What you need to know
- Podcasts enter the fray for Spotify’s Prompted Playlists beta, available in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
- Similar to how you’d write a music-based description, users can tell the algorithm what podcasts they’re interested in for a generated list.
- Prompted Playlist’s beta first got underway in the U.S. in January, granting access to its creation via the “Create” button.
AI has made its way onto Spotify to aid in musical discovery, but the platform is taking it a step further with its auditory shows.
Controlling the algorithm was the name of the game for Spotify’s Prompted Playlists; now, it’s sharing details on a beta update that’s adding podcasts. Rolling out this week, Prompted Playlist testers in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand can begin adding podcast descriptions to their request. Spotify says users can unlock their curiosities with this, as Prompted Playlists can scour through millions of available shows.
Android Central’s Take
I’ve never been one to indulge in podcasts, but there’s a great deal of users who do. I have friends who enjoy listening into podcasts, so there is certainly a want behind it. Spotify reports that 34 million podcasts are discovered “every week” on its platform. If users could stop endlessly scrolling and tell the algorithm what show they’re looking for, that sounds a huge win.
If users are looking to learn about what’s happening in the entertainment world (think music, film, and fashion), tell Prompted Playlists about it. As an example, Spotify says you can write “Create a podcast playlist with the biggest entertainment news from the past few days. Include all things music, film, fashion, and major cultural moments.”
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There’s more to podcasts than just the entertainment world. You can ask about shows involving science (Artemis II is going around the moon, did you know?) or even true crime mystery podcasts. After this update, Prompted Playlists aren’t moving, nor are they changing. Users can still get started by hitting “Create” and selecting Prompted Playlists. From there, write your request as normal, whether that be for specific music genres or podcasts.
Moreover, Spotify highlights the ability for users to decide how often that playlist refreshes. Users can choose between daily and weekly updates, but there’s also a “don’t update” option.
Prompted Podcasts (Playlists)
As previously stated, Prompted Playlists is still in beta and rolling out to the above regions. The update should begin appearing today (Apr 7) and beyond for involved testers.
Android Central’s Take
For the sake of personalization, Prompted Playlists put your musical algorithm in your hands. There are a few ways “personalization” exists on Spotify already. We have Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and those playlists in “Your top mixes,” but this is like all of those rolled into one. You’re in the driver’s seat, you’re controlling where the algorithm takes you. And, if you don’t like, re-roll.
The Prompted Playlists beta first got going in New Zealand late last year before arriving in the U.S. in January. Canada was also involved in that expansion for Spotify. Prompted Playlists uses your description for music (and now podcasts) to create a list of songs you might enjoy. While you can throw in your desired genre and artists, Spotify will also take into account your account history and “vibes.”
What you’ve been listening to recently, what you’ve liked, and skipped will help the algorithm create something worth listening to. Spotify stated that the beta could evolve, which is likely what we’re seeing now with the introduction of podcasts. Moreover, it could introduce a “usage limit.”
