Spotify is continuing to focus heavily on music discovery with today’s rollout of a new “Browse” feature, coming inside an app update later today.
Browse lets Spotify users find curated playlists based on certain categories or “moods.”
Music for every moment: We’ve got just the right tunes for your morning commute, the party tonight, and the hangover tomorrow. Music for every mood: More than just genres, listen to a playlist for romance or a collection of face melting guitarists.
Spotify’s new Browse feature comes on the heels of their Discovery feature, which uses Spotify’s algorithms to recommend songs and artists based on what you’ve been listening to. The difference between the two is that the new Browse feature adds a human element, with playlists hand-curated by the folks at Spotify.
“We don’t rely on one source for recommendations in real life – and music discovery can’t be one-dimensional,” said Gustav Söderström, Chief Product Officer, at Spotify. “Our three-dimensional approach now combines the human touch with strong social features and unique technology from over five years of experience. We know music and we’re the first to marry all three aspects in one service, making it easier than ever for users to navigate the treasure trove of content within Spotify.”
Recent analysis suggested that streaming music subscriptions will rise to 29 million this year, and could hit 191 million by the year 2018. Spotify currently leads the pack, but if it’s going to hold on to its crown it’ll need to compete with other services that put an emphasis on discovery. With this new feature, the company is doing just that.
You can expect the new Browse tool to hit iOS and Android first, and eventually roll out to all platforms.