Spotify announced on Wednesday that it is giving users more control over its streaming service’s algorithm for the first time. The company is framing this as the launch of its new “Promoted Playlists” feature, which will initially be available to Premium subscribers in New Zealand. This English-only feature is currently in beta and will evolve before rolling out to other markets.
The new tool allows users to describe what they want to hear in a personalized playlist that reflects the full arc of their tastes. According to Spotify, the playlist focuses not only on the songs you like now but on your entire listening history from day one, which differentiates it from other playlists.
This feature is an evolution from Spotify’s existing AI playlist option, which debuted last year and also works through written prompts. Similar to AI playlists, the new Prompted Playlists allow users to request what they want to hear with written instructions. However, users can now write much longer and more specific prompts because the new AI feature factors in world knowledge.
Additionally, the ability to go further back in your listening history and schedule how often the playlist refreshes makes it different from Spotify’s other AI playlist offerings. For example, Spotify suggests subscribers can ask for something like “music from my top artists from the last five years” and then amend the prompt to include a request for “deep cuts I haven’t heard yet.”
In another example of a longer prompt, Spotify said you could ask for “high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute 5K run that keeps a steady pace before easing into relaxing songs for a cool-down” or “music from this year’s biggest films and most-talked-about TV shows that match my taste.” You can continue to fine-tune the prompt to make it even more specific and set how often you want it to refresh, like daily or weekly.
The idea is that users can essentially make their own version of something like Spotify’s flagship playlist, Discover Weekly, but one focused on a type of music, genre, or time period they want to track, or their own version of something like Spotify’s genre-focused Daily Mixes.
The company says the playlist will include descriptions and context so you know why you’re getting the recommendation. It will also offer a set of prompts to help users get started.
Spotify isn’t the only social app pitching how it’s letting users take control of its algorithm. Instagram also introduced a new feature that lets users control what type of reels they see. Bluesky, a decentralized X competitor, also lets users swap out its algorithm for one of their own.