spotify will turn it into a personalized playlist, drawing from both your listening history and what’s trending. Whether you’re cooking or working on a hobby, you can get specific about what you want to hear without having to build the perfect playlist from scratch.

This feature is currently in beta for Premium users in New Zealand, the U.S., and Canada. Just tap “Create” and select Prompted Playlist to get started.

Say it with a song

When you can’t find the words, find a song. Share your favorites directly with your valentine within Spotify using Messages (available for users 16+ in select markets) and let the music do the talking.