Spotify launches AI-powered playlist feature in US and Canada

Spotify brought a new tool to American and Canadian users on Thursday that lets paying customers build playlists through artificial intelligence commands based on what they already listen to.

The Swedish company tested the “prompted playlist” feature in New Zealand before bringing it to North America. This marks another step in Spotify’s push to get more people to pay for subscriptions instead of using the free version.

Molly Holder, who serves as Vice President of Product Personalization, explained the thinking behind the new tool during a press session. “Listeners don’t just want Spotify to understand them. They want to actively shape their own experience,” Holder said.

The company says this new feature puts users in charge instead of just receiving what the platform picks for them. Users can now tell the system what they want using their own language and goals.

What sets this tool apart from earlier options like AI playlist is that people can create “rules” for what gets added to their playlists. They can also set these playlists to update themselves every day or every week, keeping the music fresh and current, according to the company.

Price jump follows AI rollout

The rollout comes as Spotify announced earlier in January that it would raise the cost of its monthly premium plan. Starting in February, American subscribers will pay $12.99 instead of the current price, marking a $1 increase. The same price bump hits Estonia and Latvia.

This represents an 8 percent jump as the company works toward making steady profits. The streaming giant announced that the United States, its biggest market, will see the monthly rate go from $12 to $13. The company last raised American prices in 2024, though it increased fees in some other countries during the previous year.

 Company officials said the extra money would help them “continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists.”

Spotify now counts more than 280 million people who pay for subscriptions. The business has faced growing expectations to raise what it charges, keeping pace with rising costs and matching what other services like Netflix have done.

The platform benefits from having extremely dedicated listeners who often spend years putting together their music and audio collections. Studies show that among all the major video and audio streaming services in America, Spotify customers are the least likely to cancel their accounts.

Over twenty years, Spotify grew into the biggest force in the music business and showed it could turn a profit. But as streaming reached its peak in major markets, growth has slowed down. For roughly the past two years, the company has been developing a pricier service aimed at its most devoted fans.

Growing backlash over AI music content

Spotify has long relied on AI-driven tools to help people find music, including features like Discover Weekly and Daylists that refresh five or six times daily. While these tools helped make it a leading music service, some subscribers now say the company went too far with AI-generated music recommendations.

Paying customers have raised concerns about AI-created music showing up in their feeds, particularly in Discover Weekly playlists that refresh every Monday with suggestions from genres users stream most. People also report seeing it in Release Radar playlists. Many subscribers are now asking the platform to add filters that show which songs came from AI.

The main frustration isn’t just that AI music exists. Users claim Spotify isn’t being honest with paying members about what’s AI-generated and what isn’t.

Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It’s free.