NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 03: The Spotify banner hangs from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on the … [+]
Spotify has always had a tricky goal when it comes to new music discovery. People say they want to uncover hidden gems and find new favorites, but very few people actually do the work. Many actually love hearing something amazing for the first time, but getting them to that point is hard, as serving up new tunes and unheard future classics turns some people off.
In its effort to find the best ways to appease hundreds of millions of listeners and keep discovery at the forefront, Spotify has launched Niche Mixes, a new set of personalized playlists for everyone.
These playlists, which number too many to count and all come with fun names, combine familiar songs and new recommendations into somewhat oddly specific categories. They also update daily, so those enjoying discovering new music will never run out of things to listen to.
Niche Mixes continues to add discovery options for listeners via playlists. Many already exist based around moods or decades or genres, as well as those that are unique to each individual person, such as Release Radar or Discover Weekly.
What seems most notable in the Niche Mixes announcement is the sheer number of playlists that are being generated. A blog post by Spotify states there are “tens of thousands” of mixes, each personalized for the individual listener.
Users can find these new listening options by heading to the Made For You section of the platform, which is in the search tab. There, Spotify will instantly share five to 10 playlists to start. Some examples spelled out by the company include, according to the streamer itself:”Start the day with the Feel Good Morning Mix, get moving with some retro bops from the ’80s Running Mix, hit the road with the Driving Singalong Mix, and wind down the night and relax with the Night Time Mix.”
The Verge notes that users can “also manually search for something specific by slapping ‘activities, vibes, or aesthetics’ next to the word ‘mix’ and see what comes up — such as ‘Baking Mix’ or ‘Angry Teenager Mix.'” Subscribers will be served personalized playlists based largely on familiarity. They will combine music from artists, genres, and decades fans already know and love with songs Spotify thinks each subscriber might enjoy that fit whatever moment the listener is in.
With Niche Mixes, Spotify is adding another new approach to music discovery, mixing things up once again with, well, mixes. By giving users an almost endless array of personalized playlists, the platform is ensuring that everyone can find something that resonates with them in whatever way works for them.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/03/30/spotify-introduces-niche-mixes-another-way-for-users-to-discover-new-music/